The series is inspired by Serrano’s life growing up on the South Side with a loving mother and five overprotective uncles. Credit: Courtesy Photo / Amazon Freevee

A San Antonio story soon may make a big splash on the small screen.

Primo, the new comedy TV series from San Antonio author Shea Serrano, will premiere Friday, May 19 on streaming service Amazon Freevee.

Executive produced and created by Serrano (Movies: And Other Things, Hip Hop: And Other Things) and executive produced by Emmy-winning producer Michael Schur (Parks and Recreation), the series is inspired by Serrano’s life growing up on the South Side with a loving mother (Christina Vidal) and five overprotective uncles.

Serrano shared the trailer on his social media Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s really, really real,” he wrote alongside a string of crying faces and heart emojis. “The official trailer for Primo is here. All eight episodes will be available on Amazon on May 19. I can’t wait.”

In the show, Ignacio Diaz-Silverio (A Good Person) stars as 16-year-old Rafa Gonzales, who’s trying to figure out what to do with his life as he nears the end of high school. College? Military? Work? Things get even more complicated when he meets Mya (Stakiah Lynn Washington), the girl of his dreams, and starts getting advice from his uncles.

Shea Serrano New York Times best-selling author, journalist and former teacher Shea Serrano proudly reps San Antonio – more specifically the South Side. Widely known for his addictive Twitter personality, Serrano graduated from Southwest HS. In 2021, he completed his bestselling book trilogy (And Other Things) with Hip Hop (And Other Things), and in 2023 his TV series Primo debuted on Amazon Freevee. Credit: Larami Serrano

The uncles are played by actors Carlos Santos (Gentefied), Efrain Villa (Better Call Saul), Johnny Rey Diaz (Grey’s Anatomy), Henri Esteve (Grown-ish) and Jonathan Medina (The Purge). In the trailer, Mya asks Rafa how many uncles he has. “Five,” he says. “It feels like 50 most of the time though. Mostly, it feels like being inside a cloud of bees, except the bees are always cussing and punching at each other.”

Earlier this month, Serrano tweeted that he’d watched all eight episodes, which he described as “so fucking good.” He added: “I can’t believe we made a TV show. If you liked Parks & Rec or The Office, you’re gonna love it.”

The trailer posted below includes nods to San Antonio if you pay close attention. Check out the San Antonio Spurs championship poster and pennant and a Manu Ginobili Spurs jersey hanging on Rafa’s bedroom walls. There’s also a trip to an amusement park, which looks a lot like Six Flags.

Since it appears the series is set close to the present day, we’ll hold out hope that there are references to some of the things that Serrano — as a movie- and rap-loving teen — was molded by growing up in the ’90s. Vanilla Ice in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, anyone?

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This article appears in Mar 22 – Apr 4, 2023.