Menudo was the largest Latin music boy band ever, they were the young kings of the 80’s With flashy outfits, flashy hair, on beat dance moves and voices that made the young girls cry.

the band achieved global fame thanks to their devoted following of teenage girls. Sold out arenas, topping the charts, magazine cover after cover, and even receiving their own TV movie, it seemed like things were only going up for the band, but behind it all, a predator was preying on the young men.

It’s this dark story that HBO Max’s Original documentary series, Menudo: Forever Young, hopes to bring to the light. Debuting all at once on HBO Max on June 23, the four-part documentary was created by Angel Manuel Soto and Kristofer Rios.

Menudo was formed in 1977, the original lineup of Menudo consisted of a trio of brothers named Carlos, Óscar, and Ricky Meléndez, as well as brothers, Nefty and Fernando Sallaberry. The band Constantly changed members, which would become a joke surrounding the group in later years, the band’s best moments consisted of Johnny Lozada, René Farrait, Miguel Cancel, Xavier Serbiá, Charlie Masso, Ray Reyes, and Ricky Meléndez. Over their time as a unit, other notable performers such as  Draco Rosa and  Ricky Martin  would get their start in the dynamite pop group.

Unfortunately, things began to fizzle out for the band in the early 90s when questions surrounding their manager, Edgardo Diaz began to surface. Members of the band and those closest to them stepped forward to allege sexual misconduct between the manager and the artist.

WHY MENUDO MATTERED

In the documentary, Soto and Rios hope to give the victims their time to share what was actually going on when the stage lights went out, through interviews past and present. Soto is a big fan of Menudo and what they meant to the Puerto Rican community, Soto is the perfect person to co-helm the production. In a statement released with the film’s HBO Max and Tribeca festival premiere date announcements, the filmmaker said;

“The Puerto Rican diaspora in New York played a critical role in the success of Menudo and its crossover in the US, shutting down traffic for blocks surrounding the band’s hotel and selling out Madison Square Garden on multiple occasions. We couldn’t be more excited to premiere this series in their backyard at Tribeca and honor their contribution to the band’s legacy.”