“We’re gonna fill this house with joy or I swear to God I will slit all of your throats.” – Drea
Shea Serrano’s “Primo” is probably one of the better TV shows I’ve seen all year, and in a period where we’re flooded with new series, “Primo” stands out. Serrano’s series is a classic single camera family sitcom in the tradition of shows like “Modern Family” and “Blackish,” except “Primo” revolves around a contemporary Mexican family. This family in particular is unusual but tight knit, and often times they manage to be their own worst enemy, more than their best ally. But that’s all apart of what makes “Primo” such a great , funny series. And at eight episodes clocking in at a half hour each, it’s also a very easy watch.
“Primo” is set in San Antonio and follows Rafa, a sixteen year old boy who is navigating his life. Things get complicated when a new girl named Mya moves in to town, and he’s now dead set on getting her attention. Rafa lives with his mother, the overprotective but well meaning Drea, a single mom who has a tight grasp on her home life. The aspect that makes Rafa’s life so chaotic is that he has five uncles, all of whom garner their own peculiar personalities and approaches toward life. While Rafa and Drea are the heart of “Primo,” Rafa’s five uncles are the soul. The casting is absolutely excellent from top to bottom with Ignacio Diaz-Silverio doing a great job as the reluctant hero.
He takes a lot of his influences and advice from his uncles, all of whom have something to offer, but it doesn’t always turn out too well, sadly. Christina Vidal is a stand out as Drea, a wonderful moral center of the entire family who spends a lot of her time chasing after her brothers, and doing everything she can to guide Rafa on the right path. My favorite aspects of the show, though, are the collective performances of Carlos Santos, Henri Esteve, Johnny Rey Diaz, Efraín Villa, and Jonathan Medina, respectively. Not only do they manage to really help maintain the show’s emotional core, but they are often laugh out loud funny.
They seriously manage to garner a ton of laughs throughout the show’s first season, and thankfully the writers are able to balance out so many sub-plots in such a short time. Rafa’s uncles are not only funny, but they’re well fleshed out, and have excellent chemistry with the central stars and each other. Even though they’re so vastly different from one another, you immediately buy that they are brothers. It’s tough to pick out my favorite of the uncles, as they all represent an aspect of manhood that Rafa is trying to learn from and obtain. Whether it’s Mondo’s spirituality, or Mike’s adherence to authority, they all signify the importance of the male role model and fill in as Rafa’s surrogate fathers.
The show is serialized, but with the only season arcs belonging to Rafa and Drea. Rafa is trying to win the affections of Mya, while Drea introduces an element in to the group dynamic in the season finale that might completely alter the way Rafa interacts with his uncles in season two.
In either case, “Primo” is just grade A family television. I hope Amazon gives it a chance to flourish and grow with a second season. Fingers crossed.
Now Streaming Exclusively on Amazon Freevee.