HBO Max's Veneno, the story of a trans sex worker who became a Spanish star, is a finely crafted emotional rollercoaster

The Muse

The Spanish-language series -- which HBO Max automatically shows dubbed in English, though Spanish is an option -- is "based on real events of the lives of Cristina La Veneno Ortiz Rodriguez (played by Daniela Santiago and Isabel Torres) and a young journalism student, Valeria Vegas (played by Lola Rodriguez), who would go on to co-write the memoir that serves as the basis for the series, Not a Whore, Not a Saint: The Memories of la Veneno," says Shannon Melero, adding: "Something the pilot of Veneno is able to do that most shows based on books cannot is open the world to those who have never interacted with the source material. There is a fine balance between light exposition on Veneno’s status—who she is, why she’s important—in the 2000s and not overstating the obvious: that she was a sex worker chewed up and then discarded by Spanish media, which fans would already know. Much like Veneno herself, the show is not asking you to watch it or even like it, the show simply exists in all its beauty and grit and allows you to decide for yourself who is the hero, who is worth your time as a viewer."