Babylon Show It was the first program of a return which is expected to be close. The anthill of Motorcycles on Antena 3, The Resistance by Broncano on TVE, and the show of Carlos Latre on Telecinco as part of the so far failed maneuver to make Mediaset white and family entertainment. I wonder what it means at this stage of “family” life, when teenagers swallow hours and hours of filth through TikTok and WhatsApp while their parents forward garbage that they have not verified and will never verify.
Aesthetically, Babylon Show It is the Telecinco of 1991. Spiritually, it is a photo shoot on a boat in Menorca. Morally, it is Mediaset. And strategically, it is the competition of Motos, yes, but also of Atresmedia, who have had a few names raised, starting with that of Latre himself. It is a technique that Atresmedia used in the past with Mediaset. The twists and turns that life takes.
The premiere of Babylon Show It was a very risky move that could cost Telecinco dearly. One week before Motos’ arrival, and two before Broncano’s. There were some technical failures (understandable) and a lot of nerves. I smell that someone has decided that it was time to debut before anyone else, even though the team was not well oiled. I don’t know how many tests and rehearsals they have done in the two months of preparation (I estimate two months looking at the team’s Linkedin profiles). To give the closest example, The anthill It’s a mess of sections that are not funny at all, but you feel that all the nonsense they do is perfectly connected. That’s what Latre’s programme needs. It needs it, above all, because when there’s a famous person promoting a film or when a Spaniard wins in some sport, many viewers will want to see an interview in which they let the guest tell something, and that’s not going to happen with Motos or Broncano. And, of course, if you go to a programme on Monday you’re not going to go to another one on Thursday. Here the stars are going to have to choose between three sets.
What has the first program offered us? Babylon Show? A presenter (Carlos Latre) who is reliable, well-liked, likeable, and with a more than recognized talent. A co-presenter (Marta Torné) with experience, adaptability, and spark. We even have the DJ of The beach bar (Edu del Val) with all his artillery. We have a very good first guest (a football gentleman who speaks well, does not disgust, is approachable, and has just won a European Championship). Should it work? Yes. And has it worked? So far, no.
Alchemy is missing
What happened in this first programme? Well, the jokes didn’t come in. “I saw that you saw it, and that you saw me see it.” The alchemy of comedy is the pillar of everything. There were some good ideas (the barge, the visit of the locals from Haro to the set in the style of What we bet). There have been two characters that have not worked. The first is the cross between Chelo García Cortés and Doña Croqueta. Raúl Maro (the actor who plays him) has a comic side, but the humor here does not go beyond seeing a man dressed as a woman. The second character is unforgivable; it is Walter Capdevilla, who has spread terror in the area of the Descalzas Reales by interviewing tourists who will not only not return to Spain, but will place our country in the top three of the worst destinations. Capdevilla, ally of tourismophobia. I can think of better options for a reporter: Heyzulu, Ester Gotor, Álvaro Casares, Lamine Thior. I can think of worse options too, but few.
The captions at the bottom of the screen (a sublime genre in the early Little piecesthe HeartQuickie channel and the much-missed tweets from Hematocrítico) could have been a perfect wildcard, but they don’t elevate the whole. They were all written by an Atresmedia infiltrator, I’m sure.
The interview with Luis de la Fuente has structured the program, but the steps to be taken sketches have not worked, because the own sketches did not work. Sardá’s visit was less emotional than intended, and the closing with Margarita Álvarez, an expert in happiness (who, of course, is from marketing and MBA, not psychology or psychiatry) was unnecessary.
Rather than Babylon, it has reminded me of Babel, of the moment when people stop understanding each other. I wish Babylon Show A good comeback, but I don’t know if they’ll have time before Motos’ return.
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