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Characters / Caméra Café

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Given Caméra Café is set in an unnamed, yet large business company, it's obvious there are many workers lurking inside it, and that's not even counting the one-time characters played by guest stars.

As with the main article, this refers to (as of now) the Italian version of this French format. Let's rock.

    open/close all folders 

The Main Duo

    Luca Nervi and Paolo Bitta 

Luca and Paolo, the lead characters of the sitcom: an Odd Couple of Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonists that have a different Zany Scheme for almost every episode.

Tropes applying to both

  • Brilliant, but Lazy: Luca and Paolo are actually pretty good in their respective jobs- when they fail it isn't because they're not skilled, but because fate said so. With that said, good luck seeing them working: they'd much rather spend their time in the Relax Area than doing something constructive.
  • The Bully: Especially towards Silvano. Patti and Pippo are frequent targets as well.
  • Casanova Wannabe: Especially Paolo. Luca is more of a Covert Pervert, Paolo is just a flatout pervert.
  • Did Not Get the Girl: A Running Gag for both of them, whoever the girl is; usually Gaia for Paolo and Maria Eleonora for Luca. Giovanna and Caterina are involved very often as well.
  • Failure Is the Only Option: All their plans, whatever they are, are destined to backfire.
  • Flanderization: Paolo's stupidity, big time. Just watch a few episodes of season 1, and then any episode of season 4. Luca also was flanderized into one of the biggest losers ever especially in season 4. Ironically in the very much controversial season 5, their flanderization was a bit toned down, (especially Luca's Chew Toy status, Paolo still has plenty of dumb moments), but this is probably one of the few good things about that season.
  • Get-Rich-Quick Scheme: Regularly. Luca usually comes up with all their "great" ideas to make money. Failure Is the Only Option, obviously.
  • Heroic Comedic Sociopath: Except that there's nothing remotely heroic about them.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: Being best friends, they spend all their free time together. Paolo also has a couple of other best friends outside the workplace (the infamous Pino and Budello), but it's pretty obvious Luca is his favorite.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: Most of the time.
  • Jerkass: They are totally different in many aspects but this is one of the few things they have in common.
  • Karma Houdini: Played with. They get caught by karma quite often, and they definitely get a lot of deserved humiliations and beatings, but you have to wonder how they still have a job. They spend all their time drinking coffee, slacking off, bullying Silvano or others in the most cruel (and often violent) ways, trying to hit on their female co-workers and acting like jerks and idiots. Not to mention that some of their pranks, ridiculous schemes and, let's face it, most of the things they do are freaking dangerous and illegal. If they were real life people, they would be both in jail. And while their boss De Marinis is totally aware of their behaviour, everything he does is: yelling at them, calling them morons and threatening to fire them.
  • Karmic Butt-Monkey: They're Jerkasses who are on the receiving end of a lot of humiliation and beatings, especially since all their plans are doomed to fail, in every single episode. They're also Andrea's favorite targets of abuse. We see them being beaten up by Andrea more often than the other characters (even Silvano), mainly because they get the most screentime. Luca falls into this more so, namely when Alex mistreats him and cheats on him. Also, even in their relationship, Luca is not more faithful than Alex herself and is always hitting on other women. The only difference is that Alex has no problem sleeping with other men, while Luca is always rejected by all the other women
  • Must Have Caffeine: Obviously. The show is filmed from the perspective of a coffee machine.
  • One-Hour Work Week: Subverted in that they actually never work at all and it's lampshaded all the freaking time.
  • The Prankster: Usually to Silvano.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: Impulsive Cloudcuckoolander Paolo is the red and snarky, intelligent Luca is the blue. Although Luca is the more bad-tempered and hammy of the duo, he's usually the Straight Man to his friend's over the top behaviour.
  • Schemer: Both of them make failure-prone schemes, especially Luca.
  • Sensitive Guy and Manly Man:
    • Paolo is seemingly the Manly Man (a sleazy womanizer and loves cars and drinking) to Luca's Sensitive Guy (more of an intellectual loner who loves cinema and literature, or so he claims). Ultimately subverted since Luca is anything but sensitive.
    • Both of them are the Manly Men to Silvano's Sensitive Guy. Especially Paolo in contrast to Silvano in the episodes where they interact without Luca.
  • The Slacker: Are they ever...
  • Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist: Big time.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: They fight often, but they usually reconcile before the end of the episode.
  • With Friends Like These...: While Paolo is his best friend, Luca is usually ready to backstab him for his own interests. Paolo sometimes is genuinely loyal to his friend, but other times he acts exactly like Luca, Depending on the Writer.

    Paolo Bitta 
"Talkin' 'bout me?!"

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/download_5_2384.jpg
Paolo Bitta
Played by Paolo Kessisoglu.

The Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist of the show alongside Luca, Paolo is the best salesman in the company. Nevertheless he's proud to be an alcoholic, other than a sleazy, borderline illiterate buffoon who doesn't have many interests outside hookers, campers, Alfa Romeos and the like. However, his overall simple-mindedness is a foil to the way he treats his Butt-Monkey co-workers.

Basically, think of a skinny, more perverted, Italian version of Homer Simpson: that's Paolo Bitta.

French counterpart: Jean-Claude Convenant aka JC.

  • All Men Are Perverts: All the guys on the show, except for Silvano, fit this trope, but Paolo is easily the biggest example.
  • The Alcoholic: He loves to drink Grappa (imagine something similar to Whisky) and is often drunk at work and when he's driving.
  • Anti-Role Model: Paolo is literally everything a human being shouldn't be. Unsurprisingly, he's the most popular character in the show.
  • Badass Driver: How he sees himself.
  • Berserk Button: Many. He's maniacally obsessed with: his car, his camper, the Pooh band, his grappa and his four colour pen. Never mess with Paolo and his stuff or you will regret it.
  • Beware the Silly Ones: Paolo would sometimes set aside his Dumb, Cloudcooklander side in favor of a lovely mix of Dissonant Laughter and Tranquil Fury.
    Psychologist: "Well, you'd have much more free time if they fired you, wouldn't you?" *laughs*
    Paolo: *laughing* "Oh no, if they fire me I go straight to jail."
    Psychologist: *Wincing* "...Jail?"
    Paolo: "Yeah... because the day they fire me I'll come here with five tanks of petrol and I will burn down the entire building."
  • Bigger Is Better in Bed: ...implied to be the reason of his active sex life.
  • Book Dumb: To a ridiculous extreme. He can't even spell his own name.
  • Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Despite his many quirks, he's very good at his job.
  • Catchphrase:
    • "Paolo Bitta, a man called contract!"
    • "TALKING ABOUT MEE??!" suddenly appearing and joining other people's conversation.
  • Cloudcuckoolander: The following exchange pretty much sums everything up.
    Luca: "This quiz says you have to astonish your bosses. What should you do?"
    Paolo: "I don't know, by drinking with my nose?"
    Luca: "Something that has to do with your job."
    Paolo: "Drinking with my nose while I'm driving my Alfa?"
    Luca: "Something that has anything to do with your selling job!"
    Paolo: "Drinking with my nose while I'm signing a contract, then!"
    Luca: "But- [brief Beat] Listen, do you seriously think you'll surprise your boss by drinking with your nose?"
    Paolo: "How do you think I got my job?"
  • Comically Missing the Point: Much of the humour about his character is this.
  • Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: He is Paolo Bitta.
  • Drives Like Crazy: He's proud of his tendency to drive while intoxicated.
  • Drunk Driver: Obviously. He's an alcoholic who loves driving his car. He regularly runs over cats and old women while driving. He's both hated and feared by all the traffic cops in town.
  • Dysfunctional Family: Paolo's family is definitely this. A variation since Paolo himself is the main reason why his family is dysfunctional.
  • Flanderization: His idiotic tendencies and his obsessions as seen in Berserk Button.
  • Genius Ditz: Paolo's IQ is 12 yet he's a pretty good salesman and has his moments of brilliance from time to time.
  • Hollywood Tone-Deaf: Oh God..
  • Insufferable Imbecile: He's illiterate by choice (and proud of it), obnoxiously ignorant about almost everything, can be an arrogant bully to some of his co-workers, and cheats on his wife in favor of hookers.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: On rare occasions, usually when his friend Luca "Bubino" is involved. He also seems to love his wife (despite cheating on her) and his kids but in a completely dysfunctional way. He also sometimes treats Silvano in a more friendly way.
  • Kavorka Man: While he's a Casanova Wannabe when it comes to his female co-wokers, he's well known to be quite a Sex God (see Bigger Is Better in Bed) and, unlike his friend Luca, has a very active sex life outside his workplace; mostly because he knows a lot of hookers and sluts and he would sleep with pretty much anyone (except Patti).
  • Likes Older Women: He slept with Wanda multiple times.
  • Literal-Minded: Much to Luca's dismay, Paolo has trouble understanding his speeches and often takes them literally..
  • Loony Fan: Of Italian band "Pooh".
  • Lovable Rogue: The audience will always support Paolo no matter how terrible his actions can be.
  • Lovable Sex Maniac: He sleeps around a lot, reads porn, cheats on his wife with hookers, and is definitely a pervert but it's al Played for Laughs.
  • Malaproper: Part of his book dumbness. Paolo, who barely knows his mother language and is obviously completely clueless about everything else, tends to mispronounce foreign AND Italian words.
  • The Masochism Tango: His marriage with Valeria. They both cheat on each other and they fight all the time. It doesn't help that Paolo is always drunk.
  • The Millstone: A lot of Luca's plans fail because of Paolo's stupidity.
  • Never Learned to Read: A Running Gag. He actually reads but very slowly and mispronounces every word with more than one syllable. And he is damn proud of it.
    Luca: "How about a book "How to become Paolo Bitta in two weeks"?"
    Paolo: "No, a videotape is better. If you can read then what kind of Paolo Bitta you are?"
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: When he is close to getting a girl to admire him, he just has to do something moronic enough to ruin everything at the last second.
  • Obfuscating Stupidity: To an extent. He uses this to outsmart Luca in the episode "Prevedibile".
  • Only Friend: To Luca. Paolo has many friends outside of work, unlike Luca who has no other friends besides Paolo, and it's lampshaded many times.
  • Parental Favoritism: Towards Brad, the Enfant Terrible troublemaker. On the other hand he's always disappointed by his other son because he's a studious good kid.
  • Psychopathic Manchild: He combines his simple-mindedness and immaturity with his reckless, amoral, and dangerous behaviour.
  • Really Gets Around: The opposite of his friend Luca. Paolo sure loves women.
  • Running Gag:
    • Paolo can't spell.
    • He just can't finish a proverb properly, usually repeating its first phrase. Example: "Clear agreements... Clear agreements." (It's actually "Clear agreements, long friendship", or "Patti chiari, amicizia lunga" in Italian).
  • Took a Level in Dumbass: In season 1 Paolo was just uncultured and less book smart than Luca, but still not an idiot. In later seasons his blatant idiocy becomes part of his personality.
  • Wacky Parent, Serious Child: His son Jonathan is much more responsible and mature than him.

