Jane the Virgin is an American romantic comedy-drama and satirical telenovela developed by Jennie Snyder Urman. The series premiered October 13, 2014, on The CW and concluded on July 31, 2019. It is a loose adaptation of the Venezuelan telenovela Juana la virgen created by Perla Farías. It stars Gina Rodriguez as Jane Gloriana Villanueva, a devout 23-year-old Latina virgin who becomes pregnant after an accidental artificial insemination by her gynecologist. It parodies common tropes and devices in Latin American telenovelas.
Jane the Virgin received critical acclaim, particularly for its writing and Rodriguez's performance. At the 72nd Golden Globe Awards, Jane the Virgin was nominated for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy and Gina Rodriguez won Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy. The show received a Peabody Award in 2014 and was also selected as one of the top 10 television programs of 2014 by the American Film Institute.
Beginning with the fourth episode of season three, the series's on-screen title card was modified, with "The Virgin" crossed out in favor of a comedic substitution corresponding to each episode. This mirrored the storyline, in which Jane is no longer a virgin."'Jane the Virgin': See the CW Comedy's Updated Title" from The Hollywood Reporter (November 2, 2016)
Premise Set in Miami, the series details the surprising and dramatic events that take place in the life of Jane Gloriana Villanueva, a hard-working, vaguely religious, young, Venezuelan-American woman with a love for writing and telenovelas. Jane's vow to her grandmother to save her virginity until marriage is complicated when a doctor mistakenly artificially inseminates her during a checkup. To make matters worse, the biological father, Rafael, is a married man, a former playboy, and a cancer survivor who is both the new owner of the hotel where Jane works and her former teenage crush. Jane's predicament is made more awkward as her mistaken insemination used Rafael's final frozen sample and is the last chance for Rafael to become a father.
In addition to adjusting to pregnancy and then her motherhood, Jane is faced with many questions about her professional career future and the daunting prospect of choosing between the father of her baby or her detective boyfriend, whom she had been with for two years before the events of the series. As the series evolves, the issues shift as her child grows into a toddler, her writing career moves forward, and her family members likewise develop independent plotlines. Some of these plotlines include issues with immigration status, health concerns, and lessons of self-discovery.
Cast and characters
Main
Gina Rodriguez as Jane Gloriana Villanueva, a 23-year-old, religious Latina virgin who becomes pregnant after being artificially inseminated by mistake. At the time she was dating Michael Cordero, a Miami police officer. She was inseminated with the last sample (that we know of) of a local hotelier, Rafael Solano, a cancer survivor. His wife, Petra, wanted to surprise Rafael with the insemination. Jane learns she is pregnant after she faints on the bus. Michael is not interested in raising another man's child. It turns out that Rafael owns the hotel where Jane is a waitress. After meeting Rafael and hearing his situation, she agrees to carry the baby full term and turn over custody to him and his wife Petra, but only if she is sure her baby will be safe and loved with them. Jane breaks off the engagement with Michael due to him keeping secrets from her regarding the Solanos. As the pregnancy proceeds, Rafael and Jane start to have feelings for each other, but the relationship doesn't last very long. Jane ends up having a baby boy named Mateo Gloriano Rogelio Solano Villanueva. She marries Michael Cordero in the season 2 finale. Midway through season 3, she becomes widowed when Michael dies from complications associated with his previous gunshot wound. She spends the next three years mourning him and trying to revive her life while raising Mateo with Rafael, who she has built a great co-parenting relationship with and who has also become her best friend. After searching for a letter which Michael wrote to her, Adam, her ex-boyfriend comes back into her life, but he soon leaves for a job offer. Meanwhile, she finds her feelings resurfacing for Rafael, and after they reunite in season 4, she marries him at the end of season 5. Jenna Ortega as Young Jane, at age 10, is the most frequent (21 chapters as of season 3) of the four younger "Janes" seen in flashbacks. Andrea Navedo as Xiomara "Xo" Gloriana Villanueva, Jane's outgoing mother. She was only sixteen years old when she had Jane, which is why Jane would rather keep her virginity until marriage than make the same mistake her mother did. She is a dance teacher, but dreams of having a singing career. She marries Jane's father in the season 3 finale. At the end of season 4, she is diagnosed with breast cancer. She survives this, moves with Rogelio to New York for his TV-show, while she enrolls in a nursing school. Catherine Toribio plays a younger Xiomara during some flashback sequences. Yael Grobglas as Petra Solano (née Anděl, later Dvořáček), born as Natalia, is Rafael's scheming and cheating wife. Rafael later divorces her and in season 2, she inseminates herself with Rafael's sperm and gives birth to their twin daughters, Anna and Elsa, called Ellie because Petra hates the Frozen references. She later is charged with