Entertainment

'On My Block' Is An Exciting Example Of Behind-The-Scenes Diversity

John O Flexor/Netflix

Netflix series On My Block is a coming of age tale about four friends going through life in a populated high school. While television has no shortage of stories about getting through high school, what sets On My Block apart is that its focused on experiences at an inner city school. A second season of On My Block hasn't been announced, but the show helps provide a look at an experience that has been missing from television.

UPDATE: According to The Hollywood Reporter, On My Block has officially been renewed for Season 2.

EARLIER: On My Block star Jason Genao shares with reporters during a Netflix junket roundtable that he views the show as "a voice for those people who are being silenced." On My Block follows Cesar, Ruby, Monse, and Jamal as they traverse adulthood, education, and the obstacles that arise when growing up in South Central Los Angeles. As Genao explains, "This is an entire show that these people are getting. It’s the biggest form of a pedestal that people could get to have a voice."

On My Block gives a voice to black and Latinx viewers in city school districts around the world, and the show could help people who aren't familiar with inner city culture understand a part of the world that isn't their own. Star Brett Gray says that he hopes the series "opens the conversation of more people who are not from an inner city [neighborhood] to talk to people who are."

The first 10-episode season premiered on March 16, 2018, and upon viewing audiences will notice that the show features few white faces, instead showcasing a cast full of black and Latinx actors. The focus on experiences outside of more white-centric high school shows of the past like Freaks and Geeks and Dawson's Creek extends beyond the cast. The crew was also made of many creatives of non-white backgrounds. Actor Diego Tinoco says, "It was a really diverse set ... We had Asian directors, Latino producers, Latino writers, African American writers. Everything. It was a completely diverse set."

On My Block's approach to storytelling and production couldn't have come at a more relevant time, as the entertainment industry has been abuzz with major figures advocating for inclusivity riders. Brought into the national spotlight during Frances McDormand's Oscars Speech, inclusion riders are described by People as "a clause in an actor’s contract that requires the cast and crew on the film be diverse and support gender equality in order to retain the actor."

It's a way for Hollywood stars to guarantee that their sets and casts are filled with diverse talents. While Hollywood is speaking up about the lack of diversity in the entertainment industry, On My Block serves as an example of the engaging material that is produced when underrepresented voices get the platform to create. (On My Block doesn't necessarily have an inclusion rider, but it is a show that's an excellent example of how to have a diverse team in front of and behind the camera.)

John O Flexor/Netflix

Actress Sierra Capri says that "there’s absolutely nothing like [On My Block] on Netflix." Capri explains that the series speaks specifically to children and teens in the inner city, but also that the show manages to be universally relatable. "You don’t have to be in an inner city [neighborhood] to experience the things we experience. That’s a stereotype, unfortunately."

On My Block's first season marks the arrival of several exciting voices to Netflix, from actors to directors and everyone in-between. While Netflix hasn't yet announced if the streaming platform will be renewing On My Block for a second season, the example it could set by continuing to support a show with a diverse cast and crew could inspire other companies to follow its lead.

Shows like On My Block are paving the way for a media landscape where television offerings are as diverse as the world that they intend to reflect.

Additional reporting by: Dana Getz