    Luca Nervi 
"Now that will piss our bosses off!"

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/imagesl_8407.jpg
Luca Nervi
Played by Luca Bizzarri.

The other Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist, Luca is the leader of the company's trade union and, as such, he's in charge of the organization of strikes. He's proud to be a Communist, but he doesn't quite stick to the ideals implied by that.

Despite being a greedy jerk , he also has some redeeming abilities — namely, he's generally smarter and more classy than Paolo, though every time the two have a plan, it's likely to backfire. His flaws are somewhat punished by the... er, unfaithfulness shown by his girlfriend. Karma's a bitch, indeed.

French counterpart: Hervé Dumont.

  • All Love Is Unrequited: He has an obvious crush on both Emma AND Maria Eleonora and clearly likes them both way more than his "girlfriend" Alex. Too bad he never had a chance with either of them.
  • Berserk Button: As a nod to his aforementioned nature as a Communist, he hates the way some traditions, never been in Italy before, suddenly got imported from Eagle Land. Case in point: Halloween.
  • Cloudcuckoolander's Minder: To Paolo, always.
  • Consummate Liar: Usually. Sometimes it becomes Bad Liar.
  • Deadpan Snarker: One of his defining traits. He snarks about his friend Paolo and... well, about anyone or anything that's weird in general.
    (Luca notices one of the small, round, silver-colored tables stuck to the ceiling)
    Luca: "Why is one of the tables stuck to the ceiling?"
    Paolo: "There was a fly on the ceiling!"
    Luca: "Well, that explains everything."
  • Dirty Communists: But of course.
  • Dirty Coward: In spades. Every time there is a problem, he only cares about saving himself at the expense of the others, even his own best friend.
  • Dogged Nice Guy: Luca is anything but nice, but he acts like this towards Maria Eleonora in season 4.
  • Embarrassing Nickname: Bubino, used almost exclusively by Paolo. Luca hates it.
  • Freudian Excuse: Parental Neglect and Friendless Background. Also he was bullied during high school, so much that he attempted suicide.
  • Greed: According to his co-workers, his greed and obsession with money are his worst flaws.
  • Hair-Trigger Temper: The reason why he and Paolo end up fighting in several episodes.
  • Hypocrite:
    • As mentioned, he's not as idealistic as a real Communist is bound to be, as if the whole point behind the character was a Deconstruction of Communism.
    • He claims to fight for the workers' rights but he actually fights for the rights of only a "worker": himself.
  • Informed Flaw: He's a terrible lover. Just ask Alex.
  • It's All About Me: He's so shamelessly selfish that he would betray even his only friend for his personal gain.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Whenever Luca acts nice to someone, it's just because he needs something in return.
  • Lack of Empathy
    Luca: "No, no, no, I'm sorry, I'm-"
    Ilaria: "You, instead, will just keep working knowing that your colleagues are paying because of you!"
    Luca: *beat* "Oh well."
  • Large Ham: Luca embodies this trope. Especially when he's defending his beliefs or giving one of his "important" and "idealistic" speeches, he starts being overly emphatic and melodramatic. And when he's actually talking about strikes, he starts Chewing the Scenery.
    De Marinis: "Someone should end this war."
    Luca: MEEE!! WHEN I'LL WIN IT!!!!"
  • Loser Protagonist: He's portrayed as the bigger loser of the main duo. Especially because, unlike Paolo, he has no family or friends whatsoever.
  • Manipulative Bastard: But only occasionally he's good at it.
  • Meaningful Name: While his surname Nervi is probably inspired by "Hervé", the name of his French counterpart, it also fits the character, in that Luca is irritable and it's easy to get on his nerves. It's also lampshaded in-universe.
  • Money Fetish: He loves money more than everything else.
  • My Girl Is Not a Slut: Except she is.
  • No Indoor Voice: When he shouts he shouts a lot !!
  • No-Respect Guy: After Silvano, he is probably one of the least respected guys in the office.
  • Not So Above It All: He can be the smart, levelheaded one of the duo, but Luca is just as depraved as Paolo and he knows it.
  • Only Sane Man: Luca is usually the only character with common sense (along with Olmo), especially since the other three most important characters are Paolo, Silvano and Patti.
  • Pet the Dog: When he tries to help Paolo and acts like his Cloudcuckoolander's Minder. Also, like Paolo, there are some times when he's more friendly and helpful to Silvano,
  • The Scrooge: He's revealed to be quite rich in one episode.
  • Screw This, I'm Outta Here: When Paolo ruins a plan in a really stupid way, Luca's usual response is leaving without saying a word, leaving Paolo to the karmic punishment he deserves.
  • Smart People Play Chess: In one episode, he's revealed to be quite good at it.
  • The Snark Knight: Sarcastic comments and snarky comebacks are about 90% of his dialogue.
  • Straight Man: To Paolo. He is very good at keeping a straight face in front of Paolo's over-the-top-antics
  • Surrounded by Idiots: One of the few characters who is not an idiot and regularly lampshades the stupidity of the other characters. Of course, he will still do stupid things along with Paolo for the sake of the plot.
  • Teeny Weenie: He's often mocked for this, especially by Paolo and Alex. Everyone in the company knows it, of course.
  • This Loser Is You: Especially implied for the Communist audience.

Supporting Characters

    Silvano Rogi 
"TOH-GOH!" ("AWESOME!")

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/imagess_47.jpg
Silvano Rogi
Played by Alessandro Sampaoli.

The company's nerdy and goofy accountant and the show's resident Butt-Monkey. Very shy, he's not able to overcome the others' bossy attitudes unless someone's screwing with his personal hobbies he loves the most.

Other than being a hopeless Momma's Boy and a goody-goody know-it-all, Silvano is also known for his semi-relationship with the ugliest woman in the company (Patti), another reason for being made fun of.

French counterpart: Sylvain Muller.