killing her twin sister, Anezka, but falls in love with her lawyer Jane Ramos (J.R.). Justin Baldoni as Rafael Solano, the 31-year-old owner of the Marbella Hotel and the biological father of Jane's child, who has fallen out of love with his wife. As the series progresses, he develops growing feelings for Jane, and divorces Petra after discovering her affair. In season 2, he has two daughters with Petra and, in season three, briefly goes to jail. In season four, he and Jane grow closer and it is thought he would propose. In season 5, Jane and Rafael get married. Ivonne Coll as Alba Gloriana Villanueva, Jane's pious maternal grandmother. She is highly religious, and encourages Jane to save her virginity until marriage. While she is able to speak English, she only speaks Spanish with her family, even when they address her in English. She was in the country illegally until she got her green card in season 2. In season 4, she becomes a citizen of United States. She falls in love with her boss Jorge. Jorge proposes to Alba, but she denies it. Soon she realizes that that was a mistake but Jorge had moved on. At the end of season 4, Alba and Jorge marry to help him meet his mother, who lives out of the country. Brett Dier as Michael Cordero Jr. (seasons 1–3, 5; guest season 4), Jane's 29-year-old husband who is a police detective. He is aware of Petra's affair, and blackmails her to ensure that her marriage remains intact, so that Jane will give the baby to them, but he later decides to support Jane's decision to keep the baby. He also dislikes Rafael due to Jane's, and eventually Rafael's, attraction to one another. He is the head detective in the hunt for Sin Rostro, a high-profile drug dealer who seems to be based in the Marbella Hotel; however, he gets shot while searching for Sin Rostro, and he later quits to become a lawyer. Jane and Michael marry in the season 2 finale. He apparently dies midway through season 3 from an aortic dissection caused by a gunshot. It is revealed in the season 4 finale that Michael is still alive, however, and the season 5 premiere explains that Michael's death was staged by Rose. Michael now suffers from amnesia caused by Rose shocking parts of his brain, and now identifies as "Jason" due to severe memory loss. Michael finally gets his memories back but has changed due to being Jason for a few years. Michael and Jane try to discover if there is still anything between them. Unfortunately, too much time has passed, and Michael and Jane part ways. Michael marries his neighbor and they have a baby together. Jaime Camil as Rogelio de la Vega, a self-involved, famous telenovela star and Jane's biological father. He is currently trying to gain a relationship with his newly discovered daughter. He also has feelings for Xiomara, who was his girlfriend in high school. He marries Xiomara in the season 3 finale. He desperately wants a child and has one with Darci Factor. They later have the child and named it Baby Michaelina de la Vega Factor. Elias Janssen as Mateo Gloriano Rogelio Solano Villanueva (seasons 4–5), Jane and Rafael's baby. Named after Jane's grandfather and Alba's husband, who died before Jane was born. Aria Rose Garcia as toddler Mateo Gloriano Rogelio Solano Villanueva. Joseph Sanders played the role in the third season. Anthony Mendez voiced the Latin Lover Narrator, who was revealed, in the series finale, to be adult Mateo (Jane and Rafael's son) as a voiceover actor narrating a telenovela. Though used in third-person omniscient, the narration featured both metanarration and metafiction.
Recurring Yara Martinez as Dr. Luisa Alver, Rafael's lesbian, neurotic, recovering alcoholic older sister, and the doctor who accidentally artificially inseminated Jane. She later has a relationship with her step mother, Sin Rostro/Rose. Bridget Regan as Rose, a former lawyer, former girlfriend of Luisa, and eventually stepmother of Luisa and Rafael who defends Luisa against the malpractice suit. She is later revealed to be the crime lord Sin Rostro, and is arrested in season three but dies in season 5. Megan Ketch as Susanna Barnett (season 2), Michael's partner who was in fact Rose in disguise. After being discovered, she shot Michael in the chest. Before this she has a relationship with Luisa, but Luisa was unaware that she was actually Rose. Elisabeth Röhm as Eileen (season 3), the second woman whose identity Rose steals for the next three years. In the meantime, the real Eileen murdered Scott. Mia and Ella Allan as Anna and Ellie Solano (seasons 3–5), Petra and Rafael's twin daughters as a result of Petra's artificial insemination. Carlo Rota as Emilio Solano (season 1), Luisa's biological father and Rafael's adopted father. He is murdered by his wife, Rose. Michael Rady as Lachlan Moore (seasons 1–2), Rafael's rival and Petra's former fiancé. Diane Guerrero as Lina Santillan, Jane's life-long best friend and co-worker. Carmen Carrera as Eva, Jane's co-worker (season 1). Azie Tesfai as Detective Nadine Hansan (seasons 1–2), a police detective and rival, partner, and brief lover to Michael. She was killed taking a bullet that was meant for Michael, after she was revealed to be working with Sin Rostro. Priscilla Barnes as Magda Anděl, Petra and Anezka's mother. She uses a wheelchair (but only pretends to be paraplegic) and she is Petra's co-conspirator in her plot to steal Rafael's hotel and wealth. While imprisoned, she was still working against Petra from inside with Anezka; she is now out.