Camera café

When this show began to be announced, I thought the idea wasn't bad at all, but that for it to work, the sketches would need to be consistently witty and funny, or else the novelty would soon wear off. What surprises me and leaves me scratching my head is that the expected wittiness is patently lacking, and yet the show is an astounding ratings success in Spain.

It's true that it has some very talented comic actors in its cast: Luis Varela, who was recently nominated to a Goya award for "Crimen Ferpecto", is a stalwart of Spanish comedy; César Sarachu's hilarious video sketches have been doing the rounds on the internet for years; Carlos Chamarro's TV adverts for a travel agency years ago made him popular overnight... But the team behind the camera, led by La Cuadrilla (last seen ruining celluloid with the execrable "Atilano Presidente"), are in my opinion rarely able to produce anything remotely funny. The dialog usually sounds artificial and stilted, and the stories are often too stupid and infantile to appeal to me. However, I seem to speak for a minority, for apparently most people in Spain will tell you they love it and watch it religiously. There's no accounting for taste, I suppose.