(seasons 1-6)

  • Almost Kiss: With Patti.
  • Basement-Dweller: To the point you can call him Seymour Skinner.
  • Berserk Button: Screw with something he's somewhat of a fan of, and you'll be screwed in return.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: Usually an endlessly abused Extreme Doormat, but the few times he gets angry, he's scary.
  • Blind Without 'Em: Silvano can't see anything without his glasses. It even provides the plot of a few gags and sketches.
  • Butt-Monkey: He's epic at this.
  • Cannot Spit It Out: In regards to his feelings towards Patti.
  • Catchphrase: "TOGOH!". "Togo" is a variant of the Italian word "figo" which means "cool". Of course basically nobody in Italy uses this childish term and Silvano is often mocked for using it.
  • The Chew Toy: He gets all kinds of abuse, beatings, and cruel pranks in any given episode. Basically everyone in the company considers him the office's punching bag.
  • Chastity Couple: With Patti, until season 5.
  • Clueless Chick-Magnet: On occasion. Particularly since Giovanna, Jessica, Titti, Alex, even Pippo were all hitting on him in different episodes. Not to mention that a professional hooker (friend of Paolo) was about to quit her job just to be with him. Of course, being Silvano, he barely noticed it and screwed up his chances with all of them.
  • Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Silvano, the most harmless character on the show, is really frightening in his Berserk Button moments and he's the only who has been able to defeat Andrea.
  • Disappeared Dad: His father is never mentioned, unlike his mother who's one of the recurring unseen characters.
  • Extreme Doormat: He's usually this to everyone, including similar Butt Monkeys like Patti.
  • Generation Xerox: His father was an accountant, so was his grandfather, his uncle and apparently most people in his family.
  • Genius Ditz: Yes, Silvano is a math genius, has a degree in economics, is good at chess and can solve the Rubik's Cube in a few seconds. Yet he's an idiot, hopelesslly naive and has a very goofy Manchild personality.
  • Good Is Dumb: He loves and trusts everyone. He really shouldn't.
  • Good with Numbers: And extremely proud of it.
  • Horrible Judge of Character: Seriously, he keeps trusting Luca and Paolo and considering them friends, after all these years...
  • I Just Want to Have Friends: Implied to be the main reason of the trope above.
  • Iron Butt Monkey: Easily the most physically abused character in the show.
  • I Take Offense to That Last One: Frequent among his lines of dialogue.
  • Kick the Dog: Always on the receiving end of this.
  • Kind Hearted Simpleton: Usually cheerful and innocent, although it's implied that it's mostly because of his Butt-Monkey status that he's such an Extreme Doormat.
  • Leave the Two Lovebirds Alone: When left alone with Patti. It doesn't work.
  • Manchild: He's an adult who acts like a (clueless and immature) 12 year old boy. And he still lives with his mother.
  • Momma's Boy: He defines this trope. It's hard to think of an episode where Silvano appears without talking about his mother.
  • Out of Focus: In seasons 1-5 he's basically the third most prominent character (after Luca and Paolo). In season 6, he's just one of the many secondary characters.
  • The Pollyanna: Despite all the abuse he gets, he keeps a cheerful disposition most of the time.
  • Smart People Play Chess: As seen in the episode "Scacchi" where he proudly claims to be a champion.
  • Throw the Dog a Bone: Roughly 5% of the time, Silvano actually gets the last laugh at the end of the episode. Most notably in the episodes "Il fattore Geller", "La vendetta di Luca", "Sfida tra ruoli, "Tormentone", "Chat", "L'ascensore", "Zitta", "Lavaggio del cervello" and maybe some more.
  • Too Dumb to Live: And how. The reason why he keeps falling for Luca and Paolo's pranks. Considering the nature of these pranks, Silvano is lucky to be still alive.
  • Unusual Euphemism: See Catchphrase.
  • Virginity Makes You Stupid: Much to his girlfriend's chagrin.

    Patrizia "Patti" D'Imporzano 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/imagesp_7132.jpg
Patti
Played by Debora Villa.

Simply known as "Cesso" (Toilet), Patti is the flat-out ugliest one in the company. She's still a maiden despite her age in a platonic relationship with Silvano.

Eager to work and kind to everyone, despite waiting for the right person to lose her virginity with (Silvano), she's actually willing to settle with pretty much anyone else.

As of season 5, she's pregnant with Silvano being the father. As of season 6, she's Put on a Bus, but is still mentioned by Silvano, now her husband.

French counterpart: Maéva Capucin.

(seasons 1-5)

  • Abhorrent Admirer: To all the male characters.
  • All of the Other Reindeer: Unattractive, clumsy and stupid, Patti is regularly mistreated and insulted by everyone.
  • Annoying Patient: In season 5. Her pregnancy makes her insufferable in pretty much every episode.
  • Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: There's an episode named "Attention Deficit Disorder" which is mostly about her.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: Usually friendly and easygoing, Patti can be very aggressive when she wants to. Just watch the episode "Serialmania".
  • Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Especially in later seasons.
  • Butt-Monkey: She is regularly made fun of and ridiculed by everyone, especially for her physical appearance. She's also involved in slapstick just as much as the guys.
  • Chastity Couple: With Silvano, until season 5.
  • Clingy Jealous Girl: If any girl shows minor interest in her "boyfriend" Silvano.
  • Covert Pervert: And how. She also wrote an erotic novel which became a best seller.
  • Cloudcuckoolander: Most of the time, she seems rather absent-minded.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Even Patti has a few good snarky lines, every now and then. She's actually quite sarcastic in her own Cloudcuckoolander way.
  • The Ditz: In addition of being ugly, she has a notable "airhead" personality.
  • Ditzy Secretary: Much to the annoyance of her boss Ilaria, since Patti is always messing up.
  • Friend to All Living Things: She loves animals.
  • Genki Girl: Patti is very perky and energetic.
  • The Ghost: She becomes this in season 6, as her character never appears on screen but she's still mentioned by Silvano.
  • Gonk: Of course. Luca and Paolo (and everyone else except Silvano) love to remind her how much she is ugly pretty much all the time. And when they made their personal ranking list for "hottest girl in the office", she ranked last... right after Silvano and the coffee machine.
  • Granola Girl: She's an idealistic woman who seems to love nature and animals, she also takes part of associations and she's a vegetarian.
  • The Grotesque: At least she's supposed to be this; a naive, good-hearted Granola Girl who is bullied by her cruel co-workers for her hideous appearance.
  • Hair-Trigger Temper: Especially with Silvano.
  • Kindhearted Cat Lover: Patti adores her cat named Marylin.
  • Large Ham: Both in her perky/happy mood and in her angry Drama Queen mood. She's the only female character to be this.
  • Motor Mouth: She can talk insanely fast at times.
  • Odd Friendship: Notably with Alex, the slutty party girl who is her total opposite. She also gets along with Anna, but that's less odd because they have a lot in common.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: "Patti", that's it. Or "monster", "toilet" or basically any insult related to her physical appearance.
    Luca: "Is Patti short for Pattumiera?" ("pattumiera" is the Italian word for "garbage bin")
  • Ping Pong Naïveté: As ditzy as she is, many times she seems wiser and less naive than Silvano.
  • Put on a Bus: After season 5. According to Silvano, now her husband, she's at home to raise their child. Possibly the only character whose departure was explained, since many other characters just inexplicably disappear between seasons.
  • Shrinking Violet: Initially, at least.
  • Spell My Name with a "The": Often referred to as "la Patti" by other characters, which means "the Patti".
  • Spotlight-Stealing Squad: In season 5 because of her pregnancy.
  • Strange Minds Think Alike: She and Silvano.
  • Tomboy and Girly Girl: The Girly Girl to Alex's Tomboy. She always wears tacky feminine clothes, loves cats and soap operas, while Alex is The Lad-ette and The Stoner.
  • Took a Level in Jerkass: Definitely in season 5. Occasionally in the earlier episodes too.
  • Tsundere: Type B, to Silvano.
  • Virginity Makes You Stupid: She fits this trope very well, although her fellow virgin Silvano is even worse.
  • Yandere: Occasionally.

    Augusto De Marinis 
"You're a MORON!"

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/download_7_5096.jpg
Augusto De Marinis
Played by Renato Liprandi.

The director in charge of the company as a whole. Highly conservative and, although not explicitly, rightist, he doesn't think about Luca as an actual "menace".

Despite he's far from being a Big Bad, he's still a despicable character, given the bossy way he acts towards the workers. This, unless there's someone somewhat "stronger" than him.

French counterpart: Jean-Guy Lecointre.

