January 14, 2001 (2001-01-14) – May 11, 2002 (2002-05-11)
Taina is an American teen sitcom created by Maria Perez-Brown and starring Christina Vidal. It aired on Nickelodeon from January 14, 2001, until May 11, 2002. Originally taped at Nickelodeon Studios in Orlando, Florida, it was the final sitcom filmed at the studio before moving to Nickelodeon on Sunset for its second season. The series achieved high ratings during its airing.
Premise
Taina Morales is a young Puerto Rican teenager who aspires to become a singer and actress. She and her best friend Renee Jones attend the Manhattan High School of the Performing Arts, where they reunite with Lamar, whom they have not seen since elementary school. The girls' nemesis Maritza Hogg, who knew them before high school, also attends the performing-arts school and hopes to be a singer/actress. Every episode features Taina daydreaming of eventual superstardom and occasionally performing a new song.
Christina Vidal as Taina Maria Morales, a young girl who dreams of becoming a professional singer and actress. She attends a performing arts school with her best friend Renée, rival Maritza, and friends Daniel and Lamar. She and her friends often get themselves into wacky situations in their search for stardom. Though Taina's impatience and impulsiveness occasionally get her into scraps, her honesty and compassion get her out. The name Taina is the female form of the name of the indigenous Puerto Rican people, the Tainos.
Khaliah Adams as Renée Aretha Jones, Taina's best friend. She is an aspiring comedienne and rapper. A boy-crazy girl, she often helps to ground Taina when her imagination runs away with her. Renée also tends to chase after boys frequently; unfortunately, her love interests aren't the right ones for her.
Chris Knowings as Lamar Carlos Johnson, Taina's friend and an aspiring director and writer. Not only does he serve as an editor of the performing art school's newspaper, he also has a crush on Taina and awaits the day she might finally come around. His best friend is Daniel, and the two often join forces to make a quick buck. He serves as a support for Taina and the others, often offering level-headed advice.
David Oliver Cohen as Daniel Nathaniel McDaniel, a multi-instrumentalist, who also shares the same school locker with Taina. Handsome and opinionated, his loves include writing songs, playing other instruments, and chasing after girls. Daniel prides himself on being quite the ladies' man but often ends up scorned. It's hinted that he had true feelings for Renée. He loves The Beatles, and usually accompanied Taina's songs on his guitar.
LaTangela Newsome as Maritza Hogg, Taina and Renée's rival. She also aspires to be an actress and singer but tends to be more ruthless than Taina. She loves to upstage others in her quest to become a star. However, she isn't all bad, and sometimes joins forces with Taina and her friends to make money or fight other rivals. She prides herself on being an "evil diva".
Production on the show began sometime around the summer of 2000. The pilot was partially shot at the Laguardia Performers School in 1999 and finished at Nickelodeon on Sunset. Season 2 was shot from October 2001 – January 6, 2002. The show premiered on January 14, 2001, on Nickelodeon where ratings grew. New episodes would eventually move into the TEENick block at launch on March 4, 2001, starting with its eighth episode [1][2] and lasted for two seasons. Taina was scheduled to air every Sunday at 6 pm.[3] The show was put on Nickelodeon's SNICK lineup on Saturday nights from January to May 2002, where ratings more than doubled in its second season.[4] Despite its popularity (the show garnered Nickelodeon its highest ratings in 3 years), the show was canceled that summer.[5]CBC reran the show in 2003.
Cancellation
In July 2002, Nickelodeon quietly canceled Taina after two seasons. There were reports that the show was only appealing to a female demographic, as well as the show starting to get too expensive to produce (according to Josh Cruze). However, according to Vidal in a 2021 interview, the show was canceled due to behind-the-scenes business decisions and the network clashing with Vidal's management team, which included her mother. Vidal additionally stated that she believes her then newly-signed recording contract with MCA Records created further dismay for Nickelodeon executives. Scripts for a third season and a made-for-television movie of the series were already written before Nickelodeon canceled the show.[6][7] Vidal says Nickelodeon replaced the show with Romeo!
Taina Morales, an aspiring entertainer, begins her first day at Manhattan School for The Arts, but when her drama teacher, Mr. Colon, calls her out on her overacting, she starts to doubt her acting ability. Lamar is convinced that Daniel is a jinx, then he's forced to take an all-female ballet class.
Guest star: Cristina Saralegui as Principal Rojas (can be heard on the intercom).
