The premiere of the Spanish sitcom La que se avecina, titled "Mirador de Montepinar," first aired on April 22, 2007, marking the start of a television phenomenon. This first episode serves as a spiritual successor to the hit series Aquí no hay quien viva, introducing a new residential complex with familiar faces and fresh conflicts. The Premiere: "Mirador de Montepinar" (Season 1, Episode 1)
The series begins with the grand opening of Mirador de Montepinar, a brand-new, supposedly luxurious residential complex on the outskirts of Madrid. However, the reality quickly sets in: the walls are paper-thin, the doorbells don't work, and the construction is full of defects. Key Plot Points:
The Reluctant President: Javi (José Luis Gil's character's son), returning from his honeymoon with Lola, discovers he has been appointed president of the community in his absence. He is immediately overwhelmed by neighbors refusing to pay fees and a construction company that won't fix the building's flaws.
The Pastor-Madariaga Family: Enrique Pastor, a local councillor, moves in with his wife Araceli, their rebellious son Fran, and Araceli's mother, Doña Charo. This "perfect" family dynamic is instantly strained by the move and the presence of the outspoken Charo.
The Squatters: In a recurring theme of the series, Izaskun and Mari Tere—two elderly women who escaped from a retirement home—become "squatters" in the building's show flat.
The Staff: The episode introduces Maxi, who is hired as the concierge after being contacted online by Leo. Additionally, Coque, a prisoner on day release, is hired as the gardener. Cast and Iconic Characters
Most of the initial cast were actors from Aquí no hay quien viva, though playing different roles. Key characters introduced in the first episode include:
The Residents: Enrique Pastor (José Luis Gil), Antonio Recio (Jordi Sánchez), and Berta (Nathalie Seseña), along with the young couple Javi (Antonio Pagudo) and Lola (Macarena Gómez).
The Sales Team: The developers of the building, including Raquel (Vanesa Romero) and Joaquín (Guillermo Ortega), are introduced as the faces of the construction company responsible for the neighbors' misery. Behind the Scenes & Curiosities La que se avecina Temporada 1 - SensaCine.com
The series premiere of La que se avecina Mirador de Montepinar
originally aired on April 22, 2007. It serves as a spiritual and indirect successor to the massive hit Aquí no hay quien viva
, moving the chaos from a central Madrid apartment block to a fictitious, suburban "luxury" condominium. Key Plotlines & Character Introductions
The first episode focuses on the transition of the various neighbors into their new homes, highlighting the reality of the Spanish property bubble and the disappointment of "luxury" living that isn't quite as advertised. The New Development
: The "Mirador de Montepinar" urbanization is finally finished, but the residents quickly find that the building is riddled with defects. The "Cuquis"
: Amador and Maite Rivas, a couple obsessed with status, move in with their three children, setting the stage for their long-running battle to maintain a facade of wealth while constantly fighting. Antonio & Berta Recio la que se avecina t1 e1
: The series introduces its most iconic antagonist, Antonio Recio—an antisocial seafood wholesaler—and his deeply unhappy wife, Berta. The Newlyweds
: Javi and Lola move in as a young married couple, though they are immediately burdened by Javi's overbearing parents, Gregoria (Goya) and Vicente, who live in the same building. The Squatters
: Izaskun and Mari Tere, two elderly women, decide to occupy the show flat, beginning a long tenure as the building's permanent "okupas". Cultural Significance Spiritual Successor : Because the show used almost the same cast as Aquí no hay quien viva
but in different roles, the pilot was a surreal experience for Spanish audiences.
: The episode immediately established the show's core themes: the hardships of young people finding homes, the absurdity of Spanish neighborhood meetings, and the friction of sharing communal spaces. Evolution of Humor
: While the first episode leaned on the foundation of its predecessor, it eventually evolved toward a more exaggerated and often cruder style of comedy that defined its later seasons. Antonio Recio
evolved compared to their counterparts in the previous series?
Here’s a text about La que se avecina Season 1, Episode 1:
"La que se avecina" – Season 1, Episode 1: "Un ático, dos ascensores y tres porteros chiflados"
The first episode of La que se avecina (literally "What's Coming") marks the long-awaited—and chaotic—arrival of a new cast of characters into the world of Spanish television comedy. Created by Alberto Caballero and Laura Caballero, the series was originally conceived as a spin-off of the hugely successful Aquí no hay quien viva, but from the very first scene of T1E1, it’s clear that this is no simple continuation.
The episode opens with the shady yet charismatic Antonio Recio (Jordi Sánchez) and his wife Berta (Nathalie Seseña) inspecting a luxury penthouse in the fictional Mirador de Montepinar, an unfinished residential complex on the outskirts of Madrid. Antonio, a blunt and unscrupulous seafood businessman, immediately starts criticizing everything: the price, the neighbours, the building’s management. But the real chaos begins when the rest of the former residents from Aquí no hay quien viva start moving in, including the beloved but clueless Enrique Pastor (Eduardo García), the neurotic Leo (Loles León), and the building’s gossipy heart, Máximo (Luis Miguel Seguí).
The episode’s title, referencing an attic, two elevators, and three crazy janitors, perfectly captures the mayhem. The building’s dysfunctional team of concierges—a retired gay dancer named Javi (Pablo Chiapella), the hilariously lazy Coque (Antonio Pagudo), and the ever-scheming Amador (Fernando Tejero)—are already at war with each other and with the residents. When a blackout traps several neighbours in the two notoriously unreliable elevators, tensions boil over, and we witness the series' trademark blend of shouting matches, double-crosses, and surprisingly heartfelt moments.
