This Fool for the W!

Screenshot of Youtube trailer thumbnail

Julio Lopez (Chris Estrada) works a “thugs for hugs” non profit in south central LA for reforming formerly incarcerated gang members. He and program founder Minister Payne, “The Sopranos” Michael Imperioli, recruit Julio’s cousin and childhood bully, Luiz (Frankie Quinones), who joins the program when he’s released from prison. The complexity of their backwards bonding is heightened when he joins the middle aged Julio, in his multigenerational living situation. The series picks up with Julio, the family doormat/scapegoat who wakes to routine verbal warfare and the zings of the family dining table. With playful yet visceral jabs in a Mexican family’s discourse, Julio and Louis are wedged in a matriarchal multigenerational living space and favoritism. Julio escapes with a violent unofficial dom and aspiring wife/ex, Maggie, who keeps him on a leash of codependency and servitude. 

As Luiz progress and regress through the program through Julio’s mentorship, he’s stuck in the period of the early 2000s gang member and battles the call of streets. As a resentful Julio struggles to find independence in love and life, the episodes play out with mixed elements of horror, drama, and impossibilities, in dynamic camera angles and a soundtrack that is intentionally the playlist of our lives. The serendipitous millennial nostalgia; where songs would pop up on the radio at the right time, during the right event, and challenge Luiz to awaken his outer thug and gather aged gang members for a park beef. The montage of ex-members who've given up the life or hit their life expectancy is better than expected, where a cardboard cutout of a dead homie and a theater buff ex gang member’s son, joins the recruitment. Julio and Luiz are effortless in chemistry— keeping the highs high and the lows low. Payne is exactly what “Thugs for Hugs” wants and never fails to balance the opposing forces. Maggie the ex, is an energy cell of instability that keeps Julio and the show’s audience on their knees by her command. The story makes good progress to keep its characters funny, multidimensional and honest. 

The proud self deprecating stand up comedian/Mexican Ray Romano was inspired by his real life family and encounters in South Central. As co writer, and with the show’s executive producers, NBC’s SNL Alum, Fred Armisen, makes an appearance as an affluent former criminal. He looks to absolve his wrongdoings in outreach work for those like him, seemingly…Chris Estrada's motivation for the mood of the series was “trying to find the funny in the mundane”, he said in an interview. He and Frankie had been touring for years as friends and comics before the pitch was purported. Frankie, a sketch comedian and standup success was not only the last regarded for the role of Luiz by producers, who little held the stature of Chris’ hulking cholo cousin. Luiz's supporting role has been labeled the lead favorite in the series by fans. It’s a watch for the gens, and does well to highlight the mesoamerican talent in the entertainment industry. 

This Hulu original series will be in for a season 2!