Taina is asked to join the senior girl group Blue Mascara (3LW). However, the group discourages her from continuing to hang out with Renee, feeling that she will interfere with the group's career pursuits. Meanwhile, Daniel loses a bet to Lamar and must join the school's losing basketball team. Taina ultimately decides that her friendship with Renee is more important than being in Blue Mascara and quits the group. Gia (Adrienne Bailon), Lia (Kiely Williams), and Ria (Naturi Naughton) go on to perform "No More (Baby I'ma Do Right)" without Taina, and Maritza tries to take her place in the group.
Taina and Gloria disagree on what dress she should wear for her Quinceañero, her 15th birthday party; Lamar competes with Alex (Nick Cannon), Maritza's boyfriend who appears to have feelings for Taina.
Taina is forced to find her own way to get money to go on an amusement-park trip to see singer Joe perform, after her parents refuse to giver her the money. After winning a cash prize in a radio contest, Taina spends almost all of the money on an expensive pair of shoes instead of on the trip. Lamar and Daniel win the chance to be radio DJs for a week at Papito's, but Lamar's ego goes to his head, ruining the experience for them both.
5
5
"En Español"
Carl Lauten
Fracaswell Hyman
February 11, 2001 (2001-02-11)
2
When Taina gets a bad grade on a Spanish exam, Abuelo Gregorio goes overboard immersing the family in their Puerto Rican heritage. Lamar helps Taina write a love letter to Papito's nephew, who only speaks Spanish. A weird goth girl, Ice, falls in love with Lamar.
6
6
"Charmed Bracelet"
Carl Lauten
Tracy Grandstaff
February 18, 2001 (2001-02-18)
7
After buying a cheap bracelet and being told that her great-grandmother was psychic, Taina is convinced that she is also psychic. Daniel and Lamar are so obsessed with a skiing video game at Papito's that they refuse to take showers.
7
7
"I Want It That Way"
Kim Fields
Nicole Jefferson
February 25, 2001 (2001-02-25)
5
A short play that Taina wrote is chosen for a showcase which she must also direct. The task becomes overwhelming when her actresses Renee and Maritza, her musician Daniel, and her assistant-director Lamar all want to do their own thing.
Guest star: Cristina Saralegui as Principal Rojas
8
8
"A Twitch in the Tail"
Rick Fernandes
Fracaswell Hyman
March 4, 2001 (2001-03-04)
13
Taina auditions for a soap opera but Santito, who accompanied her, gets the role. Beatrice (Benita Robledo), whom Daniel had a crush on back in band camp, moves to town and falls for Lamar.
Taina is desperate to be cast as Robert De Niro's daughter in a movie. Daniel and Lamar get jobs to buy a used computer program to make their movies. Taina's Titi Carmen visits, causes tension with Abuelo Gregorio.
10
10
"Friend or Phone"
Chuck Vinson
Anthony Hill
April 1, 2001 (2001-04-01)
6
Taina wants a new cell phone after hers malfunctions. When Titi Rosa buys her a new phone, she sells her old one to Renee; when it finally breaks down for good, Renee asks for her money back, causing a rift in their relationship. Daniel and Lamar try to bribe Maritza for Knicks-Lakers tickets.
11
11
"Singing with the Enemy"
Kim Fields
Anthony Hill
April 8, 2001 (2001-04-08)
11
Taina, Renee, and Maritza must team up to perform for a talent show or get a failing grade in drama class. Taina has difficulty telling Renee that she can't sing. Daniel has writer's block and turns secret, embarrassing stories from Lamar and Taina into songs.
12
12
"Undercover"
Kim Fields
Tracy Grandstaff
April 15, 2001 (2001-04-15)
12
Taina suspects that Alex of the group MDO is a fraud.
Guest stars: MDO
13
13
"My Left Eye"
Rick Fernandes
Fracaswell Hyman
April 22, 2001 (2001-04-22)
10
Taina is selected to record a song with a popular artist and must go on tour for a year; she faces a tough decision on whether or not to go.
Season 2 (2002)
No. overall
No. in season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
Prod. code
14
1
"Crouching Actor, Hidden Chicken"
Richard A. Fernandes
Fracaswell Hyman
January 19, 2002 (2002-01-19)
15
Taina acts like a tough girl to snag a role in a boxing movie; Daniel and Renee build a robot for a robot-fighting competition.
Taina and Maritza join forces to take down Lizzie (Brooke Allison), a southern girl who sabotaged her way to the lead role in the school musical; Renee develops romantic feelings for Daniel.
