# Vida (2018)

> Two estranged Mexican-American sisters return to their Eastside Los Angeles neighborhood and confront their mother's hidden past.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/66660

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 22
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama
- Created by: Tanya Saracho
- Network: STARZ
- Cast: Melissa Barrera, Mishel Prada, Ser Anzoategui, Chelsea Rendon, Carlos Miranda, Maria-Elena Laas, Roberta Colindrez, Adrian Gonzalez
- TMDB rating: 7.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7725422/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: mild
- Tone: warm, sharp, emotionally raw, intimate

## What critics say

Critics broadly praise Vida's emotionally rich family drama, lead performances, and queer Latinx representation, while the final season is rated lower than the middle one.

## Synopsis

Vida (2018-2020) is a US STARZ drama series created by Tanya Saracho and produced by Big Beach. Two Mexican-American sisters from the Eastside of Los Angeles, Lyn (Melissa Barrera) and Emma (Mishel Prada), are polar opposites who have grown distant from one another. When their mother dies, they are forced back to the neighborhood they fled, where old friends, rivals and family obligations pull them into a web of local loyalties. Supporting characters include Eddy (Ser Anzoategui), Marisol (Chelsea Rendon) and Johnny (Carlos Miranda), whose lives intersect with the sisters in bars, salons and family kitchens. The engine of the show is the slow unraveling of a family secret about their mother's identity, which forces both sisters to reckon with who they are and where they belong. Each episode moves through personal romance, class tension and community politics in a bilingual mix of English and Spanish. The series spans three seasons and twenty two episodes, and its tone is warm, sharp and emotionally raw. Fans of Jane the Virgin, The L Word and Gentefied will find resonance in its blend of family melodrama, queer storytelling and working class Latinx life.

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- [Monarca (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/78921)
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- [Cecilia (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/116823)
- [Bravas (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/98157)

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