There’s no denying that when we first learned that the CWs beloved 90s hit Charmed would be turning it’s three witches into brujas that we were massively thrilled. News of the series reboot and its trio of Latina sisters felt like a huge win for all mujeres mostly because up until that point our very real thirst for representation in the media we consume has gone unsaturated. So much so, that we weren’t just thrilled about the Latinx reboot, we were excited, enchanted, embrujado. So, you can imagine our massive disheartenment and disappointment when we first learned that reports of the show’s seeming commitment to ensuring Latina representation were grossly over exaggerated. The ultimate stab to the wound, however, was our realization that the big time TV network behind shows like “Jane The Virgin” and “Riverdale” has done nothing to correct the misinformation surrounding its cast.

In a recent roundtable discussion of the upcoming series, two of the three lead roles confirmed that they aren’t Latinas. 

#ICYMI: EIC and podcast host @OhMyMithrandir addresses her concerns about the upcoming #Charmed reboot in regards to Latinx representation: https://t.co/hD8BciGk0f

— But Why Tho? ???? #TwitchCon (@ButWhyThoPC) October 10, 2018

The revelation came during this week’s New York Comic Con when two of the show’s actresses Madeleine Mantock and Sarah Jeffery set to portray the Latinx charmed ones acknowledged that they were actually Latina at all.

“Playing the Afro-Latina character I think for me I’m just trying to be open,” Mantock shared. “I’m open with the writers and trying to be respectful because I’m Afro-Caribbean. I’m not actually Afro-Latina and I want to make that inquiry because Melanie [Diaz] is actually the only person in her real life who is Latina.”

Mantock did go on to say that she learned Spanish to prepare for this role. Additionally, Jeffrey added, “Yeah, I know that we are representing the Latina community. I actually am African-American. I’m not Latina, which is a common misconception.”

Of course, we’re excited any time we get to see women of color achieve success, particularly in Hollywood when they’re so underrepresented. Black, Asian, disabled, Latinam, and LGBTQ women have been underrepresented and ignored in mainstream television and film for so long that any time we get to see just one cast in a role it feels like we’ve finally come across an oasis. Still, the latest reveals around the cast’s ethnicities do highlight the very real fact that in their effort to promote a reboot, the CW used colorism and exploitation to spark our excitement and interest.

The biggest issue with this “misconception” is that the television network responsible for the reboot, CW, has not bothered to correct it.

The biggest source of hype for the new reboot has been the reports of it’s Latina representation. Not correcting the error outright is equal to endorsing it as true. Let’s not forget that the CW has largely benefited from the false claims of representation which in my opinion is just plain shady. Our Latin American community has long struggled with the Anti-Black nature of its culture and its one that has long been hawked and perpetuated by Hollywood which has only in recent years begun to cast women who don’t look like Salma Hayek or Penelope Cruz as Latinas. (In the entertainment sphere, Afro-Latinas just barely squeak by with representation. Just look at the range of Black Latinas who have actually been able to play the part of Latinas on screen and you’ll see that even then Hollywood prefers its Black girls to be as light skinned and straight haired as possible.) So, as you can imagine, having a series that said that not one, but two Afro-Latinas were set to take on iconic roles in a TV reboot was a pretty big deal for us. It made us believe that we were one step forward towards inclusion. Now, knowing that these roles will be played by non-Latinas doesn’t just feel like Afro-Latinas have been left out on a major opportunity but it also feels a bit like a threat to the future of representation on screen.

Ultimately, it isn’t the fault of the actresses mistakenly playing these Afro-Latina sisters.

I am Afro-Caribbean and Caucasian. The internet is wrong about a lot of things! https://t.co/8xPD5Zx5G6

— Madeleine Mantock (@missmads) July 4, 2018

Old Twitter interactions between the actresses and fans have shown that both Madeleine Mantock and Sarah Jeffery have disputed reports that they are Latina. Jeffrey also cleared up claims that she is Latina during a press roundtable in which she identified herself as African-American and her mother as Indigenous Canadian. Nope, the blame falls entirely on the CW network team and “Charmed” showrunners who promoted the series by boasting of its Latinx characters and never once explaining that two out of its three protagonists were not Latinx in the first place. In fact, a superficial google search into the new series will reveal a mass of media coverage that praises the show’s Latinx casting while also featuring interviews with the show’s producers and creators. 

Besides the blatant issue with casting, writers and show creators are rooting the Charmed ones magic in European traditions. Instead of exploring the vast mystical world of Brujeria, they have chosen to ignore it. Instead, they have forced European folklore— like the use of the triquetra as their symbol of power— into their narrative. These Celtic traditions don’t align with the “Latina” series that the CW claims they’re making. These inconsistencies seem to add up to a television network attempting to capitalize on our culture and demographic.

Instead of hiring non-Latinx to tell our stories, we need people from our communities representing us. Hiring Latinx talent in front of and behind the camera is an absolute necessity. Simply put, media that attempts to represent us without us has lost its charm.

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It seems like every other Hollywood movie or American TV show these days is just a remake, reboot, or redo of an older one. Many of these remakes found their inspiration in Spanish-language film and television, using popular stories to tell new ones in English. The trade has gone both ways, with plenty of Latin American directors deciding to put their own cultural spin on American classics.

Here are 20 TV shows and movies that show how Hollywood and Spanish-language films have remade stories from each other.

Ugly Betty

Credit: @primevideochill_es / Instagram

Of course, Ugly Betty tops this list. The show was a beloved Colombian telenovela called Yo Soy Betty, La Fea. It was a smash hit, with dozens of copycats worldwide. The American series ran for four seasons and starred America Ferrera in the title role as Betty, a homely fashion magazine intern.