(seasons 1-6)

  • Bad Boss: All his employees (except maybe Ilaria and Gaia) hate him for a very good reason.
  • Brutal Honesty: In the way he always insults his employees.
  • Catchphrase:
    • "YOU MORON!" To everyone.
    • "THE STAAIRS!!" when he sees someone who's going to take the elevator.
  • Corrupt Corporate Executive: He's quite cruel and we can make a list of all the illegal things he did on the show.
  • Deadpan Snarker: He's pretty good at being snarky.
  • Dirty Old Man: He cheats on his wife and often shows sexual attraction towards younger women.
  • Embarrassing Middle Name: Stanislao Maria.
  • Enemy Mine: With Luca, regularly.
  • Freudian Excuse:
    • One of his sons is in a mental hospital because he tried to kill him.
    • Now he's the boss and loves to call everyone "morons", but it's revealed that, a long time ago, before his promotion to director, "moron" was his nickname among the other co-workers.
  • George Jetson Job Security: One of his favorite ways to scold his employees is threatening to fire them.
  • Hair-Trigger Temper: He is quite easily pissed off.
  • "I Am" Song: "I am the director!" in an episode involving a singing contest.
  • Jerkass: Arguably the worst jerk on the show.
  • Jerkass Has a Point: Can you blame him for being always mad at Luca and Paolo?
  • Karma Houdini: Aside from rare exceptions, he fits the trope very well.
  • Large Ham: "YOU MORON!".
  • Last-Name Basis:
    • Justified, as he's the boss. He's always referred to by his last name De Marinis.
    • For some reason, De Marinis himself usually calls Luca and Paolo (and rarely Silvano) by their last names ("Bitta, you're a MORON!!"), and everyone else by their first names.
  • Manipulative Bastard: In spades. Though Geller is even better at this.
  • Mean Boss: He even admits that he insults his workers just because it's funny.
  • Politically Incorrect Villain: Everyone knows how much he's homophobic, racist and elitist.
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech: His speciality.

    Olmo Ghesizzi 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/olmo_camera_caf_8923.bmp
Olmo with Anna.
Played by Carlo Giuseppe Gabardini.

The overweight, nerdy computer expert. Single father with a little kid, Olmo is pretty lazy and an easygoing person. Not without his quirks but still one of the closest characters to be the Only Sane Man.

(seasons 1-5)

  • Acrofatic: Despite his weight, he loves surf and extreme sports.
  • Big Eater: Until he lost weight in season 5.
  • Big Fun: He's large and rather easygoing.
  • Brilliant, but Lazy: Olmo is pretty competent and capable, but he's pretty much a slacker like Luca and Paolo.
  • Canon Foreigner: Out of the characters introduced in season 1, he is the only one who doesn't have a counterpart in the original French version of the sitcom.
  • Cassandra Truth: Nobody in the office believe that Olmo had sex with a model and she is the mother of his son.
  • Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Unlike Patti (who is Put on a Bus), Olmo's absence in season 6 is never explained.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Due to his Only Sane Man status.
  • Dogged Nice Guy: Towards Anna.
  • Fat Comic Relief: Many many fat jokes about him in the first four seasons. He lost his weight in season 5.
  • Fat Best Friend: To both Luca and Paolo. Basically the only character who is on good terms with them without being one of their enemies or their victims.
  • Good Is Not Dumb: He's much nicer than Luca and Paolo (though he also has his Jerkass moments) but unlike Silvano, he's not a pushover and doesn't let people walk over him.
  • Hypercompetent Sidekick: Often serves as this to Luca and/or Paolo, thanks to his computer skills.
  • Only Sane Man: Shares this role with Luca most of the time.
  • Perpetual Poverty: Besides Anna, he's the only character who's constantly struggling with money. He's also one of the lowest paid employees and is a single father of a baby.
  • Straight Man: In many episodes, especially when Luca is not around, he serves as this for other co-workers.

    Alessandra "Alex" Costa 
"Luuuuuuuuca!!"

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/download_8_3003.jpg
Alex with Luca
Played by Sabrina Corabi.

Alex is Luca's so-called, self-appointed girlfriend. A relatively minor character in the show, this secretary has actually slept with pretty much everyone in the company. She's also a stoner, and none of her brothers has an honest life in any way.

French counterpart: Frédérique Castelli, aka "Fred".

(seasons 1-6)

  • Clingy Jealous Girl: Alex cheats on Luca constantly, yet she's always jealous when Luca seems interested in some other girl.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Non as much as Luca but she has her moments.
  • Establishing Character Moment: The episode guest starring Luca's pen friend ends with something that could only be defined as a (thankfully lampshaded) Dethroning Moment Of Suck, quickly establishing her as one of the least likeable characters in the entire shownote .
  • Friends with Benefits: What her relationship with Luca amounts to.
  • Hard-Drinking Party Girl: Basically all her life is about parties, alcohol, and drugs (and sleeping around...)
  • Hypocrite: Slutty, yet jealous of Luca.
  • Jerkass: Big time. She's usually a bitch to Luca. Although Luca is far from a good person, you can feel sorry for the way Alex treats him.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Weirdly enough she's one of the few characters who is actually nice to Patti. In early seasons she also has moments where she tries to be nice to Silvano (though they don't interact much).
  • Karma Houdini: No matter how much she betrays Luca, she never pays for her unfaithfulness.
  • Kubrick Stare: She uses this expression every single time she's mad at someone (mostly Luca).
  • The Lad-ette: An aggressive, sexually active Hard-Drinking Party Girl, and a stoner to boot.
  • Ms. Fanservice: Usually wears tight T-shirts and mini skirts.
  • No Indoor Voice: She yells a lot. Especially at Luca.
  • Odd Friendship: With Patti, the ugly, naive, bullied secretary who is her total opposite. They seem to get along fairly well.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: She's only known as Alex.
  • Out of Focus: In season 6, after her break-up with Luca, she becomes less important.
  • Really Gets Around: Her defining trait. She doesn't even try to hide it.
  • Sassy Secretary: A textbook example.
  • Sexy Secretary: She's a very attractive secretary who Really Gets Around.
  • The Stoner: Just an Informed Flaw, though.
  • Took a Level in Kindness: In season 5 Alex, finally engaged to Luca, is not the rebellious slut that she used to be. Despite her troubled past being still mentioned, she's a completely changed woman, actually in love with Luca and even faithful to him. Subverted in season 6 where Alex is still shown to be a slutty girl who couldn't care less about Luca (and they have broken up for good).
  • Tomboy and Girly Girl: The Tomboy to Patti's Girly Girl. She is The Lad-ette, The Stoner, and in early seasons has Boyish Short Hair, while Patti loves cats, soap operas, and always wears tacky feminine clothes.
  • Tomboyish Name: Her nickname Alex, fitting her tomboyish personality. Even her French counter counterpart has a tomboyish nickname, Fred.
  • Tomboy with a Girly Streak: Despite all her The Lad-ette traits, she also likes gossip, shopping, and wearing skirts.
  • Tsundere: Type A, very very much so.

    Andrea Pellegrino 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/imagesa_723.jpg
Andrea
Played by Paolo Bufalino.

Andrea is Mr. De Marinis' personal driver, and he's pretty much exactly as violent as the stereotypical bodyguard he looks like: he delivers a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown almost every single time he's featured in a sketch.

French counterpart: André Markowicz.

(seasons 1-6)

