East Los High

East Los High makes use of soap opera elements to deliver a social message. It draws on entertainment-education similar to the Sabido Method, a method developed in Mexico in the 1970s by Miguel Sabido.

According to the show's producers, engaging stories and characters are the core of East Los High, and the educational content is woven in seamlessly to produce an entertaining experience that also educates the audience and empowers them to effect change. The show's website extends the experience for the fans, and connects the audience to relevant resources related to the different issues explored in the episodes.

Broadcast online by Hulu, the first season of East Los High revolves around the experiences of two teenage cousins, Jessie, a 16-year-old virgin, and Maya, a troubled runaway with a violent past, who both fall in love with Jacob, a popular football player. With this forbidden love triangle, Maya, Jessie, and Jacob, along with their close friends, face true-to-life decisions throughout a turbulent year. Some of the issues the show dealt with in the first season included losing one's virginity, risky sexual behaviour, and unplanned pregnancies.

The second season brought back some of the most popular cast members from the debut season including Ceci, who became a young mother in the end of season one. She returns to coach the Bomb Squad, the school's dance team she once co-directed, and struggles to take the unruly team to state championships, while also raising her child and dealing with a boyfriend who turns out to be more than meets the eye. Season two also continues to explore unexpected love triangles between the new characters, and it deals with issues such as domestic violence, bisexuality and coming out in high school, as well as advocacy and sexual and reproductive health issues.

In the third season, Camila finally confronts a dark secret from her past. But in trying to keep her sister Gina and boyfriend Nic from harm, Camila risks losing her own life and her one true love. Meanwhile, Ceci invites boys to join the Bomb Squad, and the sexy new team dances takes on some stiff competition.

In the fourth season, "the seniors get ready for graduation and, when school is out for the summer, the Bomb Squad heads off to dance camp with sexy new teammates who tempt Gina and Eddie's relationship, on and off the dance floor. Camila and Jesus rekindle their love affair and must fight the odds against them as they attempt to live a crime-free life. And when Jacob misbehaves, hearts are broken and the family business is threatened in more ways than one. This season, wedding bells ring while danger lurks in the streets of East LA and the students must rise to action for what they believe in. Someone will need to risk it all to fight for their future and for true love - making this an unforgettable summer."

One storyline in the fourth season features a call for young Latinos to participate politically. Two of the show's characters encourage Eddie to become a volunteer with Voto Latino, a civic media organisation whose mission is to "engage, educate and empower Latinos to be agents of change". Jocelyn tells Eddie it's important for him to get involved "especially in this election with politicians saying hateful things about us." Sofia adds: "If we don't speak up, they win, and we stand to lose big time." Jocelyn and Sofia also stress that even if he can't vote, Eddie can get others to register and vote.

More than 15 public health organisations, including Advocates for Youth, The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, United We Dream, Voto Latino, and California Latinas for Reproductive Justice, advised on the scripts and content to address the issues in a meaningful way. Wise Entertainment also partners with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as The Ford Foundation and The California Endowment.

The show incorporates the transmedia technique, which uses multiple platforms - from web browsers to Smartphone apps and social media - in an effort to provide an engaging experience. Some of the transmedia elements the show has incorporated include extended scenes, video blogs by characters, and a fictional school newspaper that publishes articles and interviews related to the show. If you seek more information or wish to watch the show, visit the East Los High website or East Los High on Hulu, follow @eastloshighshow on Twitter, follow @eastloshigh on Instagram, and/or visit its Facebook page.

Hulu licensed the finished 24-episode first season and made it available on Hulu, Hulu Latino (which consists primarily of Spanish-language content), and Hulu Plus (which requires a membership) in June 2013. The second season aired in July 2014, the third season aired in July 2015, and the fourth season began airing on July 15 2016.

Youth.

University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)'s Arvind Singhal, Ph.D. partnered with Helen Wang, Ph.D., an assistant professor of communication at University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, to lead an evaluation of "East Los High". Their research included data tracking of visitors to the show's website, viewer surveys, an experiment on storytelling format, a social media content and network analysis, and interviews with fans. "People from all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia visited the show's website with high proportions of visitors located in states with the highest Hispanic and Latino populations. Visitors from an additional 163 countries also reached the site. Most viewers of the show went on to experience the rest of its transmedia content of blogs, extended scenes and websites of partner organizations advocating for safe sex and pregnancy prevention. Finally, respondents gave the show very high ratings in terms of storyline appeal and the enjoyment of both the drama and transmedia extensions, while also indicating they wanted more programs like it."

Wang and Singhal have recently published their findings in the American Journal of Public Health; see Related Summaries, below.