Vida S1-3

All it takes to reunite estranged sisters who’re polar opposites is the one thing they never wanted: their mother’s death. That’s where the drama kicks off in Vida.

Melissa Barrera and Mishel Prada are perfectly cast as Lyn and Emma Hernandez, sisters so vastly different you’d swear they’re not related. They’re pulled home to East LA and fight like cat and dog from the moment they’re in the same room. Their family even have to separate at their mom’s funeral.

But it’s not each other they hate – it’s their past. Where they come from, the struggles they experienced, how they battled growing up, how they fought for attention. Oh, and their mom has one final little bombshell to drop from the afterlife…

In Season 3, the bar the Hernandez sisters inherited is booming and their love lives are actually flourishing — until they discover another long-buried family secret, which leaves them wondering if they can continue together as a family or if they should each move on alone — for good this time. 

Vida has captivated the critics, earning itself a 100% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes for all three seasons, and fourth place on Time Magazine’s Best of 2019 list for Season 2. 

As AVClub says, “Vida is rightly lauded for its excellent performances, incisive writing, and commitment to centering queer, female and non-binary, and Latinx voices both in front of and behind the camera. But you know what? It’s also one of the best-looking shows on TV. The cinematography is top-tier. The direction is impeccable. It’s beautiful, immersive, often dreamlike filmmaking.” 

Emily Todd VanDerWerff from vox.com sums up Vida beautifully: “It’s about how we come together as individuals to build communities strong enough to withstand the darkest horrors the world wants to throw our way. If you want to build a better world, you have to be ready to go to the mat for the people in your corner, even if you sometimes want to kill them.”