  • Advertised Extra: Still credited as a regular in season 6, but his role is much smaller compared to the previous seasons. He rarely appears.
  • Ax-Crazy: While more calm than Vittorio, he's still a psychopathic bully who takes pleasure in beating people.
  • Badass Driver: Not really. He's a badass and he's a driver, but we don't know anything about his driving skills, it's just his job.
  • Badass in a Nice Suit: He's always seen dressed in a black suit.
  • Batter Up!: He occasionaly brings a baseball bat with him which he obviously uses for his beatings.
  • The Bad Guy Wins: Andrea always wins.
  • Bald of Evil: But calling him bald is another way to make him angry...
  • Beard of Evil: He has a beard and is extremely violent and sadistic.
  • Berserk Button: You just can't know what could either piss him off or calm him down. Be prepared!
  • Bruiser with a Soft Center: Very rarely, but he shows his softer side in a couple of episodes, although he always goes back to being a sadist every time.
  • The Brute: He's the strongest character, the most brutal, and uses violence to solve everything. However he's not stupid at all.
  • The Bully: And that's one of the nicest terms to describe him.
  • Camera Abuse: The usual modus operandi he uses to pull off a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown.
  • Deadpan Snarker: He always has a good Pre-Asskicking One-Liner.
  • Diabolus ex Machina: He usually shows up at the end of the episode in order to ruin Luca and Paolo's fun.
  • Disproportionate Retribution: He is very fond of this. Whenever he feels slightly insulted or annoyed by someone's comment (any comment, even the most innocent), he thinks it's a good reason for beating this person up.
  • The Dreaded: Everyone is terrified of him, for very good reasons.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He genuinely cared about his old primary school teacher, apparently his Morality Pet (ironically she turns out to be an unlikable bitch who hates him and treats him like crap). He also fell in love three times throughout the show, and all three times he was willing to change his ways for his woman. It never lasted long, obviously. He also loves his vicious dog Pietà. When he has to put through euthanasia he's deeply depressed.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: He didn't beat Patti in season 5 because she was pregnant.
  • For the Evulz: Forget Disproportionate Retribution, this is the real reason why Andrea does anything he does.
  • Jerk Jock: An adult version. He apparently attends a gym along with other thuggish friends and it's revealed he trains himself by hitting the heads of random people with his baseball bat (one of his favorite "weapons" even at work).
  • Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: The few times he shows some pity or even an emotional side he almost immediatly goes back to being the sadist and evil bully he always was.
  • Karma Houdini: Just watch the show. Andrea is this trope personified, since he never gets punished for his acts of violence.
  • Lack of Empathy: The most triumphant example: Andrea is ruthless and just beats people because they're annoying him.
  • Laughably Evil: Andrea's appearances are usually the funniest moments of the episode.
  • Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant: In-universe.
  • No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Pretty much anytime he appears, usually following a Psychotic Smirk.
  • Out-of-Character Moment: In one episode a group of employees were singing "happy birthday" to Luca. He was one of this group. And Andrea is not the kind of guy who sings "happy birthday" to anyone, especially Luca and Paolo.
  • Out of Focus: Big time in season 6. He only appears very rarely.
  • Psycho for Hire: He clearly enjoys being violent and seeing his victims suffer.
  • Sadist: The most violent, sadistic character on the show.
  • Slasher Smile: Usually when he's about to beat someone.
  • Softspoken Sadist: He rarely raises his voce.
  • The Sociopath: You can't be more of a sociopath than this guy. The only purpose of his life is beating up people, he is sly, manipulative, and has no empathy for anyone.
  • Tranquil Fury: Usually, his facial expression doesn't change much, whether he's patiently listening to someone or doing what he wishes to do while trying his own patience, that is, beating the crap out of him.
  • Would Hit a Girl: Only occasionally though (he beats up Patti in "La maestra di Andrea" and Wanda in "Il brutto anatroccolo"). Otherwise, he's mostly violent towards the male characters.

    Giuseppe "Pippo" Lo Cascio 
"GOING RIGHT NOW!!"

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/camera_caf_pippo_7027.jpg
Pippo.
Played by Massimo Costa.

The homosexual office boy. Luca and Paolo's favorite Butt-Monkey when Silvano isn't around. A very common Running Gag is someone (usually Paolo) ordering Pippo to go to the bathroom, to get rid of him.

French counterpart: Philippe Gatin.

(seasons 1-6)

    Wanda Sordi 
"Yes, Mr. Luca."

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/imagesCA02O8DZ_8336.jpg
Wanda with Paolo.
Played by Margherita Fumero.

A naive, submissive elderly woman, usually abused and mistreated by everyone.

French counterpart: Annie Touchard.

(seasons 1-6)

  • Abhorrent Admirer: To Luca and Paolo on several occasions. Although half of time Paolo doesn't seem to mind (and he actually slept with her more than once), Luca on the other hand...
  • Beware the Nice Ones: She has her moments and can get pretty mean at times.
  • Butt-Monkey: Third biggest one on the show after Silvano and Patti.
  • Covert Pervert: Seemingly innocent, naive and motherly, but actually a Dirty Old Woman.
  • Dirty Old Woman: Not surprisingly, considering the show. She's often attracted to men who are much younger than her.
  • The Ditz: Due to senility, arguably.
  • Extreme Doormat: Most of the time, everyone takes advantage of her and treats her like crap.
  • Gonk: She and Patti are labeled as the ugliest women in the office (see the episode "Ugly Bitta"), although Wanda is considered less ugly than Patti. For example, Paolo is disgusted by Patti but he doesn't mind Wanda too much...
  • Kavorka Man: A female example. She's a homely old woman who gets several lovers on the show, including Paolo himself.
  • May–December Romance: He once had a 28 year old boyfriend.

    Vittorio Ubbiali 
"Ah, if it isn't that little comunist bastard with his tall, brainless pal!"

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/camera_caf_vittorio_7516.bmp
Vittorio.
Played by Riccardo Magherini.

The psychotic, neurotic, lunatic guard who's always threatening people with his gun.

(seasons 1-6)

  • Ax-Crazy: He's always carrying a loaded gun. In a business company where there's nobody else carrying a weapon.
  • Catchphrase: "That little comunist bastard and the tall brainless one" (Luca and Paolo respectively, of course) and "LET ME SEE YOUR BADGE!!!! BAAADGE! B-E-G-G..." (or other misspelling).
  • Character Tics: He's full of them.
  • Cloudcuckoolander: Vittorio is completely insane, in a violent, belligerent way.
  • Evil Is Hammy: He's more of a Large Ham than everyone else in the series.
  • The Guards Must Be Crazy: Or Ax-Crazy, in this case.
  • Gun Nut: He has a creepy relationship with his gun, and he's never seen without one.
  • Hidden Depths: His insanity makes him the only one who can handle Geller.
  • Insane Equals Violent: Not as physically violent as Andrea but he's a seriously disturbed, dangerous psycho.
  • Hair-Trigger Temper: He's a very unstable guy, anything can set him off.
  • Jerkass: No one who ever interacts with him is safe from being verbally harassed and held at gunpoint.
  • Laughably Evil: Even more so than Andrea, since he's an idiot and generally much more harmless and less scary.
  • Never Learned to Read: Just like Paolo, he's illiterate and unable to spell a word right.
  • The Nicknamer: He never uses people's real names (maybe he doesn't even know them). The initial quote is the only way he always refers to Luca and Paolo. Once he even called the director De Marinis "little capitalist bastard".
  • Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant: In-universe.
  • No Indoor Voice: He's always yelling.
  • Psycho for Hire: Maybe one phycho in the company wasn't enough, so we have two of them: Andrea and Vittorio.
  • Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: He has a habit of repeating the words and then doing the spelling of said words (the spelling is always completely wrong) with a No Indoor Voice.
  • "The Villain Sucks" Song: Unsurprisingly everyone hates Vittorio's guts. In the episode "Festa d'addio" when Vittorio wants to leave the company, his co-workers organize a party to celebrate the event, which includes a mocking, insulting song about him. Of course Vittorio changes his mind at the end and decides to keep his job in the company.

    Guido Geller 
"A long time ago, in an ancient region named Gu..."

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Camera_Cafe_Geller_Annoying_Laugh_8564.JPG
One of the few moments you'll see this man laughing, although in this case it doesn't match the situation, nor it is good to hear. Patti, we share your pain.
Played by Roberto Accornero

A post-merger character, the most important and the most feared. Everyone fears him, including De Marinis. He's the tall, serious, composed man who's always carrying that small red notebook.

Being the responsible of human resources, he can examine workers' every single movement...and write their name in the notebook whenever he decides they do something wrong or stupid. And it happens. Always.

(seasons 4-6)

