Apple TV has ordered its first Spanish-language series, Midnight Family, and casts former Roma actress Yalitza Aparicio as one of its stars. The series is based off of the documentary film under the same title, directed by Luke Lorentzen. The film revolves around the Ochoa family, who run a private ambulance company that competes with for-profit EMTs for patients under medical duress.
According to Variety, Apple is set to air 10 episodes of Midnight Family, which will have a similar plot as the documentary and will star Aparicio. The exact character role for Aparicio is not yet known, but the series will also star Renata Vaca, Joaquín Cosío (Gentefied), Diego Calva (Narcos: Mexico), and Sergio Bautista. Midnight Family is currently under production in Mexico City and is being developed for television by Gibrán Portela and Julio Rojas. Portela is also one of the writers on board, and Natalia Beristáin is serving as the showrunner, executive producer, and director. Apple, Fremantle, and Fabula are studios attached for the series.
The original documentary debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2019 to much critical acclaim. The compelling nature of the source material as well as having an actress such as Aparicio in the cast could make for an Apple TV series that is just as engaging as the documentary. The United States having the second largest population of Spanish speakers in the world should allow for a wide audience when Midnight Family debuts, and it's certainly time that streaming platforms reflected this population in their content that is available.
Sources: Variety