{ "id": "ep2mcf9eb8", "slug": "neon-2023-tv-series", "title": "Neon (2023 TV series)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv", "label": "Scripted television and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy", "label": "Sitcom and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy.american_sitcom_series", "label": "American sitcoms and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy.american_sitcom_series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy.american_sitcom_series.2020s-cable-and-streaming-comedies", "label": "2020s cable and streaming comedies", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy.american_sitcom_series.2020s-cable-and-streaming-comedies" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy.american_sitcom_series.2020s-cable-and-streaming-comedies", "label": "United States · 2021 and later: 2020s cable and streaming comedies", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy.american_sitcom_series.2020s-cable-and-streaming-comedies", "path": [ { "id": "geo.us", "label": "United States", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021", "label": "United States · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv", "label": "Scripted television and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy", "label": "Sitcom and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy.american_sitcom_series", "label": "American sitcoms and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy.american_sitcom_series" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy.american_sitcom_series.2020s-cable-and-streaming-comedies", "label": "2020s cable and streaming comedies", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy.american_sitcom_series.2020s-cable-and-streaming-comedies" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Neon is a 2023 Netflix comedy series, 8 episodes, created by Shea Serrano and Max Searle, about aspiring reggaeton singer Santi (Tyler Dean Flores) and friends moving to Miami; Daddy Yankee executive produced, filmed in San Juan, Puerto Rico, later canceled.", "snippet": "Neon is a 2023 Netflix comedy series, 8 episodes, created by Shea Serrano and Max Searle, about aspiring reggaeton singer Santi (Tyler Dean Flores) and friends moving to Miami; Daddy Yankee executive produced, filmed in San Juan, Puerto Rico, later canceled.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy.american_sitcom_series.2020s-cable-and-streaming-comedies", "markdown": "# Neon (2023 TV series)\n\n**Neon** is an American comedy television series that premiered on Netflix on October 19, 2023, following three friends who move from small-town Florida to Miami to make it big in reggaeton music.[1](https://thetvdb.com/series/neon) • [2](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81450712) The eight-episode series was created by Shea Serrano and Max Searle, with Searle also serving as showrunner, and counts the reggaeton star [Daddy Yankee](https://www.edgepedia.org/daddy-yankee) among its executive producers.[3](https://www.avclub.com/neon-review-tv-netflix-reggaeton-1850916545) • [4](https://www.startribune.com/tv-review-neon-applies-entourage-formula-to-the-world-of-reggaeton-music/600315238)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Premiere | October 19, 2023, all eight episodes released at once on Netflix[1](https://thetvdb.com/series/neon) • [5](https://epguides.com//Neon/) |\n| Creators | Shea Serrano and Max Searle; Searle also showrunner[3](https://www.avclub.com/neon-review-tv-netflix-reggaeton-1850916545) |\n| Main cast | Tyler Dean Flores as Santi, Emma Ferreira as Ness, Jordan Mendoza as Felix, Courtney Taylor as Mia[1](https://thetvdb.com/series/neon) |\n| Executive producer | Daddy Yankee, who also appears as himself[4](https://www.startribune.com/tv-review-neon-applies-entourage-formula-to-the-world-of-reggaeton-music/600315238) • [6](https://tvisart.com/shows/neon-2023) |\n| Format | Comedy, TV-MA, average runtime 29 minutes, produced by SB Projects[1](https://thetvdb.com/series/neon) |\n| Filming location | San Juan, Puerto Rico, standing in for Miami[7](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/neon-filming-locations?inapp=true%2F) |\n| Status | The series has been canceled[8](https://www.fanbolt.com/title/tv/214128/neon/) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and characters\n\nSanti (Tyler Dean Flores) is a rising reggaeton artist with one semi-viral song, \"Exagerao,\" and little else, who road-trips from small-town Florida to Miami hoping to score a record deal and break into the Latin music industry.