Suddenly, the CW is now in the television awards discussion and it’s not because of superheroes or vampires. It’s because of the surprising Jane The Virgin, starring Golden Glove winner Gina Rodriguez.
As you may know, Jane (Rodriguez) was artificially inseminated with Rafael’s (Justin Baldoni) sperm by his sister Luisa (Yara Martinez). But Jane has vowed to stay a virgin until she is married and was engaged to Detective Michael Cordero (Brett Dier). Her free-spirited mother Xiomara (Andrea Navedo) and grandmother Alba (Ivonne Coll) are there to support her.
That logline is just the start of Jane The Virgin, as each episode unravels more secrets and the show becomes a telenovela, just like the ones Jane and her family watch. Oh, her father also turns out to be telenovela star Rogelio de la Vega (Jaime Camil - an actual telenovela star in real life!). Plus, it turns out that Rafael is married to the evil and mysterious Petra (Yael Grobglas) and that Jane and Rafael kissed five years ago! GASP!
The best thing about the show, which was based on a Venezuelan telenovela created by Pera Farias, is that it is always in on the joke. From the witty narration by Anthony Mendez to the pop-up captions and Jane’s fantasies coming to life, the show embraces its ridiculous plot. Everyone involved knows that the characters’ lives are becoming a telenovela - both in the show and behind the scenes.
Casting is also key to Jane’s success. Rodriguez is absolutely charming in the role and it makes it impossible not to root for her. She really carries the ensemble cast and makes everyone around her better. Justin Baldoni probably could have been just another handsome face on any number of CW shows, but you can tell that he and everyone else are trying to keep up with Rodriguez and it mostly works. Not only was Rodriguez robbed of an Emmy nomination, but Jaime Camil should have been nominated for Supporting Actor in a Comedy. He’s the most lovable narcissist on TV.
Jane The Virgin: Season One was released on DVD only this week and does feature a nice selection of bonus material. There’s deleted sequences from one episode on each of the five discs. The fifth disc also includes a 15-minute overview on the making of the show called Immaculate Creation and a seven-minute Q&A reel with the actors. There’s also a six-minute gag reel.
It certainly would have been nice to see this on Blu-ray, but the DVD is fine since the show isn’t exactly a visual masterpiece. Jane is noticeably more bright than other shows though. The show is so addictive partly because of that. This is a world you want to visit each week, with wonderful characters in messes you want to see them get out of.
Jane The Virgin season two premieres on Oct. 12.