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I can’t tell you why Starz decided to cancel “Vida” — one of its best shows, and one of the best contemporary shows, period. What I can tell you is that it’s a mistake. “Vida” is that rare series that is political without being preachy, perfectly balances comedy and drama, sets the gold standard for on-screen representation and inclusion, and manages to improve with every season.
Frankly, it’s ridiculous that its third outing will be its last.
But — as I harbor a secret hope that “Vida” will continue on another platform, a la “One Day at a Time” — I’m trying to accept that the Tanya Saracho-created show is, indeed, ending. The fact that it’s going out on a real high note helps.
In its last installment, “Vida” sees sisters Lyn (Melissa Barrera) and Emma (Mishel Prada) in the best of times and worst of times. The bar their mother left them, which they’ve renamed Vida, in her honor, is finally doing well and making money; likewise, they’re getting along with one another, and satisfied in their romantic lives. But things get complicated once their mother’s widow, Eddy (Ser Anzoategui), reveals their father is alive and serving as a pastor in a nearby neighborhood. The girls haven’t seen him since childhood, when INS dragged him away. Their mother led them to believe he eventually died trying to get back to the States.
That one plotline is just a taste of what makes “Vida” so wonderful. It’s a culturally specific story about young Mexican-American women who, depending on the situation they find themselves in, really struggle with that label. As Lyn remarks in the third season premiere, anyone non-Mexican just sees her as a Mexican, whereas other Mexicans consider her too American because she’s light-skinned and doesn’t speak much Spanish. However, “Vida” also tackles universal experiences such as grief and family frustrations, but from a queer, Latinx vantage point — one that we don’t see often enough in pop culture.
Of course, “Vida” isn’t “The Lyn and Emma Show.” As in past years, the third season gives its supporting characters plenty of time in the spotlight. Mari (Chelsea Rendon), the young anti-gentrification activist, and her brother (Carlos Miranda) contend with a personal tragedy, while Eddy is struggling to forgive her late wife for the web of secrets and lies she left behind. The past catches up with Nico (Roberta Colindrez), Emma’s love interest, as well. And in a magical realistic touch, Vida herself pops up from time to time to check in on her daughters and wife.
I’m going to miss “Vida” a lot. I’m drawn to the characters in spite of — or perhaps thanks to — their flaws, and I appreciate the show’s honest take on bereavement. The death of a loved one doesn’t erase their lifetime failings, but it does highlight how petty and useless interpersonal grievances can be. Even though we won’t be going on new adventures with Lyn, Emma, and the rest of their Boyle Heights community, “Vida” is a show I’ll return to again and again. So it’s not really goodbye after all.
The third and final season of “Vida” premieres this Sunday, April 26, on Starz. New episodes will air weekly.
https://youtu.be/rs5eRYhfNz8
