Spanish TV shows that aren't dramas?

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Spanish TV shows that aren't dramas?

Postby kimchizzle » Thu Aug 13, 2015 10:29 pm

Hey guys, I was just wondering if there was any Spanish TV series who are not telenovela style soap opera dramas?
I have a hard time getting into telenovelas, just not my style.

I really enjoy comedy TV series, but I don't know of any such series from Spanish speaking countries that are easy to find on the internet.

Spanish speaking TV comedies with Spanish subtitles would be even better. :)
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Re: Spanish TV shows that aren't dramas?

Postby getreallanguage » Thu Aug 13, 2015 10:38 pm

El chavo del ocho
El chapulín colorado

(Mexico - available on netflix, spanish subtitles available - the first one is a formulaic sitcom, the second more of a sketch comedy show)

Casados con hijos

(Argentina - remake of Married with children)

Los simuladores

(Argentinian original, there's also a Mexican remake - tongue in cheek twist on a mystery/detective show)

There's also, of course, the dubbed version of the Simpsons.
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Re: Spanish TV shows that aren't dramas?

Postby Cavesa » Thu Aug 13, 2015 10:54 pm

There are tons of awesome things on rtve.es, without region restrictions. What I've tried so far:
Isabel:historical fiction based on the most famous royal couple in history of Spain. Awesome, great characters, story, so accurate wikipedia is full of spoilers.
El Ministerio del Tiempo: do you by chance like Doctor Who? This one has got some similar features and it's great. And there is a lot of humour included.
Cuentame como pasó: lives of a normal spanish family from 1968 on. Very popular, tons of humour, very interesting
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Re: Spanish TV shows that aren't dramas?

Postby Polyclod » Thu Aug 13, 2015 11:02 pm

I'm going to second the recomendation for El chavo del 8. It's probably one of the most iconic comedy shows in the history of Spanish language television, I think it's been broadcast in every Spanish-speaking country except Cuba, and it was even a hit in Brazil (obviously dubbed into Brazilian Portuguese). Chespirito's impact on Mexican culture can't be overstated. Not only is the show funny, but there's so much play on words that it's great mind-bending language practice. From Fue sin querer queriendo to Siento como si sintiera que no estuviera sintiendo nada (ALL OF THAT SUBJUNCTIVE), you actually get to have fun and play with the language. In short, watch it.

Not originally Spanish, but there's South Park available on Hulu Latino. It's kind of satisfying to hear Cartman say *¡Idos a la mierda, yo me marcho!*
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Re: Spanish TV shows that aren't dramas?

Postby Spoonary » Thu Aug 13, 2015 11:14 pm

If it's comedy you're looking for, I have to recommend Aquí no hay quien viva. It can be easily found on Youtube but I won't post any links for legal purposes. It is a sitcom set in a block of flats in Madrid.
La Que Se Avecina is a very similar series with the same premise and many of the same actors, although it's a bit more up to date and much longer (I think it is still running actually). It can be watched completely legally on mitele.es (which is where the above title links to) where I am sure you will find more of the same kind of thing.

I don't know if subtitles are available anywhere for either of those series. I battled through ANHQV without them and understood almost everything by the end of the final season so... ¡Suerte!

Edit: I just remembered that while I was in Spain I also enjoyed watching Con el culo al aire. I'm not sure if it's available anywhere online but it's one to watch out for.
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Re: Spanish TV shows that aren't dramas?

Postby sillygoose1 » Thu Aug 13, 2015 11:58 pm

Con el culo al aire
Los hombres de Paco
Fenomenos
Aida
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Re: Spanish TV shows that aren't dramas?

Postby kimchizzle » Fri Aug 14, 2015 4:03 am

Thanks everyone! I will have lots of options to fill my time learning!
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Re: Spanish TV shows that aren't dramas?

Postby kanewai » Fri Aug 14, 2015 4:09 am

Club de Cuervos is a new dramatic comedy series on Netflix that has been getting some good (and some bad) reviews.



Gran Hotel is another one to check out. A man goes undercover at an exclusive hotel to investigate the disappearance of his sister.



(there are subtitles on Netflix)

And Carlos is a mini-series out of France that is in Spanish, Arabic, German, and many other languages. It's pure drama, but amazingly well researched.




Drama Fever (subscription) has a pretty good Latin section. There are a lot of melodramas and crime shows, but there are some comedies sprinkled in there. Two highlights are Isabel (already mentioned) ...



... and Red Eagle, about a school teacher / ninja (seriously) in medieval Spain.



These are all dramas, but they're all more fun than the never-ending telenovelas.
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Re: Spanish TV shows that aren't dramas?

Postby kanewai » Fri Aug 14, 2015 4:25 am

ok, I should read have the title of your post more closely. I went with "shows that aren't telenovelas" rather than "shows that aren't dramas."
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Re: Spanish TV shows that aren't dramas?

Postby astromule » Fri Aug 14, 2015 6:20 am

EDIT: agrego Campanella.

Hola. Te hablo como hablante nativo de Argentina, por lo que no sé cuán difíciles sean de entender estas series, pero te puedo recomendar:

-Los simuladores (comedy/adventure).
-Hermanos y detectives (del mismo director de Los simuladores).
-Tiempo Final: es un unitario de suspenso/terror, de calidad variable.
-El garante: suspense/fantasy.
-La condena de Gabriel Doyle: suspense/fantasy.

Me olvidé de mencionar a Juan José Campanella (ganador del Oscar por El secreto de sus ojos), www.imdb.com/name/nm0002728/?ref_=nv_sr_1 y su miniserie "Vientos de agua", que une dos grandes olas migratorias de la Argentina, a comienzos del siglo XX y a fines de siglo, luego de la crisis del 2001.


Básicamente en Argentina hay tres directores buenos: Damián Szifrón, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1167933/?ref_=nv_sr_1, Sebastián Borensztein, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0096375/?ref_=tt_ov_dr y Fabián Bielinsky, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0081433/?ref_=tt_ov_dr, now deceaced.
Last edited by astromule on Fri Aug 14, 2015 11:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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