Aída
Aída is a Spanish sitcom that aired on Telecinco from 16 January 2005 to 8 June 2014. Set in Madrid, it is a spin off of the sitcom 7 Vidas, on which Aída was a recurring character. It was produced by Globomedia.
The show stars Carmen Machi as Aída García, a working single mother with two teenage children who is forced to move in with her mother Eugenia, played by Marisol Ayuso, and brother Luisma, played by Paco León, to make ends meet.
The show received favorable criticism and was the most-viewed show in Spain from 2007 until the end of its run. It has also received several awards, including the Ondas Award for Best Spanish Sitcom.
The Polish remake of the series began airing in March 2012 on the TVP2 channel.
Synopsis
The show follows the life of Aída García, a minor character from the sitcom 7 vidas, who has to move to a somewhat seedy neighbourhood with her two teenage children, Jonathan and Lorena, to live with her mother Eugenia, and brother Luisma.Other than her family, Aída spends time with her best friend, prostitute Paz, Chema, a smart store-owner, Chema's effeminate son, Fidel, and Mauricio, a chauvinistic bar owner.
There was a small controversy in 2007, when the show had to remove some jokes in a plot where Aída starts a relationship with a priest, so as to not offend the Catholic Church. This was one of the fourth season's plots, which were described as more radical than the previous seasons, though the creators insisted that they still reflected reality.
Season 6 changes
The show saw changes in Season 6 when Aída was written out of the show, as Carmen Machi left the show, saying it was to pursue new projects. In 2019, Machi said that she handled the fame was receiving quite badly, developing social anxieties, and left the show to deal with this. The characters of Soraya and her daughter Aída Jr. were introduced. Other characters changed in their personalities: Mauricio toned down his chauvinism and fell for Soraya, and Jonathan was made "dumber" as a result of going through puberty. Though Soraya and Aidita are new characters for the sixth season, they had been included in the television bible from before the show began, with Aída's three children all being mentioned in 7 vidas.Setting
The show is located in a fictional neighbourhood called Esperanza Sur. This seems to be a stand in for the district of Carabanchel, in the south of Madrid, as it includes the Urgel metro entrance and two-to-three storey buildings with green windows, which are common in the district.Characters
García García family
- Aída García is a 45-year-old divorcee, mother of three, and a cleaner. She got pregnant at 17 and eloped with her fiance, Manolo, whom she later married, having two more children. They got divorced after she found out he was seeing several prostitutes. She lives with her mother, her brother, and youngest children. 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 is a 35-year-old ex-drug addict. He is Aída'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 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, and claims to have had sex with numerous celebrities and public figures, mostly Spanish politicians and Hollywood stars. She has a great passion for food and is rude to people.
- Soraya García García is Aída's oldest daughter. She moved out when she turned 18 due to her mother's alcoholism. She joined the cast in the sixth season, returning home with her only daughter, Aída Jr., fleeing from her abusive husband. He comes to the neighbourhood looking for her and finds her with Aída, who accidentally kills him in trying to defend her daughter from his abuses. Now, Soraya is a kind person, but in her youth she was unruly and abusive, especially with Simon. She falls in love with Chema when she arrives in the neighborhood.
- Lorena García García is Aída's second daughter, 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 is 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 is Soraya's daughter. She has great passion for food, like her great-grandmother Eugenia.
The Neighbours
- José María "Chema" Martínez is 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 a matching job. This makes him 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 is Chema's 16-year-old son. He is somewhat of an outcast in the neighbourhood due to his intelligence, his hobbies, and for being very effeminate. He has few friends, but Jonathan is one of them. He is openly gay.
- Paz Bermejo is Aída's 34-year-old best friend, who she's known since childhood. She is a sweet and good woman, despite having worked as a prostitute for 10 years for lack of a better paying job. She dislikes her job and keeps it mostly secret, and only her close friends know about it. She pretends to be a nurse in front of Aída's children, and a flight attendant to the neighbourhood.
- Mauricio Colmenero is 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, who he named his bar after, having several pictures of the actor on the 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, also known as "Machu-Pichu" is an Ecuadorian waiter for Bar Reinols. Mauricio constantly mocks him.
- Barajas is Luisma's best friend, and an ex-junkie. He behaves more daft than Luisma.
- Inmaculada "Macu" Colmenero is Mauricio's niece. She is a stereotype of the "Palette people".
- Antonio "Toni" Comenero is Mauricio's gay brother. He is a lawyer.
- Simón Bermejo is Paz's little brother. He's a womanizer and very persuasive.
Awards
- 2008 - Best Female Actress
- 2006 - Best National Show
- 2007 - Best Actress
- 2007 - Best Actor
- 2007 - Best Script
- 2005 - Best Actor
- 2007 - Best Actress
- 2005 - Best Actress
- 2005 - Best Actor
- 2007 - Best TV Actress
- 2007 - Best TV Actor
- 2005 - Best TV Actress
- 2005 - Best TV Actor
- 2006 - Best Supporting TV Actor
- 2005 - Best Lead TV Actress
- 2005 - Best Lead TV Actor
- 2005 - Best Supporting TV Actor
Episodes and release
Broadcasters
- Spain - Telecinco
- Mexico - TV Azteca
- Puerto Rico - CaribeVisión
- Bulgaria - bTV Comedy
- United States - WJAN-CD