On My Block is a coming-of-age television series, created by Lauren Iungerich, Eddie Gonzalez, and Jeremy Haft.[1][2] The first season, consisting of ten episodes, was released on Netflix on March 16, 2018.[3][4] On April 13, 2018, the series was renewed for a second season.[5]
The series stars Sierra Capri, Jason Genao, Brett Gray, Diego Tinoco, Jessica Marie Garcia, and Ronni Hawk. The series's diverse cast, story-lines, and performances were praised by critics.
Premise
In a rough inner-city Los Angeles neighborhood, four teens find their lifelong friendship tested as they begin high school.[2]
Cast and characters
Main
Sierra Capri as Monse Finnie,[2][4][6] a headstrong Afro-Latina tomboy, who serves as the de facto leader of her friend group.[7] Raised by her single father, she is star-crossed lovers with one of her best friends, Cesar.
Diego Tinoco as Cesar Diaz,[2][6] an intelligent teen forced into gang life once his brother is released from prison, putting a strain on a blossoming relationship with Monse.
Jason Genao as Ruben "Ruby" Martinez,[2][4][6] a smart-aleck math whiz of Mexican descent often serving as the group's conscience.[7]
Brett Gray as Jamal Turner,[2][4][6] the nerd of the group,[8] who is African-American. In Season 1, he is drawn into finding a hidden treasure scheme surrounding RollerWorld.
Jessica Marie Garcia as Jasmine,[2][4] a classmate of the group.
Ronni Hawk as Olivia, a friend of Ruby's family who moves in with them after her parents are deported.
Recurring
Julio Macias as Oscar "Spooky" Diaz, Cesar's brother and leader of Santos gang.
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the first season an approval rating of 100% based on 5 reviews, and a weighted average rating of 9.3/10. Trey Mangum of Shadow and Act wrote, "On My Block is different than anything we’ve seen on television in relation to the experience of growing up. The stars are young people of color, dealing with real issues that happen in communities that they have to wrangle with during this pivotal time in their lives. For a lovely story about friendship and timely societal issues, along with superb youth acting, here is your next binge." [9] Alexis Gunderson of Paste said, "When the final credits hit, it’s clear that not one second of the season’s 10 short episodes was wasted: Every line was measured out, every background track meticulously calibrated, every initially jarring tonal shift set up precisely for a singular cumulative effect that lands in the season’s final moments like a punch to the chest you realize too late you should have seen coming from a mile away."[10] Matt Seitz of New York Magazine wrote, "One of the many remarkable things about this series is how it folds crime and the awareness of potential violence into everyday life, which is something white sitcoms never do unless it’s a Very Special Episode."[11]
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