Gentefied Season 2 - What We Know So Far

In introducing the series "Gentefied," Netflix calls it a "beautiful love letter to the Latinx community" — so, its renewal and the creation of a second season, announced in May 2020 (via Deadline), has generated even more appreciation and excitement. The bilingual dramatic comedy was adapted from a 2017 Sundance digital series and follows three personable adult Mexican-American cousins trying to chase the American dream, although that dream also affects their neighborhood, their grandfather, and their family's taco shop in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles — and not always in positive ways. 

The 10 half-hours of the first season dropped in February 2020. These original episodes have dealt with identity, class, family relationships, tradition, and the pitfalls of today's world, including memes and Instagram fame. Naturally, cliffhangers abounded at the end of the 10th episode — as cast member Carlos Santos put it in a Refinery 29 piece, "Then at the end it comes and grabs you. It comes and bites you, and then blackout. You're like, But I need a second season to know what happens!" 

A second season will hopefully continue the critically-lauded show's brand of humor, heart, and give viewers a personalized look at hard issues that have become important on a national level. Here's what we know so far about Season 2.

Netflix confirmed through a tweet on its Con Todo account from February 8, 2021 that filming had begun on Season 2 of "Gentified," with America Ferrera directing again. As with many productions, filming had been delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, but everything seems back on track right now.

Given the current timeline as it's now known, it's possible the second season could release on Netflix as early as late 2021, but it's also likely that the series won't be available for streaming until early next year. So, there's plenty of time to binge the first season if you haven't done so yet. You also have a good excuse to watch it again and refresh your memory about what's happened so far, as it'll be at least a year and a half between seasonal releases. You can expect eight episodes, or about four hours of new material, in Season 2.

At the end of "Gentified"'s first season, Pop (Joaquín Cosio) gets caught up in the country's political situation. As a result of a six-month-old vandalism charge (he urinated on a sign for a new development), he was picked up by the police and is last seen in a Homeland Security van, on his way to getting deported. That's the biggest loose end, but there are others as well. Ana (Karrie Martin) and Yessika (Julissa Calderon) are still apart. Erik (Joseph Julian Soria) and Lidia (Annie Gonzalez) have a future sketched out with their young daughter, but how is that going to be affected by Pop's disappearance? And Chris (Carlos Santos) was all set to refine Mama Fina's for the neighborhood's gentrifying population, but now there isn't a restaurant for him to work in. Ex-family restaurant Mama Fina's has been sold and is destined to be a themed food pop-up experience. Talk about intrigue. 

But, if the show's creators/writers are to be believed, fans are in store for some good stuff. Linda Yvette Chávez, in a tweet from last August, said," Season 2 is gooOooOoood. Sooooo gooooood. Like we legit both cried working on it." The number of "O"s in her tweet clearly telegraph her excitement. If you're getting excited too, you might wish to check out the live table read the cast did for Netflix Is A Joke in celebration of the show's second season renewal. They read a Season 2 episode, so you'll get a detailed preview of what's coming.

The current cast of "Gentrified" should mostly return in the second season. As noted, Ferrera is staying on as a director and producer. Soria as Erik, Martin as gay artist Ana, and Santos' Chris the aspiring chef all have storylines in limbo, so all the younger Moraleses have to stay on. No one's sure how much we'll see of Cosio as Pop, the glue that binds all the family members together, but hopefully he'll return as well.

Also in the cast are significant others Lidia (Gonzalez) and Yessica (Calderon). Alana Ubach plays Vivian, the woman who buys Mama Fina's, so she'll likely appear. Laura Patalano as Beatriz, Felipe Esparza as Crazy Dave, and Rafael Sigler as Pancho Solis are also expected to return. We don't yet know about any new cast members, though.