October 14, 1970 - September 25, 1995
Chespirito is a Mexican sketch comedy show created by and starring comedian and actor Roberto Gomez Bolaños, whose nickname gave the show its title.
Two series were produced with the same title. The first premiered as Los Supergenios de la Mesa Cuadrada on Televisión Independiente de México on October 14, 1970, after a two-year span of this sketch being part of the Sábados de la Fortuna/Sábados con Neftalí/Carrousel con Neftalí show (hosted by Neftalí Lopez Paez), aired in the same channel, since October 1968, during the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City; the independent series adopted the Chespirito y La Mesa Cuadrada and later the Chespirito title in 1971, and aired until February 1973. The second series, which aired on the TIM's successor, Televisa, premiered on 4 February 1980 and aired until 25 September 1995.
Alongside Bolaños, other famous Mexican actors starred in the sketches. In the two periods, characters like El Chavo del Ocho, El Chapulín Colorado, Los Caquitos, Dr. Chapatín, Los Chifladitos, El Ciudadano Gómez, La Chicharra, Chespirito (character), Los Chiripiojos and the parodies of Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy starred in sketches 2–15 minutes long. The 1980-1995 period also featured special 40-minute episodes, even consisting of two or three 40-minute long parts.
The show's first seasons featured a canned laugh track, but Bolaños made the then-controversial decision to drop it, in 1982, after the departure of Ramón Valdés. From 1982 to 1985, most presentations of the show include the announcer's warning that, out of respect for the audience's intelligence, there was no laugh track.
Summary
Also See
- El Chavo del Ocho
- El Chapulín Colorado
- El Chanfle (1979)
- El Chanfle 2 (1982)
- El Chavo Animado
- El Chavo (Video Game)
- El Chavo Kart
- El Chapulín Colorado (2015 TV Series)