“I didn’t know a show like this was even possible, because it didn’t exist before,” says actress Mishel Prada, who stars as Emma, the older of two Mexican-American sisters, in the spectacular new series Vida, premiering this month on Starz. Created by playwright and TV writer Tanya Saracho, the drama centers on a pair of estranged sisters who must come together after their mother’s death. They return home to East L.A.’s Boyle Heights, where the series is filmed, confronting the gentrification of their neighborhood along with secrets from their past. “Seeing the diversity in the storytelling is inspiring,” says Prada.

Inspiring, too, is how the show doubles down on female empowerment. Melissa Barrera, who plays younger sister Lyn, calls her character “very into her sexuality, which is refreshing.” Plus, almost all of the series’ directors are women, which Barrera says was “amazing. It allowed us to be even more raw.”