What To Watch During 2024 Hispanic Heritage Month

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept 15 - Oct 15), Optimum honors those who have made remarkable triumphs for the Latinx community.

We recognize that film and television are powerful mediums, where storytelling through representation is important. For this reason, we want to recognize means of entertainment made by and/or featuring the Hispanic/Latinx community. Through this list of beloved stories, we hope we can all learn about the significance of culture and inclusion.

With your loved ones and your favorite snacks, get ready to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month from your couch at home! From comedies to documentaries to sci-fi and more, the following list of must-watch films and series is a great place to start.

16. Problemista (Max)

An aspiring toy designer from El Salvador struggles to bring his unusual ideas to life in New York City as time on his work visa runs out.

15. Vida (STARZ)

Lyn and Emma are two Mexican-American sisters from the Eastside of Los Angeles who couldn't be more different or distanced from each other. Circumstances force them to return to the old neighborhood and confront the past.

14. The Chicano Squad (A&E)

The Chicano Squad chronicles the groundbreaking team of bilingual patrol officers plucked from their beats and suddenly promoted to Detectives to form the first all-Latin homicide unit dedicated to tackling Houston's soaring rate of Latin homicide cases in 1979. Dubbed "The Chicano Squad" by the Houston media, the story of these men becoming one of the most highly decorated law enforcement units in the history of Houston is told through firsthand accounts of the original squad members and those impacted by their work.

13. East Side Sushi (STARZ)

A Latina woman aspires to become a sushi chef while working in a Japanese restaurant.

12. Blue Beetle (Max)

An alien relic chooses Jaime Reyes to be its symbiotic host, bestowing the teenager with a suit of armor that's capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the superhero Blue Beetle.

11. Ambulance (STARZ)

A decorated veteran teams up with his adoptive brother to steal $32 million from a Los Angeles bank. When their getaway goes wrong, the desperate thieves hijack an ambulance that's carrying a wounded cop and an EMT worker.

10. McFarland, USA (VOD)

A high school coach transforms an unlikely team into champions. Kevin Costner, Maria Bello. McFarland, USA HD (2015): HD Version.

9. Fantasmas - HBO Original (Max)

Writer, director, and comedian Julio Torres spins a fantastical six-part tale of when he lost a gold oyster earring. In his search to find the precious object, Julio reflects on the offbeat characters he encounters in introspective, often eerie, and always comedic vignettes set in a dreamy, alternate version of New York City. A kaleidoscope of color and surrealism, FANTASMAS weaves together stories of people looking for meaning, purpose, and connection in an increasingly isolating world.

8. True Detective: Night Country - HBO Original (Max)

When the long winter night falls in Ennis, Alaska, the eight men who operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station vanish without a trace. To solve the case, Detectives Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) will have to confront the darkness they carry in themselves, and dig into the haunted truths that lie buried under the eternal ice.

7. The Hunger Games The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (STARZ)

With the annual Hunger Games approaching, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird. Uniting their instincts, they race against time to ultimately reveal who's a songbird and who's a snake.

6. Frida (VOD)

Portrait of the bold and uncompromising life of political, artistic, and sexual revolutionary Frida Kahlo. Starring Salma Hayek and Alfred Molina. (CC) (HD)

5. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (Max)

As the world fell, young Furiosa is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the Wasteland they come across the Citadel presided over by The Immortan Joe. While the two Tyrants war for dominance, Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home.

©2024 WBEI

4. The Book Of Life (VOD)

This animated comedy from producer Guillermo del Toro and director Jorge Gutierrez follows the journey of Manolo, a young man who goes on an adventure that spans three fantastical worlds, where he faces his greatest fears. HD Version.

3. Chef (STARZ)

A head chef quits his restaurant job and buys a food truck in an effort to reclaim his creative promise, while piecing back together his estranged family.

2. The Last of Us - HBO Original (Max)

Based on the critically acclaimed video game of the same name, the story takes place twenty years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year- old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse across the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.

1. Coco (VOD)

Miguel journeys to the magical land of his ancestors. Anthony Gonzalez, Gael Garcia Bernal.