Diksha Sundriyal
The world of Julio is weirdly realistic in HBO’s ‘Fantasmas.’ The show follows the story of an alternate version of Julio Torres living in an alternate version of New York City, where he loses an oyster earring and becomes obsessed with finding it. Each episode takes us into the kaleidoscopic world of the protagonist, where things are presented in a way that makes it look like a different world but feel quite real. The show increases this sense of realism by presenting parodies of real-life TV shows in the form of ‘Melf,’ ‘Cunty Little Rich Kids,’ and ‘The True Women of New York.’ Another show added to that list is ‘How I Came Out to My Abuela.’ The fictional show underlines the story’s themes that Julio Torres wants to tell through ‘Fantasmas.’
The Fictional How I Came Out to My Abuela Highlights a Larger Issue with TV Industry
One of the running themes of ‘Fantasmas’ is Julio’s desire to not indulge with the authorities in making “proof of existence.” But without it, he cannot function in society; the only way around it is to be famous. This is when Vanesja suggests he make a TV show for the streaming service Zappos, where he offers several stories he has had in his mind over the years. However, the executive wants something deeper and more personal, which is when he tells her about ‘How I Came Out to My Abuela.’
Known for creating things that are entirely unconventional, the real-life Julio Torres is well aware of networks and streaming services wanting to cash in on a trend. He has talked about how everyone wants to make a version of that thing when something new becomes a breakout hit. They are more focused on replicating the same thing rather than realizing that they must open the door for new ideas and find “the next new thing.” Speaking from his own experience, he talked about how he would repeatedly hear the reference to ‘Broad City’ during his own pitches at a time. Everyone wanted some version of the show: “A Latino Broad City! An immigrant Broad City! A queer Broad City!” he told THR. “As soon as you identify a formula and expect people to replicate it, you’re breaking it.”
Julio wanted to explore this need by the executive cash in something incepted to break a former trend or deliver something unique. In ‘Fantasmas,’ Julio’s agent tells him to do a “woke” credit card commercial that will make him famous. When that doesn’t happen, he is told to cash in on his identity and deliver stories that work on a formula confirmed to deliver a hit for the network. In that vein, ‘How I Came Out to My Abuela’ reflects Torres’ real experience.
Read More: Fantasmas: Are Cunty Little Rich Kids and The True Women of New York Real TV Shows?
