Aída

Aída is a Spanish comedy sitcom that aired in Telecinco from January 16, 2005 to June 8, 2014. Set in Madrid, a spin off from another sitcom called 7 Vidas. The show was broadcast from January 16, 2005 to June 8, 2014^[1] by the Spanish network Telecinco and was produced by Globomedia.

The show stars Carmen Machi as the title character, Aída García, a working, single mother with two teenage children, forced to move in with her mother and brother to make ends meet.

The show has received favorable criticism from the audience and has been the most viewed show in Spain since 2007. It has also received several awards like the Ondas Award for Best Spanish Sitcom.

The Polish remake of the series began airing in March 2012 on TVP2 channel.

Plot

The show follows the life of Aída García (Carmen Machi), who has to move to a somewhat seedy neighbourhood with her mother, Eugenia (Marisol Ayuso), and brother, Luisma (Paco León). Together with Aída come her two teenage children, Jonathan and Lorena (David Castillo and Ana María Polvorosa).

Other than her family, Aída spends time with her best friend/prostitute, Paz (Melanie Olivares); Chema, a smart store-owner (Pepe Viyuela), and his effeminate son, Fidel (Eduardo Casanova); and Mauricio, a chauvinist bar-owner (Mariano Peña).

Life without Aída

Changes were made in Season 6. Aída has been written out of the series (the character is now supposed to be in prison), as Carmen Machi has left the show to pursue new projects. Soraya and her daughter Aída Jr. have been introduced. Mauricio has changed and toned down his chauvinistic rhetoric and fallen for Soraya. Jonathan has been made "dumber" as a result of going through puberty. Wenceslao has been given more presence.

Location

The show is located in a fictional neighbourhood called Esperanza Sur. However, it can be inferred that it is located in the district of Carabanchel, in the south part of Madrid. This can be demonstrated by the inclusion of the Urgel subway entrance, which is located in Carabanchel, as well as from the appearance of the 2-3 story buildings with green windows, common sights in that district.

Characters

García García family

• Aída García (Carmen Machi) is a 45-year-old divorcee. Mother of three, she works as a cleaner. She got pregnant at 17 and eloped with her fiance, Manolo, whom she married later and had two more children: Lorena and Jonathan. They got divorced after she found out he was seeing several prostitutes. She lives with her mother, her brother Luis Mariano "Luisma", and Lorena and Jonathan. She works several jobs and has difficulty making ends meet. She wanted to finish her studies, but couldn't afford it. She also struggles with alcoholism.
• Luis Mariano "Luisma" García (Paco León) is a 35-year-old ex-drug addict. He is Aida's younger brother. Since age 13, he had an on-and-off relationship with Paz, a childhood friend of his.
• Eugenia "La Bim Bam Bum" García (Marisol Ayuso) is a 65-year-old widow. She is Aida and Luisma's mother. When her husband died, her daughter and grandchildren moved in with her. She believes she is an incredibly famous actress because she used to sing at a club. She claims to have had sex with numerous celebrities and public figures, mostly Spanish politicians and Hollywood stars. She has a great passion of food and she is rude and direct in her comments.
• Soraya García García (Miren Ibarguren) - Aída's oldest daughter. She moved out of her home when she turned 18 due to her mother's constant alcoholism. She joined the cast in the sixth season. She returned home with her only daughter, Aída Jr., fleeing from her abusive husband. He comes to "Esperanza Sur" looking for her and finds her with Aida, who accidentally kills him with an iron, trying to defend her daughter from his abuses. Now, she is an innocent and kind person, but in her youth she was unruly and abusive, especially with Simon. She fall in love with Chema on arrival in the neighborhood.^[2]
• Lorena García García (Ana María Polvorosa) - Aída's second daughter. She is known for her red hair and her endless string of boyfriends. She enjoys playing pranks on Luisma and Eugenia, along with her brother Jonathan.
• Jonathan García García (David Castillo) - Aída's youngest child. Far from being an ideal son, Jonathan has long hair, wears an earring, is disrespectful, steals, and has had several run-ins with the law. However, he still remains noble at heart.
• Aída "Aidita" Padilla García - Soraya's daughter. She has great passion for food, like her great-grandmother Eugenia

