Los Serrano

Los Serrano is a drama comedy but not an ordinary one. I usually don't watch TV series like these and the spark that I got to start watching was purely out of nostalgia as I watched the series as a kid on summer vacations.

The story itself begins with Diego and his three sons moving together with Diego's new wife, Lucia and her two daughters. There are plenty of other interesting characters through the seasons who are all connected somehow to the family of Serrano-Capdevila (Diego and Lucia). The series contain love stories, funny accidents and complete misunderstandings that the episodes are build up for. This can sound basic for a TV series but for me, it is the acting that makes up the show.

The plot twists are not predictable, the sub stories can last for several episodes and the constant action keeps you keen on to the show. The acting is very convincing whether it's related to comedy or tragedy or anything in between. The episodes last approximately 75 minutes and there are 147 of them so there's much to watch. Maybe a bit too much though.

Would recommend to watch if you have a plenty of time.

Ps. Shoutout to Antonio Resines as he made the series worth watching, what an actor. I've a collection of his meltdowns to have a laugh every now and then.

This is not only the best new series of the year in Spain, it's also one of the best sitcoms of the last 5 years. The cast is superb, not only well chosen, but acts remarkably well (specially Belén Rueda, who keeps raising and raising as an actress).

One of the best things I can say about this series is that it truly has a universal humor in most of its contents, and I really mean it: A Chinese student living at my home loves the show even when she doesn't get all they're saying. A proof that the acting is very good and the funny things are a combination of spoken and visual jokes.

I definitely recommend it.

While it may be true that Los Serrano may not have the best writing of a sitcom ever, it contains some enigmatic element that makes it strangely addictive. The situations may be far-fetched and romances may be overplayed, but after one or two episodes, the viewer finds himself wanting to come back weekly, even for reruns of overplayed episodes.

At this point I'm torn as to whether Los Serrano should hurry up to get off the air before it gets much worse (this fourth season has been a downer in many ways) or to continue to feed my addiction. In any case, buy/rent the DVDs and watch the old ones even if it does go off the air.

I usually don't like telenovelas and soap operas. Still, I accidentally bumped into this one and, to my surprise, I was extremely pleased with it, as it had two major qualities: excellent humor (the kind that you don't get from soaps, telenovelas and this kind of series) and very well played. Previously there have been some attempts to make a telenovela that features real humor, like "Betty la fea" for example, who partially succeeded, and managed to mix telenovela-style acting (which "we", those who don't like that kind of shows, say it's overacting) with really funny situations, characters and gags; still, it wasn't really THAT funny. But I recommend the "Los Serrano" series even to the viewers who don't usually watch telenovelas and generally soaps; they'll love it and may see it as the equivalent of a good family sitcom. The humor is also unexpectedly sexual for a telenovela, but it manages not to be crude or heavy, mostly in the line of questions that kids innocently ask their parents about sex.

"Los Serrano" has been broadcast for the last two years to a great success among people of all ages. The secret of its success lies partly on the wisdom of writers, who have successfully aimed viewers from all ages as their targets. Thus, the Serrano family portrays the daily lives of a Brady Bunch-like family with a widower and a divorcée marrying and creating a new family with each one's children.

Antonio Resines, one of our finest comic actors, plays the father, while Belén Rueda is as effective as ever as the mother. The eldest of their children (Fran Perea from one side, and Verónica Sánchez from the other) have at some points been the center of the series with their unsolved sexual chemistry, but perhaps writers should focus on other characters too.

As it usually happens with Spanish TV series, the supporting cast excels the main one in many instances. A special mention should be made to Jesus Bonilla's uncle Santiago, and Antonio Molero's family friend, Fiti. Among the youngest actors, Alejo Sauras and Alexandra Jiménez are a lovely pair of goofy sidekicks to Fran Perea and Verónica Sánchez.

Maybe it's not the best comedy ever made, but it's extremely watchable and the whole family can have fun with it. I hope we will be seeing a lot of "Los Serrano" in the years to come.