For decades, some of Spanish-language television's biggest laughs came from pratfalls, insults about people's bodies and performers determined to squeeze a joke out of every line. Mario Bezares and Consuelo Duval believe that version of comedy has run its course.
The two Mexican entertainers are part of Hotel Todo Incluido, ViX's new fantasy comedy about a deteriorating resort where the wishes of its guests mysteriously come true. Led by José Eduardo Derbez and Sofía Castro, the show's magical premise is a more contemporary approach to humor, one the actors say reflects how much Latino comedy has changed.
"In those days, comedy used the pie in the face a lot," Bezares told this reporter in an interview next to Duval, one of Mexico's most celebrated female comedians.
"There was also a lot of what we would now describe as making fun of other people's bodies. That is no longer permitted," he added.
Bezares was not dismissing the comedy that made earlier generations laugh. He was acknowledging that audiences have changed and that performers must now find humor without relying on humiliation.
The challenge, he said, is to stop announcing the joke and trust the character. "If you are trying to make people laugh, you have already failed," Bezares said. "The more seriously you play a comedy character, the better it works."
Duval agreed, arguing that comedy only appears effortless when the people creating it take its structure seriously.
"Comedy has to be taken seriously because of the rhythm it requires, because of the timing," she said. "Otherwise, it can fall into farce or clowning, and audiences don't like that. The more seriously you treat this genre and the more respect you give it, the more audiences will enjoy it."
That philosophy shapes Hotel Todo Incluido, which premieres Aug. 28 on ViX with all 20 episodes released together. Derbez stars as Sebastián Martínez, a recent tourism graduate unexpectedly appointed general manager of the struggling Amalaya del Río hotel.
Sebastián must contend with an inexperienced staff, unpredictable guests and a property that has lost much of its former glory. The story changes when a mysterious girl with magical powers begins granting visitors' wishes, producing consequences that are comic but not always painless.
Duval appears as María José, revisiting the character she played in the 2023 film Infelices para siempre. This time, the comedy comes from a deeply recognizable conflict rather than a conventional punchline.
María José has set aside her childhood ambitions while raising a family and caring for her husband. After speaking with the hotel manager, she inadvertently summons the eight-year-old version of herself, a girl who dreamed of becoming a marine biologist and saving whales.
"She had to reinvent herself through becoming a mother and taking care of her husband," Duval explained. "Then she reconnects with that eight-year-old girl who wanted to save whales and become a marine biologist."
The child does not simply return as an adorable memory. She interrogates the adult María José about what became of their plans.
"She starts asking her, 'What do you do?' She begins questioning her," Duval said. "When I read the script, it moved me enormously."
The episode illustrates the type of situational comedy Duval now prefers: humor rooted in experiences viewers recognize, even when the setup involves magic.
"The comedy I love is situational comedy, the kind that becomes involuntary," she said. "People can see themselves reflected and say, 'I've known a person like that. I've seen that situation. I've lived through something like that.' And how wonderful that they can finally laugh about it, because the formula for comedy is tragedy plus time."
Hotel Todo Incluido also reunited Duval and Bezares years after they worked together on Pácatelas!. Bezares, who is making his first scripted series after 49 years in entertainment, said the familiarity between them returned instantly.
"We had not seen each other in a long time, but when we met again, it was as though we had seen each other yesterday," he said.
Filmed in Bilbao with a Mexican cast and Spanish production team, the series also stars, Harold Azuara, Ofelia Medina, Ricardo Fastlicht, Mauricio Garza and Raquel Garza. It was directed by Pitipol Ybarra and produced by Onza, with Jorge Aragón among its producers.
For Duval and Bezares, its fantasy elements do not make its comedy less truthful. They provide another way to reach the same goal: letting audiences recognize something painful, familiar or slightly embarrassing, then laugh without making another person the target.
