More Teens Are Coming to Netflix in On My Block

Here’s a trailer for On My Block, a coming-of-age comedy from Netflix featuring a bunch of cute teens just trying to live, which I will probably describe at some point towards the end of March as something I’ve been “meaning to watch.”

What I’m seeing here is a jaunty, jangly, little comedy featuring a bunch of kids bungling their way through high school. There are laughs and bullies and a slogan: IN SQUAD WE TRUST. Something about the show looks a little different. I wonder what that is? Here’s the log line, per Netflix.

On My Block, which has assembled a young cast of mostly up-and-coming actors, is about four bright and street-savvy friends navigating their way through the triumph, pain and the newness of high school set in the rough inner city. It’s set in a predominantly Hispanic and African American part of South Central LA, and follows a fearless foursome as they enter high school and confront the challenges of adolescence and their neighborhood.

Setting aside the “rough inner city” bit, lets focus on the abundant positive. This is a high-school comedy—in the same vein as classics of the genre, Can’t Hardly Wait and 10 Things I Hate About You—but featuring people of color! These shows feel few and far between; the teen TV landscape is currently ruled by the smooth cast of Riverdale—diverse like a Benetton ad in the way that so many network television shows are.

I hope this show is good, but even if it isn’t, I’m happy to see it in the world. The series streams on Netflix on March 16.