Aída

"Aída" was originally a spin-off series based on Aída, one of the characters in the coral sitcom "7 vidas". I love both, but I now think "Aída" is slightly superior to its predecessor. It is a very well-measured mix of pure comedy that provides good laughs, and dramatic situations. In fact, the trademark of "Aída", as was, to some extent, of "7 vidas", is that it makes comedy out of situations and characters that would have usually been good material for melodrama: meet Aída, a middle-low class house cleaner, ex-alcoholic and mother to two unruly teenagers -the boy, Jonathan, has already been to a reformatory and has his own minor criminal record-, abandoned by her husband, living with her mother, whose only life aim is to eat and have her daughter work for her and maintain her; and with Luisma, her younger brother, a recovered drug-addict who has never had a serious job and is not planning to get one. This universe is also populated by the young prostitute Paz, Aída's best friend; the bartender Mauricio, an example of the stereotypical Spanish macho; and Chema, who owns the grocery shop (his son, the young and misunderstood genius Fidel, is one of the funniest characters in the show). Sounds dramatic and not funny at all, yet that's exactly where the charm and the talent of this comedy lies: it makes fun of the ugly side of life, with smart jokes and non-clichéd characters, who live situations we can all relate to. It's extremely funny and it compiles some of the most deep-rooted stereotypes of the Spanish urban culture and mentality. This is definitely a must-see for all lovers of Spanish sit-com.