Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Edgy bilingual music comedy has sex, drugs, swearing.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Neón
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
NEÓN follows a gang of three friends who move Miami in hopes of making it big in the reggaetón music industry. Santi (Tyler Dean Flores) is an up-and-coming Latinx artist who knows he has it in him to become a star. He leaves Ft. Myers, Florida behind and heads south to Miami with his "team," comprised of best friends Felix (Jordan Mendoza), who runs his social media, and Ness (Emma Ferreira), who is serving as his music manager. They've lined up a place to live and a lunch meeting with BPM record label executive Mia (Courtney Taylor), so they have high hopes for what's to come. But when they get to Magic City nothing is what they expect it to be, and soon they learn that to succeed it's all about who you know (and who to trust). Nonetheless, with a little creativity an a lot of hard work, the trio still plans to make it to the top.
Is It Any Good?
This bilingual series takes a comic approach to exploring some of the realities associated with trying to break into the professional reggaetón music scene. Neón half-heartedly points to the Puerto Rican community's cultural ownership of the genre, irrespective of how popular the genre has become world wide, by featuring Puerto Ricans like actor Tyler Dean Flores and cameos of iconic reggaetón artist Daddy Yankee. It also highlights widespread nepotism and on-going sexism within the industry, which some would argue is a partial reflection of the cultural norms from which reggaetón emerged.
Meanwhile, Neón simultanously attempts to be a coming-of-age story in which Santi struggles to figure out who he is as both a young man and an artist. But the up-and-coming musician and his friends, while motivated, fail to exhibit any of the deeper, heartfelt feelings one would expect from young folks chasing their dreams. The result is a series that is mildly entertaining by sitcom standards, but doesn't raise the cultural or emotional stakes necessary to motivate those not interested in the overall reggaetón scene to invest in it.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about reggaetón. It started in Puerto Rico and incorporates island beats, but what other kinds of music influence it? In what countries around the world is reggaetón popular?
Are the situations Santi and his friends face throughout Neón based on true stories or stereotypes? Or are they simply written to entertain viewers?
TV Details
- Premiere date : October 19, 2023
- Cast : Tyler Dean Flores , Jordan Mendoza , Emma Ferreira , Daddy Yankee
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Arts ( Music and Sing-Along )
- Character Strengths : Perseverance , Teamwork
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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