Primo review: A comfort watch that puts a Mexican-American family front and center

To say Shea Serrano’s Primo has the feel of a classic network family sitcom (think Malcolm In The Middle, Black-ish, or Fresh Off The Boat) may sound like a backhanded compliment. Amid a streaming landscape that privileges grim, cynical dramas and whip-smart, self-aware comedies, Primo (out May 19) feels like a throwback in all senses of the world—especially given its place in Freevee’s increasingly varied lineup. But considering the dearth of such shows focused on Latino families, it’s all but a miracle Primo’s bitingly heartwarming humor made it to the screen at all.

You’d be forgiven for thinking the show’s title refers to a single cousin. Instead, as it’s clear once you meet the Gonzales clan, “primo” is a term of endearment that blurs familial intimacies any which way: All of Rafa’s uncles, for instance, use it when referring to him and to one another. It shows just how close-knit of a family they are, with all five uncles finding ever new ways of meddling in “primo’s life,” leading to—you guessed it—hilarious results. For Rafa, played by Ignacio Diaz-Silverio (who may or may not remind you, in looks and sly charm, of one Tom Holland), is gearing up for big changes ahead. The 16-year-old’s guidance counselor thinks he’s a good fit for college, a choice that would put him on a path no one in his family has followed before.

Such is the premise behind the series pilot, which does a solid job of setting up the personalities of all involved. Quickly, we find out that stern-sounding Jay (Jonathan Medina), for instance, values work over schooling: Why would primo choose to get into debt rather than join him in his landscaping business? Ryan (Gentefied’s Carlos Santos), proud of his job at the bank, urges primo to consider the value in a degree (just don’t mention he only has a certificate, not a real degree, lest you ruffle his feathers). Mike (Henri Esteve), having made his time in the military his entire personality, goes full-on ROTC recruiter on Rafa, despite his nephew’s utter lack of physical stamina. Mondo (Efraín Villa), who believes the universe is a university in and of itself, knows Rafa doesn’t need college to be educated. Meanwhile, wildcard Rollie (Johnny Rey Diaz) would rather have Rafa (or anyone, really) kick someone’s ass than discuss his primo’s college prospects. It’s up to Rafa’s mom Drea (Taina’s own Christina Vidal), who’s long had to wrangle her brothers into some semblance of order, to keep things civil at home and remind everyone that it’s her son’s future that’s on the line and they better not mess it up.

In a way, Primo’s pilot sets up a template the Freevee series (produced by The Good Place’s Mike Schur) mines in every subsequent episode: Rafa has a conundrum or challenge to overcome, and his uncles try to help and end up getting in his way. The dysfunction, if we can call it that, at the heart of the Gonzales family has everything to do with the contradictory if complementary ways each member approaches life: Jay’s pragmatism often clashes with, say, Mondo’s wayward ways, while Ryan’s by-the-books sensibility finds little ground with Rollie’s anarchic energy. If at times their petty feuds (a roof prank, for instance) and brotherly riffs (which make games night an all-out disaster) feel a tad schematic, there’s no denying the way the entire ensemble builds out this family in a warm way that makes you want to see their bonds develop.

Serrano has carefully built a wry love letter to his upbringing, turning what surely felt like nagging family obligations into sitcom-ready plots and concocting a comfort watch that puts a Mexican-American family front and center along the way. What shines through, whether in quick gag jokes about “WAP walls” and farce-focused set-pieces on inedible-sounding Mexican food, is a commitment to finding humor in earnestness. Drea and her brothers are all intent on helping Rafa succeed (even if they flub it most of the time), and much of the comedy depends on their cluelessness. But there’s an empathetic portrait here being sketched of a working family trying their best—quite literally borrowing and bartering to celebrate any and all of primo’s successes. In that sense, Primo is a fresh and welcome new entry into a well-worn genre that reminds us that home is where the humor is.