  • Affably Evil: The evil part is debatable, but he's this in the eyes of the employees and is definitely a Manipulative Bastard.
  • Alliterative Name: Guido Geller.
  • Audible Sharpness: when taking out his notebook, to boot!
  • Breakout Character: He was immediately popular with the audience, because of his coolness, snarky lines and has great scenes with everyone. Out of the characters introduced in season 4, he's the only one who has still a prominent role in season 5.
  • Catchphrase: "You know, in an ancient region named Gu (or Fu/Nu/etc)..." following a weird story about ancient chinese populations. He narrates these stories/metaphors every time he wants to teach someone a lesson.
  • The Comically Serious: He's always serious and composed but that doesn't make him less funny.
  • Deadpan Snarker: In a very subtle way, he's always snarking.
  • The Dreaded
    Silvano: "Since the day I met Geller I have nightmares every night."
    Luca: "Since the day I met Geller I don't even sleep anymore."
  • From Nobody to Nightmare: A meta example. Accornero appeared as a guest star in previous seasons, playing a hobo particularly prone to drinking. By the end of the sketch, the guy ended up with the crap beaten out of him by Luca and Paolo; now, Roberto Accornero is back, with a permanent role, this time playing a character that happens to be the most feared, respected and powerful figure in the show.
  • Iconic Sequel Character: Most of the iconic characters are the ones introduced in season 1. The show tries to introduce several characters after season 1, but they never last for long... except for Geller, who is introduced in season 4, remains a main character in the following seasons, and is still one of the show's most recognizable characters.
  • Last-Name Basis: He's mostly called Dr. Geller (No, not that one) when the employees are talking to him, or just "Geller" when he's not around.
  • Manipulative Bastard: A big one, and that's why everyone fears him so much.
  • Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant: In-universe. He's actually even more feared than Andrea.
  • Not So Stoic: He has a few moments of this. He's usually stoic and loses his cool very rarely (like in "Il talento nascosto" in season 5).
  • Odd Friendship: With Vittorio of all people, since he's the only one who isn't terrified of him (he is just too crazy and couldn't care less about Geller's role in the company).
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: Yes, he really is. As cold as he seems, he's just doing his job.
  • Softspoken Sadist: In contrast to De Marinis.
  • Spotlight-Stealing Squad: And how. Geller is introduced in season 4 and immediately gets more screen time than everyone else (except Luca, Paolo, Patti and Silvano) and half of the cast (especially the female) was Demoted to Extra beacuse of him. He's actually hilarious.
  • The Stoic: Never has excessive reactions and always has the same facial expression.
  • Surrounded by Idiots: He's able to make everyone look like an idiot. And let's face it, everyone in the show is pretty much an idiot. Except Geller.
  • Tall, Dark, and Snarky: Mostly tall and snarky. He also has brown hair.

Former Supporting Characters

    Ilaria Tanadale 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/camera_caf_ilaria_8726.jpg
Ilaria.
Played by Claudia Barbieri.

The second most important person in the company, next to De Marinis, Ilaria is the strict Marketing director. While powerful and respected, she has basically no life outside the workplace and is considered by everyone a bitter middle-aged woman.

French counterpart: Carole Dussier-Belmont.

(seasons 1-4)

  • Brainy Brunette: Probably the woman with the most successful academic career.
  • Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Completely disappears in season 5 with no explanation.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Mainly in her Snark-to-Snark Combat with Gaia.
  • Ice Queen: Her cold attitude is the reason why she's not well-liked.
  • Informed Flaw: In the show Ilaria is often looked down on for being "old and unattractive", especially compared to the younger and prettier Gaia, but she's actually only 38 and is clearly a very good-looking woman.
  • Lonely at the Top: She's the woman with the highest position in the company, but is disliked by all her employees, has no social life, and is considered "too old" by men.
  • Married to the Job: So devoted to her career that she's completely alone.
  • Mean Boss: To a lesser extent than De Marinis though. Her secretary Patti definitely sees her as one.
  • Number Two: To De Marinis.
  • Overshadowed by Awesome: She's good-looking, smart, and competent, but despite her higher level position, she often ends up overshadowed by Gaia, who is younger (i.e. hotter), more popular, and has a great social life outside of work. The same applies when it comes to Maria Eleonora, who is even more competent and hard-working than Ilaria, other than being younger and more popular.
  • The Rival: To Gaia (season 1-3, a couple of episodes in season 4) and Maria Eleonora (season 4)
  • Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: Ilaria and Gaia. In season 4, with Gaia's appearances being less and less frequent, Maria Eleonora becomes Ilaria's main rival.

    Gaia De Bernardi 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/camera_caf_gaia_3860.jpg
Gaia.
Played by Roberta Garzia.

Vice Marketing Manager of the company, Gaia is a smart, beautiful, rich, successful woman whose eternal competition with Ilaria is well known by everyone. Unlike Ilaria, she's liked by everyone, especially the guys; much to her dismay she's the main object of Paolo's desire.

French counterpart: Nancy Langeais.

(seasons 1-4)

  • The Ace: Has beauty, brains, athletic skills, and a successful career. All the men are attracted to her. That said, she's not completely immune to Not So Above It All and even Butt-Monkey moments.
  • Advertised Extra: Still credited as a regular in season 4, but she works for another company and doesn't appear very often.
  • Always Someone Better: To Ilaria.
  • Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Disappears in season 5 with no explanation.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Especially towards Paolo and Ilaria.
  • Defrosting Ice Queen: Arguably in season 4.
  • Dude Magnet: All the men in the company (except Pippo and Silvano) lust after Gaia, especially Paolo, who constantly and unsuccessfully tries to hit on her. Hell, in one episode, even Andrea falls in love with her.
  • Fiery Redhead: Gaia has her moments.
  • Informed Attractiveness: She and Ilaria are both very good-looking, but it's repeatedly stated in-universe that Gaia is much more attractive.
  • Lovable Alpha Bitch: She's essentially a Rich Bitch but has a more likable attitude than Ilaria.
  • Lust Object: To Paolo who is the most obsessed with her.
  • Manipulative Bitch: It becomes a plot point in the episode "Una ragazza promettente".
  • Not So Above It All: She has a few moments of this. A shining example is one episode where she farts in front of Paolo.
    Paolo: "You kinda destroyed my dream, Gaia. To me, you were perfection. You were like a perfumed fl...a flower."
  • Out of Focus: Again, in season 4. She found a boyfriend in the rival company (Digitex) and rarely apperead again. The Paolo/Gaia dynamic was replaced by the similar Luca/Maria Eleonora one and the Ilaria/Gaia rivalry was replaced by the Ilaria/Maria Eleonora rivalry.
  • Rich Bitch: Mild version. Gaia comes from a wealthy family and she's shown to be a shallow bitch at times.
  • The Rival: Ilaria's rival of course. She usually wins.
  • Screw the Rules, I'm Beautiful!: She gets away with a lot of things because she's good-looking.
  • Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: With Ilaria.
  • Straight Man: Usually to Paolo's antics.
  • Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Gaia can be both bitchy or pleasant, depending on her mood and the person she's talking to.
  • Tsundere: Type A, to Paolo. Of course she hates him and he never had a chance with her, but she actually liked him the first time they met and she genuinely enjoyed their First Kiss. Too bad every time she seems pleasantly surprised by Paolo, he ruins everything a minute later, just for being...Paolo.
  • You Go, Girl!: She's great at sports (like swimming and tennis), as seen in a couple of episodes, where she has proven to be much more athletic than Luca and Paolo.

    Giovanna Caleffi 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/images235_4109.jpg
Giovanna (on the left)
Played by Giovanna Rei.

The young, sexy switchboard operator. Unambitious and not career oriented, Giovanna is your typical pretty and friendly girl, but still able to use her natural beauty to her advantage, whenever she needs something.

French counterpart: Julie Hassan, aka "Juju".

(seasons 1-4)

  • Advertised Extra: She rarely appears in season 4 but is still credited as a regular.
  • Ascended Extra: Compared to the first two seasons, she has a more prominent role in season 3, as she has more A Day in the Limelight episodes and interacts more often with the core cast. Inverted in season 4, where she's heavily Demoted to Extra.
  • Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Disappears in season 5 with no explanation.
  • Dude Magnet: Biggest one on the show along with Gaia and Caterina.
  • Flat Character: There's nothing really interesting about her, other than being eye-candy.
  • Girl Next Door: She's pretty friendly and approachable most of the time.
  • Head-Turning Beauty: Big time and Giovanna is well aware that all the guys find her attractive.
  • Ms. Fanservice: Especially in the episode where all the women are wearing a bikini.
  • Never Bareheaded: In seasons 1-3 she's rarely seen without her trademark bandanna. The reason is because the bandana serves to hide a serious dandruff problem.
  • Out of Focus: In season 4, to the point that people wonder why she was still credited.
  • Screw the Rules, I'm Beautiful!: Like Gaia, she gets away with a lot of things because of her good looks.
  • Straight Man: Many of her interactions with other co-workers have her in the Only Sane Woman role.

    Anna Murazzi 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/camera_caf_anna_7856.bmp
Anna.
Played by Giorgia Cardaci.

An unlucky, not very bright secretary. After being dumped by her abusive husband, she's now a single mother with two little kids, always struggling with money and looking for a man.

French counterpart: Jeanne Bignon.

(seasons 1-2)

    Jessica 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/camera_caf_jessica_94.bmp
Jessica.
Played by Jessica Polsky.

The athletic yet elegant British manager. The only foreigner out of the regular characters.

(seasons 1-2)

    Emma Missale 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/untitled12_388.png
Emma.
Played by Linda Gennari.

The new secretary arrived in season 3 after Anna's departure. Luca seems to have a bit of crush on her but she isn't fond of him at all.

(seasons 3-4)

    Maria Eleonora Baù 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/camera_caf_maria_eleonora_7484.bmp
Maria Eleonora with Luca.
Played by Cecilia Cinardi.

