Over the weekend, we were treated to the long-awaited debut of the new Disney TV Animation series, Primos, on Disney Channel, with several episodes also available now on Disney+ and the DisneyNOW app. The series follows Tater Ramirez Humphrey, an eccentric girl with ambitious summer dreams. However, her plans take an unexpected turn when her family invites all 12 of her cousins to stay with them, leading to a summer of surprises and unforgettable adventures.
This premise is introduced in the first episode, the first half of which is done quite well as we meet Tater and learn about her three-act summer (foreshadowing, perhaps?) which will include a lot of alone time before she, as a 10 year old, reaches her final, possibly anime-inspired form. Tater’s experience (and that of the viewer’s) shifts by the second half of the first episode when it transforms into overwhelming chaos with a literal cast of characters that runs well over 20 deep (incuding parents, grandparents, and tios). Just check out the cast list! Remember those first 10 minutes or so of Home Alone, with the chaos of the entire family running around? That’s what the second half of the first episode is, and it seems to imply that that’s what this whole series will be.
The series is very much an adaptation of creator Natasha Kline’s (Big City Greens) childhood experience in Southern California growing up in a large, multicultural and blended Mexican American family. If you can relate/are from a big family yourself – this is excruciatingly relatable to a point of inducing anxiety and perhaps triggering for older audience members. If you’re the target demo, surely you’ll find a cousin (or primo) to connect with, even if not Tater herself. In fact, the primo who steals the show is Tater’s very own little (but bigger) sister, Nellie. While humor permeates the series thus far, it’s Nellie who seems to bat 1000, channeling a bit of that Big City Greens humor-for-all-ages vibe that Kline carries over.
At one point Nellie might be charging the cousins to use Tater’s bed while she sleeps outside, adapting the persona of a sea captain while drowning in piles of laundry, or slapping on a fake mustache to hide amongst the uncles (or Tios) to discuss where to find discounts on Cable service.
However, by late in the second episode, the series ditches (mostly) the chaos of all the primos at once, and takes Tater on smaller adventures involving one or few at a time. Lookin’ at the heartfelt and horrifying moments between Lot Lot, Tater, and that creepy doll as a great example of this. And similar to other DTVA series, songs and musical numbers are also featured in each episode, blending in nicely with some being more catchy than they need to be, while taking on the musical style and vibe of whatever Primo is featured.
There is a large focus on authenticity and diversity in the series, and it is all tastefully done with feeling forced, and it is evident that this show is deeply personal to the creative team. That said, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out the biggest authenticity offense, though. As a native Californian myself (and someone who maps the routes explained when watching SNL’s “The Californians”), I’m hoping that this is a singular error – a commercial in one episode explains that something is “Just Off The I-15.” Whoa. I was shocked and chagrined. To be authentically L.A., it’s “The 15.” I hope that this was just an egregious oversight and it won't happen again.
As the latest Disney TV Animated series for Disney Channel, Primos will absolutely be compared to those that came before it. Thankfully, it is a wholly unique entry into the vast catalog that came before it, with its own voice, look, attitude, and style which makes it hard to compare. Big City Greens is the closest example, and that’s in terms of humor, as Natasha Kline comes over from that series. Even then, Primos stands tall on its own, providing fun for the family and humor that will hit at various levels for those watching (peep that Rugrats reference). Viewers just need to get past that first chaotic hump to find the true heart and fun of the series (That Father’s Day Episode, Though!). I give the series 4 out of 5 name brand cereal boxes.