Fiona Glass: M/M TV shows to look out for #1: Smiley

Mea culpa – I completely missed the fact that it was Tuesday yesterday and didn’t post anything on the zine. To make up for the omission, here’s a fun little piece about a new (to me, at any rate) lgbt series on Netflix that I’m currently really enjoying. I hope to review a few more series soon.

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If you’re signed up for Netflix, then look out for this Spanish rom-com set in a city centre bar. It features main character Alex, who serves in the bar and works out in his spare time, and architect Bruno. When Alex breaks up with his current boyfriend he sends a text (the ‛smiley’ of the show’s title) but accidentally types the wrong phone number and the message goes to Bruno instead. Intrigued, Bruno calls Alex back, the two start chatting and realise they both love old films, and a relationship ensues.

Like all love affairs in romantic comedies, true love hardly runs smooth, as both men convince themselves, and each other, that they’re not each other’s ‛type’. Needless to say, we can see that they’re really crazy about each other, but one barrier after another prevents them from admitting it and they both end up with someone else.

As well as the main pairing, the show also features Alex’s colleague/boss Vero and her partner Patri (Patricia), the bar’s owner and drag queen Javier, Bruno’s colleague Albert, and loads of other characters. All are sympathetic and (surprisingly for a rom-com) realistic, and all face problems in their relationships, be those gay, lesbian or straight.

The dialogue is obviously in Spanish, but Netflix has excellent subtitles which mean you can keep up with the action. The only time that’s difficult is when the show uses a split-screen mode – which is often very funny, but it can be hard reading text on one bit of the screen while watching two hot guys humping on the other!

Unlike US (and even some British) comedy series there’s no canned laughter, which I much prefer. It’s probably closer to comedy drama than a strict rom-com, but overall it’s fun, sparky and true-to-life, and having watched most of the first season I’m really enjoying it and hoping there are more seasons to come. I’d probably rate it 9/10. If you track it down, I hope you enjoy it too!

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