Introduced in season 4, Maria Eleonora is an extremely cultured and competent young woman, object of Luca's unrequited affections. She's a nice, likable person but at the same time overly obsessive and neurotic and a bit of a perfectionist.

(season 4)

  • Accidental Misnaming: Many people find her name too long and tend to call her just "Eleonora". And she always replies: "It's Maria Eleonora!"
  • Always Someone Better: Like Gaia before her, she usually comes out on top in the episodes focusing on her rivalry with Ilaria, and men find her more attractive. She also plays this role to Patti in some episodes.
  • Benevolent Boss: The only one on the show. She's genuinely friendly to all the employees.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: When she's disappointed by Luca's behavior (very often), Maria Eleonora can be really nasty to him.
  • Brainy Brunette: Incredibly intelligent, cultured and much more competent than everyone else.
  • Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Despite her very prominent role in season 4, she disappears in season 5 with no explanation.
  • Control Freak: Being an obsessive perfectionist, she shows many tendencies of this trope.
  • Cute Bookworm: As revealed in the episode "Quando Ugo impazzisce", Maria Eleonora feels sorry for people who don't love reading.
  • The Friend Nobody Likes: Downplayed, as she's on friendly terms with her co-workers but her OCD and Motor Mouth tendencies tend to scare or annoy other people (aside from Luca). In one episode, she tries to befriend other women in the office, but fails.
  • Genki Girl: Despite being certainly sensible and reasonable, Maria Eleonora is kinda perky.
  • Go-Getter Girl: Adult example of an ambitious and driven career woman.
  • Good Is Not Dumb: She is friendly and idealistic, but far from stupid.
  • Insufferable Genius: At her worst. Sometimes people find her annoying for this reason.
  • Motor Mouth: At times.
  • Nice Girl: She's very nice and friendly, and not in a Bitch in Sheep's Clothing way like the other characters, as she treats everyone equally. She becomes rude only when Luca pushes her Berserk Button.
  • The Perfectionist: To a ridiculous degree.
  • The Rival: To Ilaria, since Ilaria's historical rival (Gaia) was Out of Focus in season 4.
  • Spotlight-Stealing Squad: She only appears in season 4, but she gets more screen time than any other female character in that season, except maybe Patti. Even Gaia was Demoted to Extra to the point that Maria Eleonora becomes Ilaria's main rival, and Luca forgets about his crush on Emma to hit on Maria Eleonora.
  • Token Good Teammate: Control Freak tendencies aside, she's possibly the most decent character ever appeared in the show.
  • Tsundere: To Luca. A type B (mostly sweet), but only because she's a genuinely sweet-natured person who's nice to everyone. She's not remotely interested in him and all Luca's attempts to win her heart are Failure Is the Only Option.
  • Workaholic: She takes her work way too seriously.

    Michele Carminati 
"FOR TOM WEIL!"

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/camera_caf_carminati_4347.bmp
Carminati (and his team).
Played by Fabrizio Careddu.

The main Digitex salesman and Paolo's rival and worst enemy. He's the most famous member of "Team Carminati" and strongly believes in the importance of the group work, thanks to the theories of Tom Weil, a fictional philosopher idolized by him and his co-workers.

(season 4)

  • Always Someone Better: Carminati (and his team) is a more successful salesman than Paolo, who was formerly known for being the best one in his company.
  • Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Disappears in season 5 with no explanation.
  • Friendly Enemy: To Paolo, sort of. The enmity is one-sided on Paolo's part and Carminati actually treats Paolo like a friend and wants him to join his team. Interestingly in the early pre-merger years the Digitex employees (like Vasile and Gustavo) hated Luca and Paolo just as much as Luca and Paolo hated them. As of season 4, once the merger and Carminati came along, the Digitex employees (former rivals) suddenly became friendly, with Luca and Paolo still hating and considering them rivals.
  • Goldfish Poop Gang: Carminati and his team (team Carminati).
  • Hero Antagonist: To Paolo's Villain Protagonist.
  • Last-Name Basis: He's only called by his last name Carminati.
  • The Leader: Of his team (he has always 2 or 3 unnamed one-dimensional guys following him everywhere). However, he insists he's not the leader and that they're all equally important.
  • Nice Guy: He's always friendly to Paolo, even though he knows that Paolo hates him.
  • The Rival: To Paolo.
  • Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: Paolo sees him as this but not the other way around.
  • True Companions: Again, Carminati and his team. This trope backfires in one episode, when he actually does the "Tom Weil test" by falling on his back deliberately: his team must be ready to catch him before he falls on the nails on the floor. Unfortunately for him, he does this while delivering a Rousing Speech about his belief in the importance of teamwork, which ends with his "For Tom Weil!", which his co-workers are basically programmed to answer with a "hip hip, hooray!", complete with a re-enactment of The Three Musketeers' well-known Stab the Sky (see the page picture for True Companions) with their pens, by that point of the episode. Cue him falling on his back, and on the nails as well (which promptly stab him).
  • Wide-Eyed Idealist: To the extreme.

    Caterina Farini 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/camera_caf_caterina_5603.bmp
Caterina.
Played by Elena Santarelli.

A young, attractive girl who works in the company's nursery. She hates her job and always looks aloof and annoyed with everyone.

(season 4)

  • All Girls Want Bad Boys: In the episode "Il dominatore", she tells Luca and Paolo that she hates doormats and loves dominant men; afterwards when Paolo starts treating her like dirt and acting like an arrogant, rude "dominant man", Caterina actually starts liking him.
  • Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: In season 5.
  • Deadpan Snarker: She has her moments.
    Luca: "So one of these days, do you wanna go out with me?"
    Caterina: "I'm sorry, one of these days I'm busy."
    Luca: ""What? Are you busy every day?!"
    Caterina: "No, just the one you were thinking of. What a coincidence, right? "
  • Dude Magnet: She has many admirers (Luca, Paolo, Olmo...), much to her annoyance.
  • Dumb Blonde: Averted actually. While Caterina is lazy, possibly Book Dumb and bad at her job, she is far from being as stupid as other characters.
  • Everyone Loves Blondes: She's a blonde girl who is considered hot by the men in the company.
  • Flat Character: Her character is a bit...pointless. Just another hot girl who serves as Ms. Fanservice and a Foil to Luca and Paolo's antics.
  • Head-Turning Beauty: Considered by Luca and Paolo one of the sexiest girls in the company along with Giovanna.
  • Ice Queen: Usually reserved and aloof and not exactly a friendly person.
  • Ms. Fanservice: Inevitably, being played by a quite famous Italian model and showgirl.
  • Perpetual Frowner: She rarely smiles.
  • Statuesque Stunner: Played by the very tall Elena Santarelli.

    Gloria 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/camera_caf_gloria_8395.jpg
From left to right: Luca, Gloria and Geller.
Played by Desy Luccini.

She is the beautiful yet extremely dim-witted new secretary of the company.

(season 5)

  • Brainless Beauty: A textbook example. In fact her character was created just to be this trope. She's a Ms. Fanservice (played by model Desy Luccini) and the "brainless" part is exaggerated.
  • Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Not even mentioned in season 6.
  • Cute, but Cacophonic: Especially when she laughs.
  • The Ditz: She actually makes Paolo look like a genius. In one episode she actually falls for Paolo because of how "intellectual" he is (we are talking about Paolo, an ignorant illiterate moron of epic proportions) and then changing her mind because Paolo is too "smart" for her.
  • Ditzy Secretary: Like Anna in the first two seasons, but even more of an airhead.
  • Dumb Is Good: She's the only character who never has Jerkass moments. Since, this is Camera Cafè, that's saying a lot.
  • Hidden Depths:
    • Despite her general incompetence she has a hidden "talent": being always able to know what time is it, without looking at the watch.
    • Despite being the dumbest character on the show and having even less common sense than Paolo, she's less ignorant than him. She's still extremely ignorant and Book Dumb, but at least she knows the meaning of some words Paolo doesn't know, and was also able to correct one of Paolo's spelling mistakes.
  • Horrible Judge of Character: She thinks Paolo is smart. Paolo can be considered "smart" only compared to her.
  • Kindhearted Simpleton: Always well-meaning and friendly, but her idiocy makes her insufferable.
  • Ms. Fanservice: One of the most obvious examples.
  • Naïve Newcomer: A new secretary introduced in season 5 who is oblivious about pretty much everything.
  • Nice Girl: The only character who has never been mean, rude, or malicious. Not even once.
  • Oblivious to Love: Well, oblivious to lust, when it comes to Paolo.
  • Only One Name: As far as we know.
  • Sexy Secretary: Very much so.