[3](https://www.avclub.com/neon-review-tv-netflix-reggaeton-1850916545) He travels with his two childhood best friends: Ness (Emma Ferreira), who acts as his practical-minded manager, and Felix (Jordan Mendoza), his creative director.[3](https://www.avclub.com/neon-review-tv-netflix-reggaeton-1850916545) The trio sleeps in their car when they cannot afford an apartment and fudges their way into meetings with record-label representatives.[3](https://www.avclub.com/neon-review-tv-netflix-reggaeton-1850916545)\n\nThe fourth central character is Mia (Courtney Taylor), a young Black assistant to a record-label executive who poses as an executive herself to offer the group a deal. When her boss discovers the ruse he fires her, though he still agrees to meet with Santi, whose opportunity existed only through Mia's tenacity.[9](https://time.com/6326125/neon-netflix-reggaeton/) In the season's later episodes, the fictional international pop star Isa ([Genesis Rodriguez](https://www.edgepedia.org/genesis-rodriguez)) enters the story and her machinations power the finale.[10](https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/neon-tv-review)\n\nThe episode titles, all released on October 19, 2023, are \"The Dream,\" \"Opening Up,\" \"Forbidden Fruta,\" \"Art Basel,\" \"Corillo,\" \"Isanti,\" \"New Management,\" and \"The Reality.\"[5](https://epguides.com//Neon/)\n\n## Production and filming\n\nAlthough set in Miami, the series was filmed in [San Juan, Puerto Rico](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-juan-puerto-rico). Showrunner Max Searle said the two cities have \"a very similar vibe,\" and that filming on the island, which he called arguably the home of reggaeton, gave the production access to people they otherwise could not have flown out or seen. Production designer Mailara Santana and her team re-created the look of Miami in Puerto Rico on what Netflix Tudum describes as a shoestring budget.[7](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/neon-filming-locations?inapp=true%2F)\n\n## Music\n\nMusic supervisor and producer work on the show was led by Ivan Rodriguez, co-founder and chief creative officer of the talent incubator Neon16, working as part of Tainy & One Six with Lex Borrero and the Grammy-winning producer Tainy, who serves as executive music producer.[11](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/online-originals/ivan-rodriguez-neon-netflix) • [3](https://www.avclub.com/neon-review-tv-netflix-reggaeton-1850916545) Rodriguez said the goal was songs that sounded \"fresh\" and \"current\" while being true to an emerging artist. \"Exagerao,\" the song that introduces Santi, had to hook a listener and debut a new personality at once; the producers and songwriter RMAND used what Rodriguez called a kind of method acting to channel a performer who did not exist.[11](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/online-originals/ivan-rodriguez-neon-netflix)\n\nThe season is stacked with appearances from reggaeton figures, from Daddy Yankee to Jhayco, who plays Javier Luna.[9](https://time.com/6326125/neon-netflix-reggaeton/) • [6](https://tvisart.com/shows/neon-2023)\n\n## Cultural consultants and representation\n\nCo-creator Shea Serrano approached the series, in the words of consultant La Gata, \"from a perspective of joy, of comedy.\" La Gata, founder of the Reggaeton Con La Gata platform, consulted on the show alongside the Los Angeles Times columnist Suzy Exposito, and the two worked to make the show reflect reality while keeping the plot moving.[9](https://time.com/6326125/neon-netflix-reggaeton/) Exposito, who is from Miami, worked with the Cuban American TV writer Adriana Caballero to get the feel of the city right.[9](https://time.com/6326125/neon-netflix-reggaeton/)\n\nThe production also drew criticism. The production raised red flags in some Puerto Rican communities for featuring a Boricua protagonist and a music genre largely associated with the island while falling short on representation behind the scenes; neither co-creator is of Puerto Rican descent, although Daddy Yankee served as an executive producer and Tainy as an executive music producer.