On My Block

In Season 3, [On My Block] feels more cohesive than ever despite Jamal embarking on his first real romantic relationship and the teens' parents being more integrated into the storytelling. The fact that everyone is feeling the pressure from Cuchillos and it's not just Cesar running from the Prophets or Ruby struggling to come to terms with what happened to him leads to more balance this time around, which has only reinforced the show's already strong foundation.

At first the show does feel exactly like what might happen if the creator of a MTV dark comedy and the writers of a Tupac biopic teamed up together to make a show. It’s a combination that at first doesn’t really seem to click, but by the end of the season, On My Block does feel like a world unto itself, a universe with its own rules and logic.

On My Block is so much fun, and has such an assured momentum, that when a dramatic scene thuds or a joke clangs--or when a subplot is artificially prolonged by having characters not talk to each other, or when it’s resolved too hastily — like the subplot where Monse goes to live with her mother--we forgive the show, because we know there are five more things waiting around the corner.

On My Block suffers from some stiff writing and amateur performances, but it possess a charm that's hard to resist. Perhaps it's because nothing earth-shattering happens here, and for a story that takes place in the hood, it's a refreshing turnabout.

Viewers will have plenty of laughs and great performances to hold dear, but in the end, dedicated fans may have a hard time shaking the feeling that everyone involved deserved way better than what they got.

On My Block has the off-center charm and quirky comic rhythms Ms. Iungerich is known for, but it has a problem that’s tied to its setting. ... The shifts from football game high jinks or a character’s apple-bong-toking abuelita to the question of whether to shoot another teenager in the head are disconcerting, to say the least.

As all-over-the-place as On My Block is in tone, I have to acknowledge that the 10-episode first season is reasonably carefully planned out in terms of weaving the disparate storylines toward a finale that certainly will get people talking, or it will get people talking if anybody watches the series at all.

Pretty standard, run-of-the-mill teenage drama/high school angst in a gang filled neighborhood. There's shows that have done it far better and with far less cringe. If you are turned away by simplistic plot points, teenage romances, horny high schoolers, bad acting, characters that are hard to give a **** about or anything else that comes from the CW (y'know, all those teenage angst shows that erupted from 'Arrow'.) then stay the hell away from this show. It's horrid.