The inside story of central Mexico’s Mariachi Banda Nueva Generación, a traditional music act led by members of the Cuellar family, is set to hit Spanish-language cable network Mexicanal on December 21 with the launch of the network’s second original docu-series, Son Mariachis.
The new series, which spans 13 episodes, will air Sundays at 10:30 p.m. Eastern/7:30 p.m. Pacific on Mexicanal, which created and produced Son Mariachis. Facing what the network describes as “an equal mix of hard work and heartbreak,” the band yearns to fulfill one of their greatest adventures — to play their music at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, recently held in Brazil.
“Mariachi music is the pride of Mexico and the hallmark of Mexican people around the world, and yet very little has been done in the documentary space to cover this topic,” said Demian Torres-Bohl, producer and new media director for Mexicanal and chief creative officer for parent company Castalia Communications. “We are proud to bring light to such a treasured tradition by introducing viewers to the Cuellars—an irreverent, fun and often adventurous family of mariachis they will soon grow to love.”
Central family members are leader Jesus “Chuy” Cuellar; Chuy’s son, Alejandro “Chacarron,” the soul of the group; Chuy’s eldest son, Jesus Jr. “Camello,” who questions his father’s business decisions; and Juan Carlos “Tun Tun,” Jesus’ nephew and violinist, who finds his passion with soccer a distraction from the family business.
Son Mariachis follows Mexicanal’s first originally produced docu-reality series, El Rayo Vida de Lucha, extending the network’s foray into following different families throughout Mexico and expanding its themes of unscripted series aired on the network.
Mexicanal is distributed across the U.S. via DirecTV and AT&T U-Verse and can be found on select Comcast, Cablevision and Mediacom systems. The channel features programming from affiliate broadcasters and public television stations across Mexico.
