Vida’s Tanya Saracho in Overall Pact with Starz

Tanya Saracho, showrunner and executive producer for the upcoming Starz original series Vida, has inked a three-year overall deal with the Lionsgate-owned channel.

Under the agreement, Saracho will develop new projects for the network while continuing to serve as showrunner and executive producer on Vida. The half-hour drama series, about two Mexican-American sisters who discover a surprising truth about their mother, is due to debut on Sunday, May 6.

“Tanya Saracho’s unique voice brings a fresh and real perspective to Latinx programming,” said Carmi Zlotnik, Starz’s president of programming. “We’re thrilled to have an overall deal with this tenacious playwright-turned-TV writer/executive producer who doesn’t pull any punches when bringing these characters—who are not usually seen in mainstream media—to life.”

“I was a playwright who was still learning the ropes when Starz took a chance on me to create and showrun Vida,” added Saracho. “They nurtured and supported me during every step of the strenuous process and that is a debt that cannot be repaid. They now open their doors and offer me a home—a fertile ground to grow and amplify my voice as I continue my mission of bringing Latinx and Queer characters to the screen—and I am steeped in gratitude. Building Vida with Chris [Albrecht], Carmi and Marta [Fernandez] has been a downright joy, and I can’t wait to deepen and strengthen our collaboration.”