According to Variety, ABC has given a put pilot commitment to a series inspired by the musical legacy of Selena Quintanilla, the iconic Tejano singer who was murdered at 23 years old in 1995.
The series, which is currently untitled, will be produced by Abraham Quintanilla, Jr. and Suzette Quintanilla Arriaga, Selena’s father and sister.
The series focuses on Alex Guerra, a chart-topping, award winning pop star who has been estranged from her family for 5 years. She tries to pick up the pieces when a crisis forces her to return home. Alex finds herself back in Texas, juggling a love triangle, the demands of her career and the dark secrets of the family that she now desperately wants to win back.
Miguel Nolla will serve as the writer and co-executive producer and has previously worked on Private Practice, Grey’s Anatomy, and Scandal. If this series comes to pass it’ll most likely, considering the inspiration, be a Latinx-led series. While we have shows like Jane the Virgin, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Superstore holding down the fort with some amazing Latinx characters, there is still a need for more nuanced portrayals.
“We are thrilled to team up with Campanario and ABC Studios and highlight the complexities and family dynamics of a Latin pop superstar coming to grips with the reality of her influence especially in today’s social climate,” said music producer and SB Projects founder Scooter Braun in a statement. (via HuffPo)
For the past few years, Selena’s image has been heavily used to sell everything from makeup to t-shirts at Forever 21. While it is exciting to see her finally get her due in the media and reach more mainstream audiences again, there is also a fear, at least from me, that she is being used as a trendy-tragic figure, much like singer Aaliyah.
The Quintanilla family has been very good and maintaining the legacy of Selena in terms of attaching her to “legit” projects. However, that has not stopped companies from taking Selena’s image to sell products.
I’m also skeptical because it reminds me of the way Frida Kahlo’s art has been appropriated. Frida Kahlo, despite being anti-capitalism, has been used to sell everything from socks to paper-doll books that give her curves and pretty much erase her unibrow. I want Selena products to not just remind us of the woman who lived but to also recognize what was amazing about Selena was rooted in her culture.
(image: screengrab/Youtube)
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