With the new season, the program, which has been praised for its authentic Latino representation, has never made it into the Netflix Top 10. That is likely to have played a role in the streamer's decision to terminate the show, which is normally based on variables such as cost, viewership, and critical acclaim.
Certified is a television series created by Marvin Lemus and Linda Yvette Chávez, with executive producer America Ferrera, that follows the lives of Latinos in East Los Angeles as they pursue their individual and collective versions of the American Dream.
During Season 2, Erik Morales's and Chris's (Carlos Santos) effort to keep their father, Pops (Joaquin Cosio), in the nation, while dealing with new love, new babies, estranged fathers, and tracking down Bad Bunny at a Halloween party, are the focus of the show.
They strive to survive, but along the way, they begin to wonder where they belong in a society marked by border crossings, family separation, and the potential closure of their beloved taco store, Mama Fina's Taqueria.
Certified, a Netflix original series, also included Annie Gonzalez, Karrie Martin Lachney, Julissa Calderon, and Season 2 cast members Melinna Bobadilla, Manuel Uriza, Ivana Rojas, and Clarissa Thibeaux.
It was executive produced by Lemus, Chavez, Charles D. King, Marta Fernandez of Macro, Ferrera of taking Fountain, Aaliyah Williams, Kim Roth, and Teri Weinberg of Yellow Brick Road, as well as Marta Fernandez of Macro, Ferrera of taking Fountain, Aaliyah Williams, Kim Roth, and Teri Weinberg of Yellow Brick Road.
Chávez and Lemus both have new television projects in the works, with the former directing and executive producing Hipster Death Rattle for the CW, and the latter directing and executive producing Hipster Death Rattle for 20th Television.
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, scripted by Chávez and produced by Macron, is Ferrera's second directorial project with Netflix. She previously directed four episodes of the show Gentefied and is currently working on the feature I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter.
Beyond I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, additional Latinx-themed Netflix projects announced for 2021 include the On My Block spinoff Freeridge and the drama Griselda, in which Sofia Vergara will serve as both executive producer and actress.
[Warning: Spoilers for the second season of Gentefied]
The new episodes, which were mostly focused on Pops' deportation case and Mama Fina's future, also delves into the personal lives of the Morales cousins, Erik (J.J. Soria), Chris (Carlos Santos), and Ana (Karrie Martin Lachney), as they create new routes in their respective lives.
The Morales family had to say goodbye to their favorite taco shop, and while each had their difficulties, it was difficult to watch them go through it. In an exclusive interview with ET, the show's producers Marvin Lemus and Linda Yvette Chávez, as well as the show's three young characters, discussed their feelings about leaving Mama Fina and their expectations for a third season.
Before revealing the tragic decision to close the family's business, Lemus explained that Pops' legal status, his immigration journey, is a huge one for Pops, but also for the entire family and how it's hurting everyone. “It would have been an injustice, I suppose, to the reality of gentrification if we didn't see what gentrification looks like in the show, Gentefied. To put up such a battle as we saw them put up in season one, just to come out of season two thinking, ‘Yeah, no. ‘No matter how hard we tried, it didn't work out for us.'”
“A part of what we see, in my opinion. In most big cities, across the country, and around the world, this is a common occurrence “he went on, saying “We wanted to take a more sophisticated approach to the topic of gentrification this season since there are so many other concerns to consider. However, we wanted to keep that lingering impression. Because of that shop and everything it represents, it becomes a part of their personality much like Pops's shop did for him.”
Even during this final year of this pandemic, Lemus said that seeing the Morales family bid farewell to Mama Fina “felt meaningful” and “reflects reality.”
“Around are sites that have been there for 30, 40, 50 years,” he said of community landmarks. “And even when it is, it isn't always enough. It was critical, then, to be able to see that and its consequences.”
It was as if the central characters were losing a piece of themselves. To continue working as a chef, Chris, played by Santos, was having difficulties “because he was betting on” the restaurant, according to Santos. To make matters more difficult for him, his father has offered financial assistance for him to attend culinary school in Paris.
As a result, “not only is this already like a strain to deal with, but the fact that it goes away, it just means a lot more,” Santos explained. As the season progresses, we learn that Chris is still grappling with the prospect of losing the shop, but he eventually accepts it as a calling.