[10](https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/neon-tv-review) • [3](https://www.avclub.com/neon-review-tv-netflix-reggaeton-1850916545) • [14](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/shea-serrano-netflix-series-neon?inapp=trueOs)\n\n## Reception\n\nCritics were mixed. The Star Tribune's Neal Justin compared the show to *Entourage*, noting that both revolve around a potential star with questionable talent and incredible good luck who is the least interesting character, and that *Neon* is at its best on the posse members, particularly Ferreira's inexperienced manager and Taylor's agent's assistant who dreams of being the next Ari Gold.[4](https://www.startribune.com/tv-review-neon-applies-entourage-formula-to-the-world-of-reggaeton-music/600315238) Cristina Escobar at RogerEbert.com found the series uneven in tone, unsure whether it was a coming-of-age romp, a music industry exposé, or a workplace comedy, and argued the show hides the trio's backstory until the final episode, leaving their friendship underdeveloped for most of the season.[10](https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/neon-tv-review) A Good Movie to Watch called it a highly enjoyable series that immerses the audience in its world, while noting the story of young millennials hustling toward their dreams can feel familiar.[12](https://agoodmovietowatch.com/shows/neon-2023/) Common Sense Media described it as a bilingual reggaetón-themed comedy that is mildly entertaining by sitcom standards but does not raise the cultural or emotional stakes needed to interest viewers outside the reggaetón scene.[13](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/neon)\n\n[The A.V. Club](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-a-v-club)'s review observed that as the season goes on, the trio's adventures among the big names of the 305 seem a bit too easy, less scrappy hustle and more sheer luck.[3](https://www.avclub.com/neon-review-tv-netflix-reggaeton-1850916545)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Neon, TheTVDB.com](https://thetvdb.com/series/neon)\n2. [Neon, Netflix Media Center](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81450712)\n3. [Neon review: Despite a colorful backdrop, Netflix's reggaeton show fails to shine, The A.V. Club](https://www.avclub.com/neon-review-tv-netflix-reggaeton-1850916545)\n4. [TV review: 'Neon' applies 'Entourage' formula to the world of reggaeton music, Star Tribune](https://www.startribune.com/tv-review-neon-applies-entourage-formula-to-the-world-of-reggaeton-music/600315238)\n5. [Neon: a Titles & Air Dates Guide, epguides.com](https://epguides.com//Neon/)\n6. [Neon: overview, cast & similar shows, TV Is Art](https://tvisart.com/shows/neon-2023)\n7. [Where Was 'Neon' Filmed? How Puerto Rico Became Miami, Netflix Tudum](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/neon-filming-locations?inapp=true%2F)\n8. [Neon (2023), FanBolt](https://www.fanbolt.com/title/tv/214128/neon/)\n9. [How Netflix's Neon Worked to Get Reggaeton Right, TIME](https://time.com/6326125/neon-netflix-reggaeton/)\n10. [Netflix's Neon Gets Lost in Its Many Disconnected Elements, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/neon-tv-review)\n11. [Ivan Rodriguez on Making 'Fresh' Sounds for Netflix's Neon, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/online-originals/ivan-rodriguez-neon-netflix)\n12. [Neon TV Show Review, A Good Movie to Watch](https://agoodmovietowatch.com/shows/neon-2023/)\n13. [Neón: Parents' Guide & TV Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/neon)\n14. [‘Neon’ Welcomes You to the World of Reggaeton This Fall](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/shea-serrano-netflix-series-neon?inapp=trueOs)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Sitcom and comedy series › American sitcoms and comedy series › 2020s cable and streaming comedies*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/neon-2023-tv-series", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/neon-2023-tv-series.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Neon (2023 TV series)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/neon-2023-tv-series. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Neon (2023 TV series)](https://www.edgepedia.org/neon-2023-tv-series)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/neon-2023-tv-series](https://www.edgepedia.org/neon-2023-tv-series). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Neon (2023 TV series)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/neon-2023-tv-series. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Neon is a 2023 Netflix comedy series, 8 episodes, created by Shea Serrano and Max Searle, about aspiring reggaeton singer Santi and friends moving to Miami; Daddy Yankee executive produced, filmed in San Juan, Puerto Rico, later canceled." }