On My Block

The series goes beyond the typical teen drama, featuring a cast composed entirely people of color and a quartet of main characters dealing with problems both big and small. There’s Cesar (Diego Tinoco), who is expected to join his brother’s gang; Jamal (Brett Gray), the least mature member of the group who ends up on a series of Goonies-esque adventures; Monse (Sierra Capri), the smartest member of the group, who is entangled in a romance with Cesar; and Ruby (Jason Genao), who is trying to assert some independence from his family. On My Block can be very funny, but the writing never avoids the reality of the violence the characters live with every day.

There is no divide between the rich part of town and the poor part of Freeridge. As the title suggests, most of the series takes place within a single neighborhood (with the exception of Monse’s story). While other depictions of South L.A. tend to be either too soft or too hard, On My Block gets it just right. Gang violence and crime constantly shadow the characters (especially Cesar), but there are plenty of scenes of the kids just being kids. For instance, Jamal attempts to fake an injury to get out of playing football (much to the chagrin of his parents) and Jasmine (Garcia) constantly pines after Ruby.

Many of the series’ storylines deal with issues other shows haven’t covered. In the first season, Ruby’s family takes in Olivia (Roni Hawk) after her parents are deported. Ruby gets a crush on this pretty new girl living in his home (he’s still a teenage boy, after all), which is endearing, but what makes Olivia’s story powerful is the struggles she faces of not knowing when or if she will see her parents again. Deportation and America’s immigration system are starting to be touched on more frequently in entertainment, but it’s rare to see what happens to the children of those immigrants when they are deported, and the devastating impact this separation can have on families.

Much of the series’ charm lies in the relationships between these characters. Even as they are trying to help Cesar get out of his gang or are facing off with one of his rivals, they still manage to deliver a series of hilarious one liners. One of the best relationships in the show is between Jamal and his Abuela (Peggy Blow), who decides to take Jamal under her wing. Despite being rather eccentric (she smokes weed and encourages Jamal to search for secret treasure buried in the neighborhood), she does clearly care about him.

On My Block manages to succeed where most teen dramas fail by perfectly balancing the drama with the comedy and the reality with the surreal. Although there are moments where the series starts to veer off track, it always returns to the core four and their enduring friendship. The series never becomes flat-out absurd or melodramatic; the characters’ stories always remain grounded in Freeridge.