'Selena: The Series' Part 2: Everything We Know

Part one of the biopic series hit Netflix Dec. 4.

selena the series netflix christian serratos
(Image credit: netflix)

The first season of Selena: The Series arrived on Netflix on Dec. 4, and early binge-watchers have likely already noticed that these first nine episodes don't tell the whole story of Selena Quintanilla's life. In fact, the majority of the series so far revolves around the late Tejano singer's upbringing, family life, and role in the Quintanillas' Selena y Los Dinos family band—ending on a major cliffhanger of sorts (if true stories can even have cliffhangers, that is), right as Selena's solo career and romantic life were both picking up.

There's no "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom," no secret elopement with bandmate Chris Pérez, and no reenactment of her tragic death at the age of 23. Clearly, a second season of the show is absolutely necessary—but there's no need to start campaigning for a series renewal, since Selena: The Series was always going to be a two-part project. Here's everything we know so far about the next installment of the biopic series.

The streamer hasn't announced an exact release date yet, but filming on the second (and final) part of the show has already wrapped filming, according to a recent L.A. Times interview with Christian Serratos, who plays Selena. After Netflix gave the series the go-ahead at the end of 2018, production of part one began the following October, about a year before the episodes' December 2020 release date. If Netflix sticks to that timeline, we could see part two of the series made available for streaming around the same time in 2021, if not earlier.

The first part of Selena: The Series explores Selena's early life and career, ending in 1990, when she had released her second solo album and had just struck up a secret relationship with Pérez, much to her father's chagrin. The second season will likely pick up right where the first left off, following Selena's awe-inspiring rise to national and global fame in the final years of her life.

So, expect to see dramatizations of Selena's elopement with Pérez in 1992, the launch of her side gig as a fashion designer, her ground-breaking win at the 1994 Grammy Awards, and, sadly, her March 1995 murder at the hands of Yolanda Saldívar, a close friend and the president of her fan club. Overall, the Selena in part two of the series will be the Selena that has remained an icon for the last 25 years since her death: A confident superstar clad in gorgeously glitzy ensembles, singing her heart out to early '90s hits like "Como la Flor."

There shouldn't be any major changes to the cast between seasons—especially since they're all pretty much perfect matches for their real-life inspirations—besides the introduction of an as-yet-unnamed actor to play Saldívar. Part two of Selena: The Series will also probably no longer feature the child stars who played younger versions of Selena and her siblings in the first few episodes. Meanwhile, you can expect Pérez (Jesse Posey) to play an even bigger role in part two, and to see Selena's very protective father-slash-manager Abraham (Ricardo Chavira) to continue to loom large in the singer's life, both on and offstage.

Selena herself will also change in one small way that might be imperceptible on the outside, but allowed Serratos to better capture the essence of the legendary singer: The actor told the L.A. Times that she insisted on doing her own makeup while filming part two. "Her eyebrows and her eyeliner and her lips were so specific to me," Serratos said. "But every time I did my makeup on set, it made me feel so much more like her. That started off my day in character, going to work and doing my makeup. For season two, I was like, 'I want to do it. Selena did her own makeup, I'm doing my own makeup.'"

Andrea Park

Andrea Park is a Chicago-based writer and reporter with a near-encyclopedic knowledge of the extended Kardashian-Jenner kingdom, early 2000s rom-coms and celebrity book club selections. She graduated from the Columbia School of Journalism in 2017 and has also written for W, Brides, Glamour, Women's Health, People and more.