Vanilla Sky

Credit: @vanillaskymovie / Instagram

This movie’s original is called Abre los Ojos, a Spanish film directed by Alejandro Amenabar. Penelope Cruz played the role of Sofia in both versions of the film, which is part romance and part psychological drama and leaves audiences guessing about what’s true and what’s not.

Elsa and Fred

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Elsa and Fred is a charming movie about two elderly folks who find true love late in life. It’s based on an Argentinian film of the same name and, while the reviews weren’t great, who can truly resist a Shirley MacLaine fairy tale?

Secret In Their Eyes

Credit: @secretintheireyes / Instagram

Hollywood really has a thing for Argentina. This 2015 thriller is a remake of a 2009 Argentinian film of the same name, which tells the story of what happens when a district investigator’s daughter is murdered. Both are based on a novel called La Pregunta de sus Ojos.

You Were Never Lovelier

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Fans of classic film will love this one, which is based on an Argentinian movie called Los Martes, Orquideas. Fred Astaire falls for Rita Hayworth, who has no interest in marrying but whose father will not let her sisters wed until after she takes the plunge. It’s got plenty of song (with Xavier Cugat and company) and dance and is set in the luxury of 1940s Buenos Aires.

Devious Maids

Credit: @deviousmaids / Instagram

Devious Maids took Desperate Housewives and dialed up the drama. This American soap-style show starred Eva Longoria and is based on a Mexican show called Ellas son… la Alegria del Hogar. Mystery, ambition, and steamy scenes abound in the hit show.

Jane the Virgin

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American audiences familiar with telenovelas were quick to point out how much Jane the Virgin seemed like one, and they weren’t wrong. The hilarious – and often hilariously melodramatic – show is based on Juana la Virgen, a Venezuelan series.

Chasing Life

Credit: @chasinglifetv / Instagram

Chasing Life follows April, a 24 year old journalist who is diagnosed with leukemia and works to make the best of her life in the wake of the diagnosis. Its original version, which was made in Mexico, is called Terminales.

Queen of the South

Credit: @queenofthesouuth / Instagram

Queen of the South is based on the Telemundo series La Reina del Sur, which is in turn based on Spanish author Arturo Perez-Reverte’s book of the same name. It’s a gritty but femme-focused take on the usual drug lord story, with plenty of strong women to run the show.

My Best Friend’s Wedding

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Fans of 90s rom-coms, rejoice! In April 2018, Sony Pictures International Productions announced that it would be co-producing La Boda de Mi Mejor Amigo in collaboration with Mexican film studios. It’s set in Guadalajara and is sure to feature some mariachi marvels.

50 First Dates

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And you thought Sony was done. The studio recently wrapped production on a Spanish-language version of 50 First Dates, which stars Ximena Romo and Vadhir Derbez (Eugenio’s son) in a remake of the Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore movie. It was filmed largely in the Dominican Republic.

Overboard

Credit: @overboardmovie / Instagram

This one’s a bit of a cheat, but Eugenio Derbez and Anna Faris are hilarious, so it’s ok, right? The original 1987 version starred Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, but last year’s remake leans in hard to Derbez’s Latin roots. Almost half of the movie is in Spanish, making this feel like a joint win.

Quarantine

Credit: @ihorrorvixen / Instagram

This creepy found-footage horror film was so successful that it got a sequel when it was remade. It’s scored only by sound effects with no music at all, making it all the more realistic and scary. The original, a Spanish film called REC, also uses the found-footage technique.

Silent House

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This indie film stars Elizabeth Olsen and is filmed in such a way that the entire movie looks like it was filmed in a single shot. It’s based on the Uruguayan film La Casa Muda, which is rumored to be based on an actual event that happened in an Uruguayan village in the 1940s.

The Orphanage

Credit: @dr.horrible.phd / Instagram

El Orfanato, a Spanish movie, uses the style of 1970s cinema to tell its scary story about a woman whose dream to refurbish the orphanage in which she grew up goes horribly wrong. The film’s remake rights were purchased in 2007, and in 2011 it was rumored that Amy Adams would play the lead role. Guillermo del Toro, who produced the original, has worked on the script and originally signed on to produce the remake as well.

Breaking Bad

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Breaking Bad was so nice, they made it twice – in almost exactly the same way. Metastasis, which takes place in Bogota, Colombia, is almost a shot-for-shot remake of the hit series. The telenovela-esque version aired in the U.S., Colombia, and Mexico.

Modern Family

Credit: @abcmodernfamily / Instagram

Chile’s version of Modern Family bumped into some cultural barriers while it was being created. Since gay marriage is not legal in the conservative country, Mitchell and Cam’s daughter is the result of a brief fling, and they care for her while her mother is on a long trip. Sofia Vergara’s Gloria, who stands out for her stereotypical Latin characteristics, is now differentiated by her lower social class instead.

Maid in Manhattan

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Nothing tops a J. Lo original, but Telemundo’s Una Maid en Manhattan gives it its all. The series takes some liberties with the story, placing its protagonist in Michoacan before Manhattan with plenty of drama in between.

Married… With Children

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Married… With Children has been remade in Latin America not once, but twice! The sitcom has an Argentinian version, which also aired in Uruguay, Paraguay, and Peru, and a Brazilian one, though this version fared worse and was canceled before all 52 episodes could air.

The Nanny

Credit: @_super_jules_ / Instagram

The record for most Spanish-language remakes goes to The Nanny, which originally starred the fabulous Fran Drescher and her iconic laugh as a Queens native who gets a job working for a ritzy family. It’s been remade in Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, and Mexico, with a Spanish-language version also created for Univison and set in Houston.

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