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Which beckons!

Atrapado en la comunidad, (Trapped in the community,)
ahora solo sueño de escapar, (now I only dream of escaping,)
en el vecindario no hay un solo día normal. (in this neighborhood there ain't a single normal day.)
Atrapado en la comunidad, (Trapped in the community,)
y un millón de letras por pagar, (and a million bills left to pay,)
pasen y disfruten, tengo piso en Montepinar. (come in and enjoy, I got a flat in Montepinar.)
—Fragment of the Theme Tune from the early seasons

From the writers of another well known Spanish comedy series, Aquí no hay quien viva ("Nobody Can Live Here") comes La Que Se Avecina (which could be translated to English as "What's Yet to Come"), a Slice of Life sitcom which happens in a new building called Viewpoint of Pinemountain (Mirador de Montepinar). A humorous series showing conflicts and everyday problems that face the inhabitants and workers of the building.

The main characters at the start of the series (almost all of them played by the same cast of Aqui No Hay Quien Viva) are:

  • An antisocial couple, Antonio and Berta;
  • Enrique and his family which consists of his wife Araceli, their son Fran and Araceli's mother Charo;
  • a newly married couple, Javi and Lola;
  • Javi's pre-retired parents Goya and Vicente;
  • the "annoying pest", Leo;
  • the "Cuquis" and their three children;
  • German Pallomares, an antisocial defaulter;
  • Two squatters, Izascun and Maritere;
  • two brothers, Sergio and Joaquín Arias;
  • the porter Maxi and the gardener Coque,
  • Raquel, boss of Joaquin;
  • Cristina, an unlucky woman who was abandoned by her fiance just after spending all her money to buy an apartment.

Starting with the second season, several characters leave the series, while new characters are introduced over the years. Some of the main additions are: Raquel's cousin Nines; Judith Becker, a psychologist; Estela Reynolds, who is Lola's eccentric mother; Reyes, Araceli's girlfriend; Justi, Amador's mother; Fermín Trujillo, Lola's father; Rebeca Ortiz, Judith's lawyer and friend; the pianist Bruno.

Other recurring characters include Parrales, Antonio's employee; Violeta, Antonio's schizophrenic sister; Alba, Antonio and Berta's daughter; "La Chusa", Coque's junkie ex-girlfriend; Berta's priest, among many others.


This show provides examples of:

