If you love whirlwind romances, unprecedented drama, kick-ass leading ladies, emotional rollercoasters, and nail-biting cliff-hangers as much as #TeamEV does, then do we have a recommendation for you…

Jane Gloriana Villanueva was first introduced to us back in 2014, the role that launched actress Gina Rodriguez into the role of America’s sweetheart. With an omnipresent ‘Latin Lover’ narrator setting the scene, we were introduced to Jane’s sometimes too close-knit family: her abuela, Alba, and her mother, Xiomara. The drama kicks off from the very first episode, as Jane, who has promised her abuela to save her virginity until marriage, becomes accidentally artificially inseminated… try that for a tongue twister!

Now firmly in its fourth season, (all of which are available on Netflix to binge to your heart’s content… we apologise in advance for your lapse in productivity), Jane has lived through trials and tribulations on her path of raising the unexpected baby, to finding love, to achieving her dreams of becoming a romance novelist.

The show is ground-breaking for Latinx representation in American culture, showcasing an easy dynamic where both North American and Latin American culture amalgamate seamlessly. Based on the Venezuelan telenovela, Juana la Virgen, the adaptation involves Jane speaking English to her abuela, who speaks back to Jane in (subtitled) Spanish, and the show is heavily centred around and influenced by Latin telenovela genre (similar to a soap opera, with set tropes), as we are constantly reminded that the goings on of the show are “Straight out of a telenovela, right?” With the wonderful Jennie Urman as head writer and director, this is truly a series that is written by, and about, not just powerful women, but real women, who aren’t afraid of their own weakness and vulnerability.

Also touching on politics and real-world issues, but always in a light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek way, the show remains topical, despite its sometimes far-reaching, over the top storylines, making the perfect blend between the real world and the world of telenovelas.  

If the show itself wasn’t reason enough for you to get onto the JTV hype-train, the cast members themselves will convince you…

Check out Gina Rodriguez (Jane)’s Golden Globe acceptance speech here if you want to feel more inspired than you’ve ever felt in your entire life.

Justin Baldoni, who plays Rafael, raises money for homelessness in LA by putting on the Skid Row Carnival of Love each year. From general topics of fatherhood, faith and charity, to speaking out about the negative impact of toxic masculinity, he’s truly doing inspirational things!

This is definitely something Team EV loves the most, particularly Ella who recommends it to everyone she knows! (No really… she even got her Mum obsessed.)

Keep posted for more #EVLovesTV reviews!