I get a lot of "frequently asked questions" about Spanish culture from curious friends and family back home. I've written about some before. Like what kind of music do the Spanish listen to? Or what's the weather like? Here's another one to answer:
What is Spanish television like?
So here is a quick, very general overview of Spanish television.
The Spanish certainly watch a lot of American shows. The Simpsons. Friends. Gossip Girl. Sex and the City. Desperate Housewives. Family Guy. One of these shows is bound to be playing on a Spanish channel as I type. But all of them on regular television, all of them (all of them) on public television are dubbed. It's just not the same when Stewie sounds like this...
And then there is always something about football (soccer) on television. Whether it's a news recap, sports interview, or an actual match, there's always the steady sound of a football commentator somewhere to be found on a channel. Especially popular football games are between Royal Madrid and Barcelona, like this one...
And then I often watch the news, which I find interesting not just because of the content but also because of the presentation. Female news broadcasters are a lot flashier in Spain...
Telenovelas, soap operas, are popular, although they are typically Latin American. I tend to see this Mexican telenovela, Soy Tu Dueña, on a lot during the day...
And then the Spanish also have a lot of reality and game shows. This one, El Hormiguero, is one of my personal favorites. It's like a comedy talk show meets Myth Busters. Whether it's trying out a television trick noose or impressing Tom Cruise with a bunch of flying popsicle sticks (like in the clip below), the presenter is always involved in some kind of scientific experiment...
My current favorite Spanish show is one that seems not be that popular--none of my friends have even heard of it. But it's a comedy show that has been running on La Sexta for several seasons. Recently everyday I've been watching Qué Vida Más Triste (what a sad life) a tope. The show is a video blog of Borja, your typical thirty-something "loser" who lives at home with his parents, and his friend Joseba in the small pueblo of Basauri. In every episode Borja is either scheming and getting himself into trouble, or the show satirizes social trends. Like in this episode below Borja finds his life starts to parallel Facebook...
(I'm obsessed with watching this program. I claim that it helps my listening skills and is therefore helping me prepare for the Spanish Praxis exam. But I doubt ¡Flipa flipa! will appear on my test.)
So like I said, this is just a brief summary of Spanish television. I've barely scratched the surface. So you other guiris out there, what kind of television shows do you enjoy watching on the tele? Did I leave any major ones out?
My advice to a guiri: Check out Qué Vida Más Triste. It'll help you improve your colloquial speaking skills if anything.
What is Spanish television like?
So here is a quick, very general overview of Spanish television.
The Spanish certainly watch a lot of American shows. The Simpsons. Friends. Gossip Girl. Sex and the City. Desperate Housewives. Family Guy. One of these shows is bound to be playing on a Spanish channel as I type. But all of them on regular television, all of them (all of them) on public television are dubbed. It's just not the same when Stewie sounds like this...
And then there is always something about football (soccer) on television. Whether it's a news recap, sports interview, or an actual match, there's always the steady sound of a football commentator somewhere to be found on a channel. Especially popular football games are between Royal Madrid and Barcelona, like this one...
And then I often watch the news, which I find interesting not just because of the content but also because of the presentation. Female news broadcasters are a lot flashier in Spain...
Telenovelas, soap operas, are popular, although they are typically Latin American. I tend to see this Mexican telenovela, Soy Tu Dueña, on a lot during the day...
And then the Spanish also have a lot of reality and game shows. This one, El Hormiguero, is one of my personal favorites. It's like a comedy talk show meets Myth Busters. Whether it's trying out a television trick noose or impressing Tom Cruise with a bunch of flying popsicle sticks (like in the clip below), the presenter is always involved in some kind of scientific experiment...
My current favorite Spanish show is one that seems not be that popular--none of my friends have even heard of it. But it's a comedy show that has been running on La Sexta for several seasons. Recently everyday I've been watching Qué Vida Más Triste (what a sad life) a tope. The show is a video blog of Borja, your typical thirty-something "loser" who lives at home with his parents, and his friend Joseba in the small pueblo of Basauri. In every episode Borja is either scheming and getting himself into trouble, or the show satirizes social trends. Like in this episode below Borja finds his life starts to parallel Facebook...
(I'm obsessed with watching this program. I claim that it helps my listening skills and is therefore helping me prepare for the Spanish Praxis exam. But I doubt ¡Flipa flipa! will appear on my test.)
So like I said, this is just a brief summary of Spanish television. I've barely scratched the surface. So you other guiris out there, what kind of television shows do you enjoy watching on the tele? Did I leave any major ones out?
My advice to a guiri: Check out Qué Vida Más Triste. It'll help you improve your colloquial speaking skills if anything.
2 comments:
What about the major category of minor celebrities "discussing" the lives of other minor celebrities for hours on end, and when I say "discussing" I mean all shouting at each other simultaneously and incessantly in a way that makes me want to rip my ears off? You can't leave that out! :)
You're right! How could I forget that one? But what is that type of television program called? Or do you know the name of a specific show?
Post a Comment