Netflix’s new show, “Selena: The Series” is set to premiere this Friday and everyone who was a fan of the incomparable Selena Quintanilla is beside themselves with excitement.

We don’t know a ton about the upcoming series yet, just the little information that Netflix has released about the general plot and cast. Per Netflix, the series will focus on Selena as she “comes of age and realizes her dreams”.

It will also focus on her family and, of course, her music. According to reports, we also know that the Quintanilla family is involved in the series. Relative unknown Christian Serratos will be playing La Reina herself.

But what we’ve all been dying to know since the new series was announced in 2018 is: What does JLo think?

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Selena: The Series (@selenanetflix)

Lopez famously played Selena to great critical acclaim in 1997. Well, folks, we finally have an answer! Lopez appeared on the series’ official Instagram account to give the upcoming series her full support.

In a video posted to the account, Lopez talks about the new series. “Guys, I don’t know if you’ve heard about this new Selena series on Netflix,” Lopez says, laughing a bit because yes we all know and we literally can’t wait. “Playing Selena was kind of a landmark moment in my career. And I was so excited when I saw the trailer and heard about it.”

She also added that she thinks the new show will introduce tons of new fans to Selena’s story and her music.

“It’s a great way for this generation to get to know Selena,” Lopez continued on the Instagram video. “I love Selena. She’s such a big part of my life and my career. And I can’t wait to see it!”

Jennifer Lopez famously starred in the original movie about the Queen of Tejano music in 1997. At the time of its release, the movie was a critical and commercial hit. It’s no wonder that, in the time of spin-offs and reboots, Netflix decided to cash in on the devotion of Quintanilla’s built-in audience.

Christian Serratos is definitely feeling the pressure when it comes to portraying Selena after Lopez’s pivotal 1997 performance.

Addressing the pressure of tackling her own version of Selena Quintanilla after Jennifer Lopez’s version has become so popular over the years, Serratos said she’s trying not to let the pressure get to her.

“Sometimes I do have to remind myself that I can’t please everybody because I’m human,” she said in an interview with The Big Ticket. “But the thing I tried to do first and foremost was to honestly portray her spirit because I think that’s what made her so lovely and so iconic.”

Notice any needed corrections? Please email us at corrections@wearemitu.com

It appears that the Saved By the Bell reboot is off to a bad start. The much anticipated NBCUniversal’s Peacock series garnered tons of negative press over the weekend for making what many viewers considered inappropriate jokes about Selena Gomez’s health struggles.

One of the offensive scenes in question had two characters arguing about whether Gomez’s kidney donor was “Justin Bieber’s mom” or Demi Lovato. Later in the episode, a wall was spray-painted with the words: “Does Selena Gomez even have a kidney?”

Fans flocked to social media to condemn the program for making light of Gomez’s harrowing health journey.

Saved by the Bell, that's disgusting. Selena almost lost her life, jokes about her kidney transplant is NOT FUNNY. Respect Selena Gomez. pic.twitter.com/c8AZbsU1m0

— Selena Charts (@selenachartsbr) November 28, 2020

“I can officially say that this generation is full of some sick and insensitive ppl,” wrote one Selena stan on Twitter. “The fact that if her surgery went wrong, she wouldnt be here today. and a whole ass show producer thought it was okay to mock her for it? the script writers too? what??” Many similar sentiments were echoed on social media.

The blowback became so bad that NBCUniversal was forced to apologize for the tasteless joke. They have since removed the “jokes” from the episode.

“We apologize. It was never our intention to make light of Selena’s health. We have been in touch with her team and will be making a donation to her charity, The Selena Gomez Fund for Lupus Research at USC,” they said in a statement.

Selena Gomez’s kidney donor, fellow actress Francia Raísa, addressed NBCUniversal’s apology via Twitter. “Appreciate the apology but let’s not forget about the donors that potentially felt offended and dismissed from the spray paint written on the wall,” she said.

Appreciate the apology but let’s not forget about the donors that potentially felt offended and dismissed from the spray paint written on the wall https://t.co/HIwa30PKMM

— Francia Raisa (@franciaraisa) November 28, 2020

Selena Gomez has been candid about the trauma she’s endured over the years due to her autoimmune disease, lupus. Gomez’s lupus forced her to undergo chemotherapy and eventually, seek a kidney transplant.

“I had arthritis. My kidneys were shutting down. My mentality was just to keep going,” Selena revealed in a 2017 interview with the Today Show. “That was it. And I didn’t want to ask a single person in my life and that was the day I came home, when I found out, and [Raísa] volunteered and did it.”

But Gomez’s kidney transplant wasn’t the end of her health journey, both mental and physical.

After her surgery, Gomez struggled with body image issues, specifically surrounding her surgery scar. In a recent Instagram post, Gomez revealed that it took her a while to become confident in her own skin after her surgery.

“When I got my kidney transplant, I remember it being very difficult at first showing my scar,” she wrote. “I didn’t want it to be in photos, so I wore things that would cover it up. Now, more than ever, I feel confident in who I am and what I went through.”

Notice any needed corrections? Please email us at corrections@wearemitu.com