Life After College: Spanish Television and Why I Love It

Spain may not be known for having a bustling entertainment business, but there is just something about Spanish television that I love. There are both national channels, that are broadcast all over Spain and regulated by the government, as well as channels specific to the different communities in Spain that are regulated by (and broadcast in) that community.

The biggest difference I have seen from American television, is that there are not (usually) hundreds of channels that end up being unused. The most popular channels in Spain are Telecinco, La 1, Antena 3, Cuatro, and La Sexta. My boyfriend would always tell me that channels one through six are the most important, and at his house you can always guarantee that when you turn on the TV one of those channels will be on.

As for the programs themselves, most of the young Spanish people I know watch mainly American scripted series: House, Family Guy, Bones, Simpsons, How I Met Your Mother, Game of Thrones, etc. Spain does have many great drama and comedy series but I personally have not found a Spanish comedy show that I'm a huge fan of (yet). The Spanish shows the majority of my friends do watch are usually game shows, travel series, news programs, and dramas.

Pulseras Rojas, source

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I love the lack of reality television in Spanish broadcasting and love how it is a shared family activity. It's something that is watched all together at the end of the day and on the weekends. On Sundays when my boyfriend's grandfather came for lunch we would all always watch the movies aired in the afternoon. It's also an added bonus that watching TV in Spanish is a great way to practice the language and learn about Spanish culture. A lot of these series can be watched en directo (live) or with old episodes on the channels' respective websites. I try to keep up with as many as possible! Here are some of the Spanish series that are my favorite to watch:

Games Shows:

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My three favorite game shows are Pasapalabra, Atrapa un Millón, and Ahora Caigo. Pasapalabra is a game with two contestants that are helped by Spanish celebrities. They spend most of the show competing in various word style games to earn more time for the final challenge, where they are given a definition and must give the word being defined. To win they have to successfully name all 25 words (they don't use all of the words in the Spanish alphabet) correctly in the time available. This show is probably the most difficult for me to follow as the games are very challenging, especially the final challenge.

Atrapa un Millón is my favorite of these three game shows. The contestants work together to get through the different levels and each level they must choose between two categories. Before they know the question they will be asked (it somehow relates to the category, but not always how you would think) they are given multiple answers. Once the questions is given they must place their money on which answer they think is right (it's possible to split among several answers). If it's wrong they lose their money on the wrong answer, but if right they keep it and move up the levels. It may sound confusing but watch for yourself, but it's a great show!

Atrapa un millón, source

Ahora Caigo, source

Another game show I enjoy is Ahora Caigo. It's a fun show to watch as contestants that answer incorrectly are literally dropped from the trapdoor where they are standing! The main contestant stands in the middle while the rest circle him/her. The center contestant then chooses one of the others to compete against. They go back and forth having to answer a question correctly in a certain time period. The main contestant has three 'lives' but if any of the other contestants gets the answer wrong, they are dropped through the trapdoor and the center contestant gets the money that dropped contestant had.

Dramas:

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Pulseras Rojas (Polseres Vermelles) is a Catalan drama about a group of children and teenagers who befriend each other as patients in the children's ward of a hospital. The show deals with many issues including friendship, the children coming to terms with why they're hospitalized, and the dynamics of the group they form; the pulseras rojas, or red bands they wear as patients. It's a very moving show, dealing with the different reasons why the children are in the hospital (childhood cancer, anorexia, severe accidents, etc.) and how these children seek to thrive and overcome the adversity they're faced with. And if you don't know Spanish (or Catalan, the show's original langauge) there are currently plans for the show to have an American remake, adapted by Steven Spielberg.

Gran Hotel, source

Gran Hotel could most closely be described as the Spanish version of Downton Abbey. It takes place at a hotel at the turn of the century and details the lives of those that own, work at, live in, and visit the Grand Hotel. The series has all the drama and intrigue of Downton Abbey, and will keep you guessing on what twist will come next. Also, Gran Hotel is largely filmed at the beautiful Palacio de la Magdalena in Santander so it's a double win for me because I adore the palace and accompanying park.

Travel:

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Callejeros Viajeros is a travel show where the hosts travel to different countries to learn about the experience of living in the visited area through the eyes of both Spanish expatriates and the country's natives. It gives a very interesting look into the different aspects of living in each country and city they visit. While I do enjoy watching the ones of new places I have yet to travel, I particularly enjoy watching the episodes about places I've been to or places I know a lot about to see what they make of it and if I'm able to understand.

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The show Españoles en el Mundo, is about the places Spaniards are living throughout the world. They visit the different countries and cities to look at the lives and cultural experiences of these expatriates as they live abroad. The shows often end with the same question, when will they return to Spain? As someone trying to move to Spain, it's interesting to see Spaniards that have left their native country to start life somewhere new too.

Guilty Pleasure:

Where the previously mentioned shows generally have intelligent conversation, correct Spanish, and can offer some kind of educational benefit, my favorite guilty pleasure to watch is the Spanish dating show Mujeres y Hombres y Viceversa. My friends judge me all the time for watching this 'trashy' tv, but I can't help it; it makes me laugh! In this dating show there are two sessions, one where there are two male tronistas and the other where there two females. Tronistas are the protagonists of the show, the people 'looking for love' from their pretendientes (or contestants who enter to try and date them). It's full of drama, scandal, and often out-right ridiculous contestants. Mujeres y Hombres y Viceversa may not be award-winning television, but it sure is entertaining.