Jane the Virgin

This affectionate adaptation of a telenovela offered much-needed representation of Latinx lives on US television.

Jane the Virgin (CW, 2014-19) remains one of the most well-known television shows of the 2010s in the US and abroad. Revisiting key moments in the arc of the show’s plot alongside its social context, scholar Paul Julian Smith unpacks this cultural phenomenon. Smith relates how the show’s affectionate and complex portrayal of a Venezuelan American family tackling important themes--such as immigration, legal status, racism, and reproductive healthcare--made it a palatable vehicle for progressive representations of the lived experiences of Latinx immigrants. The show’s hybridity of genres, including romance, drama, and comedy, and its innovative narrative strategy are distinct strengths, making it an important precursor to the comedies and dramas that followed.

Paul Julian Smith is distinguished professor of comparative literature; Latin American, Iberian, and Latino cultures; and film and media cultures at the Graduate Center at City University of New York. He is the author or editor of more than twenty-five books, including Queer Mexico: Cinema and Television Since 2000 (Wayne State University Press) and Mexican Genders, Mexican Genres: Cinema, Television and Streaming Since 2010. His works have been featured by numerous journals and media outlets, including Film Quarterly, Sight and Sound, Times Higher Education, Times Literary Supplement, and BBC national radio. Smith was elected a Fellow of the British Academy.