As the school year is ending, us students tend to slack slightly more than usual, not to just procrastinate, but to relax and have time to ourselves. If you’re anything like me, you like to relax and watch a good binge-worthy show and finish it in one sitting. I currently binge-watched one of Netflix’s newest shows On My Block. Created by Eddie Gonzalez, Jeremy Haft, and Lauren Iungerich (also known for MTV’s Awkward), the show follows five teenagers in the city of South Los Angeles as they make their journey into high school, but they have a lot more to worry about than normal prospective high schoolers do. One of the main characters, Cesar Diaz, played by Diego Tinoco, is affiliated with one of LA’s gangs through his older brother. Right before the school year, he becomes a part of the gang, and his friends, Monse Finnie (Sierra Capri), Ruby Martinez (Jason Genao), and Jamal Turner (Brett Gray) try to get him out of his predicament.
As I was watching the show, I felt happy, sad, angry, and shocked. Any good TV show will have you in a whirlwind of emotions like this show does; however, not any show will open you to a world you may not understand, give you a new mind about people living in these types of areas with these kind of struggles, and also make you relive high school all over again.
Another thing that I admire is that there isn’t one set main character, there are five. Each character has their own types of struggles whether it’s family, gang-related, or fears of being themselves. Although they struggle separately, they also struggle as a group to ensure the safety of their friends and the continuance of their friendship. They are all linked by one thing: their undying love for each other as friends despite all of the hardships they endure.
If you like coming of age TV shows that hold the truth about the struggles of being Black or African American and Hispanic in America, living in a not-so-well-off area, you will be more than happy with this show.