Today is October 17, and it’s a great day because season 3 of Jane the Virgin has begun.  I started watching this show in the spring, and honestly have never devoured a show faster.  In honor of this momentous occasion, here is why Jane the Virgin is one of the best shows ever made.

1. Nuanced, relatable characters.  All, and I mean all, of the characters on this show are incredibly realistic.  They all make good choices and bad choices.  Not one of them is a stereotype.  All of them have traits that you would see in a real, actual person.  All of them have contradictions and baggage and unique personalities.  Bad characters turn me off to a show faster than anything else, but Jane the Virgin nails amazing characters.
2. No filler episodes.  In case you weren’t aware, Jane the Virgin is modeled off the typical Spanish telenovela, or soap opera.  It employs insane, soap-opera-typical plot twists to give the telenovela impression, but also maintains realistic plot points as well — crime rings mingle with first-time parenting, for example.  Because of the dramedy, million-different-plotline nature of the show, there are no “filler” episodes like you would find in a normal drama.  Every single episode moves some aspect of the story right along. 
3. Spanish!  Because most of the characters are Latino, there’s a good amount of Spanish in the episodes (with subtitles, of course), which I love.  Also, most of the actors are Latino, which they should be, and it’s awesome!  If you haven’t heard of Gina Rodriguez, who plays Jane, go follow her on social media because she is an incredibly cool person and an excellent role model.
4. Creative filming/storytelling.  Jane is a daydreamer, and if that’s not fun to work with as a director, I don’t know what is.  Every few episodes features a daydreaming scene with fun costumes and scenarios.  On top of this, the show is set in 2016, so social media features widely and texts and tweets show on screen as the characters type or read them.  Finally, the narrator interacts as a viewer of the show and it is hilariously entertaining.

If that’s not enough to hook you, you are a lost cause you should just go watch the first episode because then you will be.  The show sucks you in like a black hole, and I couldn’t be happier.  Now excuse me while I start watching season 3.

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