By meredithkreisa Last updated: December 6, 2022

Yuck It Up! 7 Ridiculously Awesome Spanish-language Comedy Series

Turn your haha’s into jaja’s.

Laughing along with some good comedy and learning Spanish on the couch—it’s every Spanish student’s dream.

From drama to telenovelas upon telenovelas, Spanish-language programming has a lot to offer.

But when you’re looking to immerse yourself by watching TV with a side of laughter, there’s only one clear choice: Spanish language comedy series.

Why Watch Spanish Comedy Series?
How to Get the Most out of Watching Spanish Comedy Series
7 Great Spanish-language Comedy Series for Learning by Laughing

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Why Watch Spanish Comedy Series?

They’re fun to watch. Comedy series are funny by their very nature. And who doesn’t enjoy funny? No one, that’s who. But better yet, because they’re so fun to watch, it will be easy to watch them regularly and regular exposure to Spanish will improve your skills. So you’re simulating immersion and really, truly learning—talk about killing two birds with one stone!

They’re diverse. If you don’t like one series, there are plenty more to check out. You’re sure to find something that you like. And once you’re done with one, you can always just move on to the next. With plenty of old shows and new ones cropping up every year, the supply is limitless. The fun and learning never have to end.

They teach you language. There’s plenty of vocabulary in any TV series. Best of all, a lot of it will be colloquial, meaning its the sort of everyday Spanish you just won’t learn from a textbook. Additionally, watching will help you get a feel for the sounds of the language. At first, understanding won’t come as naturally and you may find yourself translating in your head. But the more you watch, the more you’ll understand, and soon you won’t even need to translate. Bam! Fluency is at the tips of your fingers!

They teach you culture. TV both reflects and influences culture, so watching popular TV shows will help get you in the loop. Understanding culture is important because it plays a role in any interactions. If you only know the language, you’ll still have trouble communicating with native speakers. Plus, familiarizing yourself with popular TV shows will give you an easy topic of conversation.

How to Get the Most out of Watching Spanish Comedy Series

Find a series you like. Look and see which series sound good to you. Watch a few minutes of one series. If you like it, keep watching. If not, try a different show. Selecting your favorite is important since enjoying the show is what will motivate you to keep going.

Watch often. Try to watch at least a little every day, even if you’re just re-watching your favorite scene. To be fluent, daily exposure is key. Otherwise, your language skills will regress a bit during your off days. And let’s face facts—who couldn’t use a good laugh each day?

Repeat punchlines. The crowd laughs uproariously! This is your cue to rewind and watch again. Repeat what you hear. If you don’t know a word, you might want to jot it down and look it up. Keep repeating the line until you have it memorized. Now you’ll have no problem remembering the words and you’ll have a great joke in your back pocket!

Reenact your favorite scenes with friends. It’s like learning a punchline, but on a larger scale. If you get some friends to join in you can reenact whole scenes, picking up valuable vocabulary and pronunciation practice in the process. (Slapstick antics optional).

Watch actively. Watching comedy is great but it’s easy to forget to do some actual studying when the material’s so funny. To really get the most from your watching session, you should be engaging with the content as much as possible. This means pausing and replaying key moments, writing down unknown words and noting new-to-you grammar concepts.
If that sounds a bit intimidating, there are tools you can use to help you along. For instance, the FluentU program does the grunt work for you, equipping each authentic video in its collection with interactive subtitles.

This means that you can check the meaning in any movie clip, music video or news segment that you watch on the program. You can also add these words to flashcard decks for later study. You can also replay single sentences with the click of an arrow, and toggle Spanish and English subtitles on or off to focus your learning on different language skills.

And since you can do all this without needing to leave the video player, the program keeps you engaged without pulling you away from your studies. Try FluentU in a browser or put it in your pocket with the iOS and Android apps.

7 Great Spanish-language Comedy Series for Learning by Laughing

“El chavo del ocho”

English title: “The Lad of Eight”

What it’s about: Often simply referred to as “El chavo,” this classic Mexican sitcom from the 1970s is wildly popular throughout Latin America. It follows an orphan boy (played by a middle-aged man, of course) in a poor neighborhood and all his shenanigans.

What you’ll learn: You’ll learn plenty of informal language, childish patterns of speaking and slang. Additionally, there is much terminology and discussion related to poverty and the daily struggles of working families, as the featured kid and his family navigate life in a less wealthy neighborhood. You’ll also learn from how the characters turn the depressing subject matter into jokes.

You can look for this show in syndication on Spanish-language TV channels. It still gets a lot of airplay on most!

“El chapulín colorado”

English title: “The Red Grasshopper”

What it’s about: From the man who brought you “El chavo del ocho” comes another classic Mexican sitcom from the 1970s. In this series, the title character is an often-fumbling superhero. What’s worse—the villains he’s fighting or the problems he inadvertently causes along the way?

What you’ll learn: You’ll learn your basic superhero terminology with a little Mexican culture thrown in.

If you prefer DVDs, you can buy volumes of the show’s episodes from Amazon.

“La familia P. Luche”

English title: “The Plush Family”

What it’s about: This Mexican sitcom started in 2002. It features a dysfunctional family living in a city with a lot of plush fabric. No really. That’s the premise. It’s basically a live-action cartoon, with lots of over-the-top sights and sounds.

What you’ll learn: You’ll learn plenty of terms related to family drama and general everyday life. And, of course, you’ll never forget the word peluche (plush).

For Amazon Prime subscribers, you can look for it on the site.

“La que se avecina”

English title: “What’s Yet to Come”

What it’s about: This Spanish series debuted in 2007. It follows the lives of the inhabitants of an apartment building outside of Madrid. It focuses largely on the housing bubble and its effects on young people.

What you’ll learn: It uses a lot of catchphrases, so they’ll be a useful tool to memorize and repeat. You’ll also witness satire of some stereotypical Spanish personality types which will help with your cultural education.

Own a DVD player that can play all zones? You can also look for the DVD on Amazon.

“Allí abajo”

English title: “Down There”

What it’s about: This popular Spanish series debuted in 2015. It features a 30-year-old Basque man lives with his domineering mother. When they take a trip to Sevilla, his mother ends up in a coma and he finds himself stuck in the unfamiliar city. (It’s important to note that Basque Country is a region in northern Spain that has long harbored separatist leanings).

What you’ll learn: The mother’s accident and ensuing hospitalization will help you learn some medical terminology. You’ll also learn about some of the differences between northern and southern Spain. And you’ll come to recognize the importance of walking very carefully on stairs.

If you have an internationally zoned DVD player, consider buying the DVD.

“Los héroes del norte”

English title: “The Heroes of the North”

What it’s about: This Mexican musical comedy that began in 2010 follows a small town country band on their road to success.

What you’ll learn: You can learn a lot of vocabulary through music, so you’ll benefit from that in addition to the fun dialogue.

Watch a few episodes on Dailymotion to get a taste, then you can buy the seasons on Amazon!

“7 vidas”

English title: “7 Lives”

What it’s about: Running from 1999-2006, this Spanish sitcom follows a man who wakes up from an 18-year-long coma. Needless to say, much has changed. Inspired by “Friends,” it may feel familiar to American viewers.

What you’ll learn: Many scenes are set in a cafe, so you might learn some helpful restaurant/coffee shop terms. This show will also enrich your cultural understanding since it pokes fun at politics and current events.

With an internationally zoned DVD player, you also might want to check Amazon regularly. Occasionally DVDs turn up.

So with plenty of great options, tune into these sidesplitting comedy series if you’re looking for an absurdly fun way to learn Spanish.