“Neon” follows young twentysomethings who are hustling to try to make it in the music industry.
While it’s not especially original, the Netflix series does possess an easy charm.
Created by journalist Shea Serrano and Max Searle (“Dave”), the show follows three Gen-Z friends who leave their hometown of Ft. Myers, Fla., heading to the bright lights and bigger city of Miami to chase success.
The group of pals include aspiring talent manager Ness (Emma Ferreira); wannabe reggaeton artist Santi (Tyler Dean Flores), who has a viral song and the personality of a golden retriever; and Santi’s creative director, Felix (Jordan Mendoza).
Shows about young people in the same industry trying to make it are a dime a dozen, but it’s notable that in “Neon,” the three friends are not all aspiring singers who are competing with each other. They’re each chasing different sides of the music business and they’re all invested in Santi’s success. It’s got a less cutthroat feel than other shows of this ilk.
The three leads are relative unknowns, but “Neon” has some bigger actors in supporting roles, including “The Fast and Furious” franchise’s Jordana Brewster as Gina, a socialite with shady business dealings, and Santiago Cabrera (“Heroes”) as a music exec.
There are also several cameos from real artists, including Jhayco, Ken-Y, Jon Z and Jota Rosa (Daddy Yankee and the infamous talent manager Scooter Braun are also among the show’s executive producers).
Naturally, as the three friends plot to launch their path to stardom in Miami, not everything goes as planned: their first apartment is crappier than the photos looked online (the ever-optimistic Santi smiles and insists, “This is fine!”). Santi’s public-relations “relationship” with a pop star Isa (Genesis Rodriguez) goes awry. The group’s initial meeting with a record exec isn’t what it seems to be.
The show falls victim to some cliche moments in the “artist tries to make it big” trope, including the overdone scene where Santi first hears their song on the radio and shouts to his friends, “This is it, this is destiny!”
“Neon” isn’t reinventing the wheel, and it’s not even the only series in the last few months to feature these types of moments. (Prime Video’s “Daisy Jones & The Six” was a similar “artist rise from obscurity to fame” series, with similar trappings, and many scenes like this were in HBO’s controversial show “The Idol.”)
“Neon” distinguishes itself, though, by focusing on the reggae subgenre, with dialogue and lyrics often peppered with Spanish as well as English. It’s also not too concerned with following its main characters as they grow jaded, or have a “fall” to match their rise.
Santi smiles much more than he broods.
While “Neon” also sometimes leans too far into absurdity, for the sake of comedy, it doesn’t lose sight of the narrative’s underlying core thread: the trio’s friendship.
It doesn’t overstay its welcome, with brisk half-hour episodes, and it delivers laughs and heartfelt moments in equal measure.