Guest star: Brooke Allison
16
3
"Scary Legend"
Richard A. Fernandes
Anthony Hill
February 2, 2002 (2002-02-02)
17
A scary story Mr. Colon told spooks Taina and the gang; while staying at school at night for costume fittings, Taina and Renee make a bet with Lamar and Daniel to see who can last longest there without being scared.
Taina and Renee take a magazine quiz on their friendship and find out they hardly know anything about each other; Lamar, Daniel, and Maritza must work at Papito's to pay for a display-case glass they broke.
18
5
"Papi Don't Preach"
Fracaswell Hyman
Fracaswell Hyman
February 23, 2002 (2002-02-23)
23
Eduardo questions Taina about whether she attended an all-night party after he told her not to, and Taina vehemently says she didn't go; Lamar and Daniel get jobs at a movie theater and promise they will sneak Taina and Renee into the film premiere starring Teck Money of The Real World.
Taina tries to audition for the lead in the new school play directed by Shevchenko (Liz Torres), a once-prestigious theater director, but she must overcome the long-standing rule that only seniors can auditions for lead roles in school plays. Lamar and Daniel sell tickets to the play with extreme measures, and Renee and Maritza compete for the affection of Darius, the play's senior male lead.
Taina gets a bad review of a play from Lamar, which has her reevaluating her performance. Daniel invites Maritza as his plus-one for an opera show in exchange for Maritza promising to give him a guitar signed by all four Beatles, but her fashion advice drives him crazy.
Taina is willing to go through many extremes to be signed by an agent; Daniel, caught in a lie by his dad, blames Lamar for not cooperating with him on hiding the truth.
When actress Nicole Burke (Kelly Rowland) starts at Manhattan School for the Arts, everyone believes that she is as evil as the character she plays on her popular teen soap and only Taina gives her a chance. On Mr. Colon's orders, Renee and Lamar pretend to be mother and son outside of class to bring better performances out of them for an emotional scene.
Guest star: Kelly Rowland
25
12
"The Fear Factors"
Chuck Vinson
Fracaswell Hyman
May 4, 2002 (2002-05-04)
225
Taina's old friend Lisa shows up to the Manhattan School for the Arts to audition for the lead in the school musical and asks Taina to help keep secret that she isn't a registered student. Lamar asks retired wrestler Gladys Goldfinger (Roma Maffia) to help him perform better in his stage combat class in exchange for teaching her how to cry to fulfill her acting dreams; when her elderly piano player dies, Maritza asks Daniel to be her new one.
The series has seen no DVD releases in North America, however a single-release VHS/DVD was released by Maverick Entertainment in the United Kingdom in March 2004 named "Be Careful What You Wish For"', which features the first four aired episodes.[8][9]
Current availability
As of June 2022, the original series is not available to stream on Paramount+ in the United States (though available in Spanish in Latin America), where many of its Nickelodeon counterparts can be streamed. The series is, however, available on the Paramount Streaming service Pluto TV as a Spanish-dubbed program.[10] Despite these developments, YouTube remains the only means of viewing the program in its original English language.
Soundtrack
"Taina: Original Television Soundtrack" is the official soundtrack for the series. It was released on February 19, 2002, by Nick Records distributed through now-defunct Jive Records/Zomba Recording Corporation and MTV Networks. The album contains songs featured in the show's second season, such as "Feel Good" and "I'm In Love With Me" and none from the first season, with the exception of "Gonna Be A Star", the show's theme. The songs are performed by the show's stars Christina Vidal and LaTangela with additional songs performed by 3LW and Dream (previously featured on their respective albums 3LW and It Was All a Dream), as members of both groups made appearances during the show's first season. Additionally, the soundtracks boasts writing and production from legendary R&B group and production team Full Force (known for working with show star Lisa Lisa) as well as Nate Butler, Lindy Robbins and Kevin Paige.
2002 – Outstanding Children's Television Programming (Won)
2002 – Outstanding Actress in a Television Series – Christina Vidal (Nominated)
2002 – Outstanding Script for a Television Drama or Comedy – Fracaswell Hyman & Maria Perez-Brown for episode "Quinceanero"(Nominated)
References in pop culture
In 2015, American rapper and singer, Shelley FKA DRAM's breakout hit single "Cha Cha" made reference to the titular character in the song's chorus with the lyrics, "...with a Dominican that resembles Taina...". Stating that he enjoys dancing with and entertaining Latina women that resemble Vidal.
