La famille Serrano

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.

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.

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.

I watch Los Serrano more or less regularly and I think it is a very good series. It might be true that it's becoming like most series, with lots of love triangles and such, but there is always something interesting every week. That's why I keep watching it. It is very funny how Diego, Fiti and Santiago get themselves worked up over nothing and it always ends up in difficult situations. I like the way the kids get into all kind of trouble. In conclusion, as long as you can understand Spanish pretty well, Los Serrano is a good series you are sure to enjoy. At least I do, and I don't know very many people who don't. If you like Los Serrano, other series I recommend are: - Aqui no hay quien viva. - Aida. - 7 vidas. And a personal favorite, which doesn't have very much to do with Los Serrano: - Hospital Central.

After enjoying four seasons I can tell that this is one of the best series ever, though the writers has been slacking of as of recent. The best feature is the use of the language the way it's supposed to be, uncensored. Television rules are different in European countries. If you are a Spanish speaking person you'd have a blast watching this series. The elder actors and actresses are veteran Spanish talents. Closed caption is not available until the third season. Season six finished up, however the first half of season five just became available on DVD in Spain.

By the way, the DVD version of this series is only playable on PAL video. During the first seasons on DVD you could see behind the scenes, bloopers, etc. Seasons three and four only contains the main episodes.