# El secreto de Selena (2018)

> A dramatized retelling of the life, rise, and 1995 killing of Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla, told through the people around her.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/70528

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 13
- Episode runtime: 43 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, crime
- Created by: Dariela Pérez Hernández, Alejandro Aimetta, David Jasqui
- Network: TNT Latin America, Telemundo
- Cast: Diana Simán, Sofía Lama, Maya Zapata, Jorge Zárate, Damayanti Quintanar, Úrsula Pruneda, Moisés Arizmendi, Eduardo Santamarina
- TMDB rating: 4.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7084640/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: melancholic, melodramatic, tense, intimate

## What critics say

Audiences panned this single-season dramatization of Selena Quintanilla's life and murder, with the audience rating at 4.6 out of 10.

## Synopsis

El secreto de Selena (2018) is a US and Mexican co-produced Spanish-language true crime drama series created by Dariela Pérez Hernández, Alejandro Aimetta, and David Jasqui for TNT Latin America and Telemundo. Maya Zapata plays Selena Quintanilla, the Tejano singer whose rising career pulls her family into the demanding orbit of a father, Abraham Quintanilla (Jorge Zárate), who guides and polices every step of her ascent. Sofía Lama takes on the role of María Celeste Arrarás, and Damayanti Quintanar plays Yolanda Saldívar, the figure whose presence pulls the story toward its violent end. Thirteen episodes of forty-three minutes each form a single limited series, with the engine of the story driven by ambition, loyalty, and the pressures of fame in a close-knit Mexican American community. Set in 1990s Texas, the series moves between the Tejano concert circuit, family kitchens, and courtroom-adjacent media coverage. Its tone is melancholic and melodramatic, built from heavy emotional stakes and the atmosphere of a community grieving a public figure. Fans of The People v. O.J. Simpson and Selena will find resonance in its blend of real-life tragedy, celebrity mythmaking, and family melodrama.

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