The Neighbours

• José María "Chema" Martínez (Pepe Viyuela) - A 45-year-old bald, divorced man. He is the owner of the market store "La Colonial". Chema is an intelligent, educated man, but although he has a degree in Hispanic philology, he hasn't been able to find an according job. This makes him - at times - the butt of jokes in the neighbourhood. He has been friend of Aída and Luisma since childhood. When he was 18, he was Aída's date to their prom. He has a 16-year-old son called Fidel, but he's divorced since his ex-wife cheated on him.
• Fidel Martínez (Eduardo Casanova) - Chema's 16-year-old son. He is somewhat of an outcast in the neighbourhood for his intelligence, his knowledge about almost anything, his hobbies (dancing and painting), and for being very effeminate. He has few friends, but Jonathan is one of them. He is openly gay.
• Paz Bermejo (Melani Olivares) - Aída's 34-year-old best friend. They've known each other since childhood. She is a sweet and good woman, despite working as a prostitute for 10 years for lack of a better job. She dislikes her job and keeps it mostly secret, and only her close friends (Aída, Chema, Luisma, and Fidel) know about it. She pretends to be a nurse in front of Aída's children, and a flight attendant to the neighbourhood.
• Mauricio Colmenero (Mariano Peña) - A 50-year-old man. Bearer of some of the most unwanted traits in a man: chauvinist, fascist, exploiter, perverted, xenophobe, and homophobe. He is a bullfight aficionado and a fan of Burt Reynolds. That's why he named his bar after him (Bar Reinols) and has several pictures of the actor on a wall. He enjoys making fun of other people, especially Chema. He is also noted for disrespectfully treating one of his employees, Oswaldo Wenceslao, whom he calls "Macchu Picchu".
• Oswaldo Wenceslao Huitalcoche de Todos los Santos, better known as "Machu-Pichu" (Oscar Reyes) - Ecuadorian waiter from the Bar Reinols. Mauricio constantly mocks him.
• Barajas (real name Víctor Francisco Antolín Marín) (Canco Rodríguez) - Luisma's best friend, and ex-junkie. He is sillier than Luisma.
• Inmaculada "Macu" Colmenero (Pepa Rus) - Niece of Mauricio. She is an stereotype of the "Palette people".
• Antonio "Toni" Comenero (Secun de la Rosa) - Mauricio's homosexual brother. He is lawyer.
• Simón Bermejo (Dani Martinez) - Paz's little brother. He's very womanizer and persuasive. Soraya mocked him when they are youngs.

Awards

Ondas Awards

• 2008 - Best Female Actress (Carmen Machi)
• 2006 - Best National Show

ATV Awards

• 2007 - Best Actress (Carmen Machi)
• 2007 - Best Actor (Paco León)
• 2007 - Best Script
• 2005 - Best Actor (Paco León)

TP de Oro

• 2007 - Best Actress (Carmen Machi)
• 2005 - Best Actress (Carmen Machi)
• 2005 - Best Actor (Paco León)

Fotogramas de Plata

• 2007 - Best TV Actress (Carmen Machi)
• 2007 - Best TV Actor (Paco León)
• 2005 - Best TV Actress (Carmen Machi)
• 2005 - Best TV Actor (Paco León)

Screen Actors Guild Awards

• 2006 - Best Supporting TV Actor (Mariano Peña)
• 2005 - Best Lead TV Actress (Carmen Machi)
• 2005 - Best Lead TV Actor (Paco León)
• 2005 - Best Supporting TV Actor (Pepe Viyuela)

Episodes

Broadcasters

• Spain - Telecinco
• Mexico - TV Azteca
• Puerto Rico - CaribeVisión
• Bulgaria - bTV Comedy
• United States - WJAN-CD

References

External links

• Aída at the Internet Movie Database