Taina is an American sitcom that aired on Nickelodeon and was one of the last live-action comedy shows taped at Nickelodeon Studios but later moved to the Nickelodeon On Sunset in Hollywood, for its second season.
The show aired from January 14, 2001 to May 11, 2002.
Plot
Taina Morales (Christina Vidal) is a Latina teenage girl who aspires to be a singer and actress.
She attends the Manhattan High School of the Performing Arts with her friend Renee Jones (Khaliah Adams). At school, they reunite with their elementary school classmate Lamar Johnson (Chris Knowings) and meet a student named Daniel McDaniel (David Oliver Cohen).
Taina's nemesis Martiza Hogg (LaTangela) also attends the school and is an aspiring singer\actress.
Every episode features Taina daydreaming about her super stardom with occasional performances of a new song.
Characters
- Taina Morales: She was the main character of the show. Taina was a young, beautiful and talented Latina with aspirations of being a professional singer and actress. She and her friends often got themselves into wacky situations in an attempt to become stars. Even though Taina's impatience and impulsiveness would occasionally get her into scraps, she always let her honesty and compassion get her out of it.
- Renee Jones: Renee was Taina's best friend who’s an aspiring rapper and comedienne. A wacky girl, she attended the performing arts school to become a comedienne. She often helped to ground Taina when her imagination ran away with her. Renee also tended to chase after boys frequently. Unfortunately, her love interests were never the right ones for her.
- Lamar Johnson: Lamar was Taina's passionate guy friend who was an aspiring director and writer. Not only did he serve as an editor of the performing art school's newspaper, he also had a crush on Taina and waited for the day she would finally come around. His best friend was Daniel and the two of them often collaborated to make a quick buck. He served as a support for Taina and the others, offering level-headed advice.
- Daniel McDaniel: Daniel was an multi-instrumentalist, who also shared the same school locker with Taina. Sweet and opinionated, his loves included writing songs, playing the guitar, and chasing after girls. Daniel prided himself on being quite the ladies' man, but often ended up snubbed. It was hinted that he had true feelings for Renee. He loved The Beatles and usually accompanied Taina's songs on his guitar.
- Maritza Hogg: Martiza was Taina and Renee's rival. She also aspired to be an actress and singer, but tended to be more ruthless than Taina. She loved to upstage others in her quest to become a star. However, she wasn’t pure evil and sometimes collaborated with Taina and her friends to make money or defeat other rivals. She prided herself on being an "evil diva."
Cast
Main Cast
- Christina Vidal as Taina Maria Morales
- Khaliah Adams as Renee Aretha Jones
- Chris Knowings as Lamar Carlos Johnson
- David Oliver Cohen as Daniel Nathaniel McDaniel
- LaTangela as Martiza Hogg
Recurring Cast
- Lisa Velez (Lisa Lisa) as Gloria Morales (Taina's mother)
- Josh Cruze as Eduardo Morales (Taina's father)
- Manolo Villaverde as Gregorio "Abuelo" Sanchez (Taina's grandfather)
- Brandon Iglesias (Season 1)\Jacob Urrutia (Season 2) as Santito Morales (Taina's younger brother)
- Selenis Leyva as Titi Rosa (Taina's aunt)
- Joseph Bertot as Hector Colon
- Ruben Rabasa as Papito
- Cristina Saralegui as the Principal
Production
The production on the show began sometime around the summer of 2000. The pilot was shot half at the LaGuardia Performers' School and half at the Nickelodeon on Sunset set.
The second season of the show was shot from December 2001 to January 6, 2002.
When "Taina" first premiered on Nickelodeon's TEENick on January 14, 2001, the ratings grew.
On Saturdays, it was put on Nickelodeon's SNICK lineup from January to May 2002 where the ratings doubled in the final season.
Cancellation
Despite the show's popularity, "Taina" was canceled in May 2002. According to Josh Cruze, the show was getting more expensive to produce.
According to Christina Vidal in a later interview, there was scripts written for a third season before the show was cancelled.
Soundtrack
On February 19, 2002 (during the second season of "Taina"), the television soundtrack to the show was released on Jive Records and Nick Records.
The soundtrack featured songs mostly from the show's second season. Christina Vidal and LaTangela provided songs to the soundtrack.
Track listing
- Gonna Be a Star (Christina Vidal)
- Carnival (Christina Vidal)
- I Represent (LaTangela)
- Feel Good (Christina Vidal)
- Not While I'm Around (LaTangela)
- Not This Time (3LW)
- I'm In Love With Me (LaTangela)
- Thought That We Were Friends (Christina Vidal)
- In My Dreams (Dream)
- Voy a Ser Una Estrella (Spanish version of "Gonna Be a Star") (Christina Vidal)
| SNICK | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1992-1994 | Clarissa Explains It All • Roundhouse • The Ren & Stimpy Show • Are You Afraid of the Dark? | |
| 1994-1996 | The Secret World of Alex Mack • All That • Space Cases • Kenan and Kel• The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo • KaBlam! | |
| 1997-1999 | Rugrats • The Journey of Allen Strange • Animorphs • Cousin Skeeter | |
| 1999-2002 | SpongeBob SquarePants • The Amanda Show • 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd • The Nick Cannon Show • Taina | |