One of the most memorable sequences involves Enrique trying to set up his new flat while his overbearing mother, the classic Chusa (Mariví Bilbao), berates him from a moving truck outside. Meanwhile, Recio, who will become the series' quintessential antihero, declares the community doomed before even unpacking a single box.
The episode ends with the entire community gathered—arguing, of course—in the unfinished common areas, as the camera pulls back to reveal the tacky fake palm trees and the half-built pool that will never work. A neighbour sighs, "Bienvenidos a Montepinar," and the title sequence rolls. It's a perfect introduction: loud, absurd, and unmistakably La que se avecina. The premiere of the Spanish sitcom La que
In retrospect, T1E1 feels like a pilot still finding its rhythm—some characters would later change (including a major recasting of the role of Lola), and the humour would lean even harder into surreal, grotesque situations. But from this first episode, the seeds were sown for what would become one of Spain’s longest-running and most beloved sitcoms: a show about neighbours who can’t stand each other, living in a building that barely stands at all.
The first episode of the Spanish sitcom La que se avecina , titled " Mirador de Montepinar
," premiered on April 22, 2007. It serves as the spiritual successor to the hit series Aquí no hay quien viva, introducing a new cast and setting while retaining similar comedic themes of neighborly conflict and social satire. Plot Overview
The episode marks the completion of the "Mirador de Montepinar" urbanization, a supposedly luxurious residential complex on the outskirts of Madrid. As the new tenants move in, they quickly discover the building is riddled with defects, including paper-thin walls, broken doorbells, and faulty floors. Key storylines include:
The Reluctant President: Javi returns from his honeymoon in Africa to find he has been elected the community president by lottery, immediately inheriting all the building's structural and social problems.
The Property Scams: Joaquín, a real estate agent, sells a penthouse to his brother Sergio (a famous actor) while lying about his own living situation to stay with him.
The Squatters: Two elderly women, Izaskun and Mari Tere, escape their nursing home and secretly occupy the building's "show flat".
The Staff: Leo hires Maxi—a man with a highly questionable resume—as the concierge, and Coque, a convict on work release, as the gardener. Character Dynamics
The episode establishes the central friction between the "typical" Spanish families and their eccentric neighbors:
Enrique Pastor and Antonio Recio: This iconic rivalry begins here. Enrique moves into a ground-floor apartment with his wife Araceli, only to be tormented by his neighbor upstairs, Antonio Recio, whom he and Araceli dub one of "Los Rancio" (The Rancids).
The Breakup: Cristina and her fiancé Agustín buy an apartment, but he suffers a panic attack during the move and abandons her, leaving her to handle the mortgage and the new community alone. Production & Reception
Creators: Alberto Caballero, Laura Caballero, and Daniel Deorador. Runtime: Approximately 87–89 minutes.
Tone: The series uses black comedy to satirize the Spanish property bubble and the hardships of young people trying to find housing.
La que se avecina (TV Series 2007– ) - Episode list - IMDb "La que se avecina" – Season 1, Episode
The first episode of La que se avecina , titled "Mirador de Montepinar," premiered on April 22, 2007. It serves as a spiritual successor to the hit series Aquí no hay quien viva, featuring many of the same cast members in new, though often familiar, roles. Episode Overview
The premiere introduces the new residential complex, Mirador de Montepinar, which is plagued by construction flaws like paper-thin walls and broken doorbells. The episode focuses on the chaotic arrival of the first tenants, including:
Enrique Pastor (José Luis Gil): A municipal councillor who inadvertently ends up in bed with his neighbor Nines after a dispute.
The Recio Family: Antonio and Berta, who quickly establish themselves as the building's moralizing yet hypocritical "official bores".
The "Cuquis": Amador and Maite, a status-obsessed couple moving into a house they can barely afford.
Sergio and Joaquín: Two brothers, one a soap opera star and the other a real estate agent, who deal with a misunderstanding regarding Sergio's sexuality. Critical Reception
Reviews of the first episode are mixed, largely due to inevitable comparisons with its predecessor.
"Weak and Naive" Start: Critics and audiences often find the first episode (and much of Season 1) a bit "weak" or "naive" as it struggled to step out from the shadow of Aquí no hay quien viva.
Character Development: Some viewers feel characters initially lacked the depth seen in later seasons, noting that the show only truly found its identity when it embraced a more "grotesque" and "unhinged" style of humor in subsequent years.
IMDb Rating: The episode holds a rating of 7.1/10 based on user votes, reflecting a solid but not groundbreaking debut. Community Perspective
“The first few seasons are great, but it's slow to get going. At first, it felt too tied to the previous show.” Reddit · r/aquinohayquienvivaa
“It was hard to see it as its own thing early on, but once it fully embraced the grotesque without apologies, it found its identity.” IMDb
Si eres fan de las temporadas modernas (T10 a T13), el episodio 1 de la temporada 1 te parecerá casi una serie diferente:
After the monumental success of Aquí no hay quien viva, creators Alberto and Laura Caballero (along with Daniel Deorador) launch a spiritual successor with a new setting: Mirador de Montepinar, a luxury residential complex in the suburbs of Madrid.
The episode serves as a reintroduction for several actors from Aquí… playing different characters, plus new faces. The plot establishes the daily chaos, neighborly spats, and absurd situations that define the series.