Case Study: Los González

Televisa Internacional’s director for Europe, Claudia Sahab, talks about the multiplatform format Los González.

The family that pranks together stays together—or at least that’s the case in Los González, a Televisa Internacional format where hidden-camera jokes become a family affair.

Presented to international buyers as a “sitcam,” the multiplatform show is part classic situational comedy, part unfiltered reality show. On the scripted end, the premise is simple: an out-of-work dad comes up with a new way to provide for his family, creating a website where he showcases dozens of pranks pulled on unsuspecting bystanders. The family members, who are all played by actors, then help him pull the real-world shenanigans.

“The segments with the dad and his family are all staged, just as you would do with a regular sitcom,” says Claudia Sahab, Televisa Internacional’s director for Europe. “But the candid-camera parts are completely real. That marvelous mixture of scripted and reality is a very innovative twist on the genre.”

Created in 2014 by Televisa and Spanish producer La Competencia, the format has so far been sold into Spain and Italy, with a Mexican adaptation currently in the works.

“We’re seeing great demand for this format from various countries, not only because hidden-camera shows have universal appeal, but also because it’s very affordable to produce,” says Sahab.

The Spanish version premiered earlier this year on Aragón TV as Los Artigas, where it’s broadcast Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. The Italian edition also made its debut in 2015, airing as I Capatosta in prime time on the youth-skewing Boing network. Despite the name changes, Sahab assures that all renditions of the format hew closely to the original script.

“The name of the show is the last name of the family, so in each territory, that’s changed to reflect an ordinary, regional last name,” she says. “We have 40 finished scripts, and the producers follow them very faithfully. However, it’s up to them to decide on the casting and which of the pranks they want to carry out.”

Every version has the same number of family members, with a dad leading a clan made up of a mom, three kids and a grandparent. The troupe then sets out to prank unwary victims, who don’t realize actors from a TV series are approaching them. Those segments eventually lead back to the scripted portion of the program and more traditional sitcom plots.

And though the scripted portions take up a chunk of the half-hour series, Sahab says the many hidden-camera clips that don’t make it on air find a second life online.

“The website the dad creates to post his pranks really exists,” she says. “Broadcasters can then post unaired material online so it will be available to viewers. We’re making digital platforms a crucial part of this title, and that’s something very new for the sitcom genre.”