    Lucrezia Orsini 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/camera_caf_lucrezia_9784.jpg
Lucrezia.
Played by Roberta Nanni.

A new manager of the company who has an obsessive crush on Paolo.

(season 5)

Season 6 Characters

     Dr. Corte 
Played by Serena Autieri.

An attractive and competent woman who is the new manager.

(season 6)

    Beatrice Mucciardini 
Played by Ippolita Baldini

Dr. Corte's plain-looking and cynical secretary.

(season 6)

  • Butt-Monkey: Most people treat her like crap. A running gag has Luca and Paolo saying "WE ARE TALKING" and scaring her away every time she meets them.
  • Cloudcuckoolander: Her behavior in some episode suggests she's a bit mentally unstable.
  • The Eeyore: Complains a lot about being lonely and ignored.
  • Perpetual Frowner: Her default facial expression.
  • Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Patti. In one episode she even tries to impersonate Patti herself in order to be noticed by Silvano.

    Stefano Ambrosini 
Played by Marco Palvetti

A new young employee.

(season 6)

    Chiara Giordano 
Played by Sara Cardinaletti

A pretty girl obsessed with social networks.

(season 6)

  • Brainless Beauty: She's very pretty, but also clueless about anything that is not related to social networks, followers, selfies, instagram, and the like.
  • Head-Turning Beauty: Luca and Paolo are attracted to her, but she regards them as old men and even compares them to her father.
  • Phoneaholic Teenager: A young, ditzy girl who is always attached to her cell Phone.

    Fegato Marcio 
Played by Pier Giorgio Bellocchio

A disabled and cynical employee who hates everyone.

(season 6)

    Martina Paroli 
Played by Brenda Lodigiani

A sassy and good-looking girl who is frequently hit on by Paolo.

(season 6)

  • Deadpan Snarker: She snarks especially at Paolo when he's hitting on her, but not just him. Out of all the female characters introduced in season 6, she's by far the snarkiest.
  • Head-Turning Beauty: She's considered hot by her male co-workers.
  • Tomboy: Dresses like a tomboy, has the attitude, and is quite lazy, snarky, and brutally honest.

    Asafa N'Kono 
Played by Alberto Malanchino

An immigrant who works for Luca.

(season 6)

  • Butt-Monkey: Luca treats him like a slave and makes a lot of racist remarks about him.
  • Hidden Depths: He's actually quite smart and cunning, despite his low status.
  • Token Minority: And since this is a Sadist Show, he's just there to be the target of politically incorrect jokes.

    Lin 
Played by Liyu Jin

The president's Chinese wife.

(season 6)

    Arianna Marelli 
Played by Roberta Mengozzi

The new secretary for De Marinis.

(season 6)

Others

    Minor Characters 

Sergio

Played by Ernesto Mahieux.

The company's psychologist. (season 1)

Nadia

Played by Carla Signoris.

The company's psychologist. (seasons 2-3)

Chiara De Marinis

Played by Luciana Littizzetto.

The director's despotic daughter. (seasons 1-2)

Elisabetta "Titti" D'Imporzano

Played by Claudia Gerini.

Patti's attractive sister. (season 1)

Mauro Cestelli

Played by Paolo Pierobon.

The company's doctor. (season 2)

Loredana

Played by Silvia Giordano

The cleaning lady. (season 2)

Anselmo Pedone

Played by Massimo Ranieri.

A shy, awkward Butt-Monkey who has stuttering problems. Basically another Silvano with a speech impediment. (seasons 2-3)

Roberto

Played by Michele Alhaique.

A new employee with a little experience, who (unlike the other people) worships Paolo. His main goal is trying to be like him in every way. Paolo, on the other hand, considers him just an annoyance. (season 3)

Vasile Rovinescu

Played by Dino Abbrescia.

A Digitex (the rival company) employee who hates Luca and Paolo with a passion. (season 3)

Gustavo

Played by Massimo Tomassoni.

Vasile's friend known for his extreme good luck. (season 3)

Giuseppe "Ciccio Riccio" Ricciuti

Played by Federico Bonaconza

A short-lived character on the sitcom and a total nutcase. (season 3)

Carlotta Russo

Played by Lucia Ocone.

Luca and Alex's wedding planner. (season 5)

  • Ascended Extra: Lucia Ocone was supposed to appear as a special guest in just one episode. The cast enjoyed working with her so much that the writers added more episodes with her character involved.

    Unseen Characters 

  • The Ghost: All these characters are often mentioned, but are never seen physically in the show.

Valeria Bitta

Paolo's wife, just as "faithful" to her husband as he is to her. Possibly the most well known unseen character.

  • Clingy Jealous Girl: Understandably.
  • Depending on the Writer: Valeria, being mentioned so frequently in the episodes, is a common victim of this. Sometimes she seems a long-suffering Only Sane Woman, sometimes she's flighty and promiscuous. In one episode, Paolo even reveals that she's insane and really mentally disturbed (probably due to her having to put up with her husband's antics). The description of her physical appearance is also inconsistent, and so is her intelligence (see Took a Level in Dumbass).
  • Dumb Blonde: She's blonde, as mentioned by Paolo in a couple of episodes, and according to the episode "Q.I." (or "I.Q."), she's even dumber than Paolo, and the dumbest one in Paolo's family.
  • Housewife: Valeria is often mentioned to be a housewife, so Paolo is the only one who "works", apparently.
  • The Masochism Tango: Her marriage with Paolo. They both cheat on each other and they fight all the time. It doesn't help that Paolo is always drunk.
  • Not So Above It All: While she's obviously closer to earth than her husband, Valeria still seems a seriously messed up woman (again, according to Paolo's stories).
  • Took a Level in Dumbass: In a season 2 episode Paolo discovered that she used to be a brilliant and overachieving student. Later it's revealed that her I.Q. (2) is even lower than Paolo's (12). Possibly a Series Continuity Error or maybe it's just due to the fact that she reached her husband's level with their marriage.
  • Women Are Wiser: To be fair, pretty much anyone would seem closer to earth compared to Paolo.

Jonathan Bitta

Paolo's oldest son, still with childish behaviour, but somewhat the most decent family member.

  • Characterization Marches On: In the beginning, he was portrayed as a terrible Bratty Half-Pint like his brother Brad, but at some point, to Paolo's absolute dismay, he started changing and becoming a good kid who likes reading and studying, as opposed to his sociopathic father and delinquent brother.
  • Enfant Terrible: Used to be this before Character Development, and can still be one at times (but less so than his brother), however in later seasons he's more a teenager.
  • Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: the Responsible to Brad's Foolish.
  • Only Sane Man: Compared to the rest of his family. According to Luca, he's the only one in Paolo's family who is not an illiterate idiot.
  • The Unfavorite: As pointed above, many episodes were focused on Paolo being mad at him because of his good grades and dedication to studies. Instead Paolo always favors little criminal Brad and he's totally proud of him.
  • Wacky Parent, Serious Child: With Paolo.
  • Where Did We Go Wrong?: Paolo's reaction when Jonathan started abandoning his bad habits and acting like a responsible kid.
  • Would Hit a Girl: He apparently gave Anna a black eye in one of the early episodes.

Brad Bitta

Paolo's youngest son. "The shortest serial killer in the world" according to his proud father.

Pino and Budello

Paolo's infamous best friends (other than Luca of course), just as uncultured and thoughtless as him and known for their criminal habits.

  • Aerith and Bob: Pino is a normal italian name. "Budello" is...well... And ironically Pino is just a nickname, while Budello apparently is not, see Only Known by Their Nickname below.
  • The Alcoholic: Pino known for his "grappa" (a alcoholic drink similar to Whisky) and possibly Budello as well.
  • The Brute: Budello. According to Paolo he could kick Andrea's ass any time.
  • Delinquents: Both of them are criminals.
  • Gasshole: If Paolo's stories are accurate...
  • Grease Monkey: Pino is a mechanic.
  • Men Are Uncultured: They are Paolo's best friends, after all.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: Weirdly enough just Pino, whose actual name is Odoacre Maria. "Budello" on the other hand is his real name, but even Paolo isn't exactly sure if it's the first or the last name.
  • Those Two Guys: They are often mentioned together as Paolo's two buddies, but Paolo also mentions them separately quite often.

Maruska

Paolo's favorite hooker.

Alessandra "Sandra" Rogi

Silvano's mom. No description needed.

Mrs. Bollini

A friend of Silvano and his mom. She's their old next door neighbor, and they play Scrabble together every week.

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