WHY ELSE WATCH A MEXICAN SOAP ABOUT A KID WHO LIVES IN A BARREL?
Don't underestimate the power of nostalgia.
Brendan I. Koerner has an article in Slate today about the continued success of El Chavo del Ocho, a Mexican sitcom with one-note slapstick and threadbare production values that's been around for decades. Why's it so popular? In a word, nostalgia: Spanish-speakers watch English-language shows just like other Americans—but El Chavo's 1,300-plus episodes are the visual comfort food that warms up an otherwise chilly night in El Norte. That yearning for bygone days is not to be underestimated, Koerner implies, which is why TNT's near-constant Law & Order reruns do so well.
Koerner goes into detail about the El Chavo phenom here.
I'm off to a conference in northern California for several days and will blog as I'm able—but most likely when I return Thursday.
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