  • A Friend in Need:
    • In Season 3, after the "Cuquis" break up, Amador's friend Leo lets him stay at his place for a few months. Leo also lent 50.000 euros to Amador in the name of friendship so that Amador could buy a better apartment and make up with la Cuqui. Subverted in Season 6 and Season 7 when Leo refuses to take the "Cuquis" in after they are evicted by the bank.
    • In the Season 4 finale, Antonio breaks up with Berta and has nowhere to go so he ends up staying at his friend Enrique's flat. The entirety of the episode (and especially the end) also qualifies. Subverted in Season 5 when Enrique refuses to take a homeless Antonio in. Played straight again in Season 7 when Antonio moves in at Enrique's for the whole season.
  • All Men Are Perverts: Indeed, with very few exceptions.
  • Ambiguously Bi: Antonio. Although he is often obsessed with women and is an absolute homophobe, his behaviour also suggests that he might not be as heterosexual as he wants to believe.
    • In the Season 2 finale, he confessed his love for his friend Enrique, kissed him and told him that he was gay, yet in the Season 3 premiere that fact was not acknowledged by neither Antonio nor Enrique and the writers basically acted like it never happened.
    • Throughout the series he's kissed other men, got an erection due to a male massager, masturbated in front of Enrique, it's assumed that he had sex with Enrique once while both were high (when they could have easily hooked up with two sexy women), and has a psychotically co-dependent obsession with Enrique.
    • Other characters like Vicente, Judith, Raquel and others also have had gay tendencies at some point in the series.
  • Actor Allusion and Mythology Gag: To its 'predecessor' Aquí no hay quien viva.
    • Enrique and Araceli start as a couple, just like Juan and Isabel become in Aquí no hay quien viva. Fran (portrayed by Eduardo Garcia like Josemi) is their son.
    • Cris has a lot in common with Belén, Malena Alterio's character in Aquí no hay quien viva:
      • Both have an abusive landlord (Concha for Belén, Antonio for Cris).
      • In one episode, Maite asks Cris has to babysit his children. Coincidentally, Belén has also babysat Bea's (Eva Isanta's character in Aquí no hay quien viva) son.
      • In one episode, everyone believes Cris is a prostitute, just like in one episode of Aquí no hay quien viva everyone thinks Belén and Alicia are prostitutes.
    • After taking one of his mother-in-law's anti-depressives, Enrique wants to become president of the neighbor community, like Juan Cuesta, Jose Luis Gil's character in Aquí no hay quien viva.
    • Joaquín invites a girl to his house. When he encounters his brother in his house, despite telling him to go to the library, he says his brother is gay, which results in everyone believing Sergio is gay. Fernando (Adria Collado's character in Aquí no hay quien viva) was a gay man who tried to hide his homosexuality during the first season.
    • Charo calls Enrique "Chorizo", just like Concha (Emma Penella's character in Aquí no hay quien viva) calls Juan (Jose Luis Gil's character in Aquí no hay quien viva).
    • In a couple-switching party, the woman with which Enrique switches his couple tells him he reminds her of her son's teacher. Juan Cuesta (Jose Luis Gil's character in Aquí no hay quien viva) was a teacher.
    • Enrique and Nines have an argument, and then end up in bed, like Emilio and Belén did several times in Aquí no hay quien viva.
    • In the Season 2 Finale, Enrique says he's going to move out. He mentions having seen an apartment in Desengaño Street. The Original Series took place in Desengaño 21.
    • While keeping Enrique's date captive, Antonio poses as a priest. Salvador Villarejo (Jordi Sanchez's character in Aquí no hay quien viva) was a priest.
    • In Season 6, Fernando Tejero plays Fermín, Lola's dad. When Fermin sees Enrique (José Luis Gil) and Maxi (Eduardo Gómez), he recalls knowing them from somewhere else. Fernando Tejero's character in Aqui No Hay Quien Viva, Emilio, was the son of Eduardo's character and had a father-son relationship with Jose Luis Gil's one.
  • Amicable Exes: Enrique and Araceli, Maxi and Izaskun, Leo and Nines, Berta and Coque, Bruno and la Cuqui.
  • Analogy Backfire
  • Aside Glance: Judith does this twice, and both times are hilarious.
  • Ask a Stupid Question...
  • Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: The "Cuquis", Amador and Teodoro, Enrique and Judith, Enrique and Antonio, Fermín and Estela, Fermín and Vicente.
  • Ax-Crazy: Antonio. To the point that sometimes his schizophrenic sister Violeta looks sane in comparison.
    • Well, to be fair Antonio may not be schizophrenic but he does have other mental disorders.
    • Patricio and many other episodic characters also fit this trope.
  • Bad Liar: Amador.
  • Being Good Sucks: Lampshaded by most neighbors with regard to Enrique as they rightfully think he's too much of a good guy.
  • Beware the Silly Ones: Antonio's sister, Violeta, can be very deadly when she is jealous.
  • Big Bad: Antonio is often portrayed this way, due to his obsession to take over the community.
  • Big Eater: Coque is a mild version of this in later seasons.
  • Big, Screwed-Up Family
    • The "Cuquis": Amador and Maite are both very flawed and unlucky and are always fighting; their fourth child's father is not Amador but a neighbor that la Cuqui had sex with, and he has autistic-like issues; Amador accidentally caused la Cuqui's father to have a heart-attack and died, and as a result her mother is in a constant depression; Amador's father is a closeted gay who never cared about him; Amador's got eleven flawed siblings to whom he's not close; and in later seasons the "Cuquis" are unemployed and homeless and la Cuqui has to serve time in jail for stealing in her workplace.
    • The Recio: Antonio is an extremely flawed character and Berta had an affair and is unhappy with Antonio; their daughter lives abroad and is transgender, much to their parents' disgust; Antonio had a son with Nines through IVF, -the boy was a "birthday present" for Berta but she didn't want more children- and he doesn't care much about either of his children; Antonio's dead parents were neglectful and in Season 6 he found out he was adopted; his sister Violeta is schizophrenic; Berta's mother is a pessimist who's always in pain and her father despises Antonio; and in Season 7, Antonio and Berta divorce each other and Berta comes out as bisexual and has a short relationship with Enrique's ex-wife Araceli before making up with Antonio again in the season finale.
    • The Pastor: Enrique's wife abandoned him with a note in the second season; she came back years later as a lesbian and has left him again several times; Enrique was kidnapped for four months in the Season 3 finale and as a result suffered from PTSD during the fourth season; his son Fran dropped out of school and is a rebellious teenager who in late Season 6 moves to Brazil with his over thirty-years-old girlfriend; Enrique doesn't have contact with his terrible father - who is also a pervert - and extended family; he starts dating a much younger woman, Judith, with whom he had a poisonous relationship until they get married at the end of Season 5; Judith fakes her pregnancy and later on fakes losing her baby, which results in a heartbroken Enrique leaving her; Judith turns out to actually be pregnant but moves to Chicago without telling Enrique and in Season 7 they divorce each other.
    • The Maroto-Trujillo: Starting with Javi and Lola's marital issues; Javi (nearly) had an affair with Lola's friend Raquel and they spent the whole sixth season at odds; in Season 7 they have a baby but Lola has post-partum depression and in the season finale she decides to stay in Colombia and join the FARC; Javi's parents, Goya and Vicente, can't stand each other; Goya dies in the Season 4 finale; Estela, Lola's neglectful mother, is mentally unstable and drives everyone crazy; and she has a love-hate relationship with Lola's father Fermín who Lola never met until now.
  • Bilingual Bonus: Matthew, who is a native English-speaker, whenever he speaks in English. Other characters have sometimes spoken in English but the vast majority of the characters are not bilingual, and in fact have a very poor knowledge of English or any other language that is not Spanish.
  • Bittersweet Ending: All the season finales can be seen as this, except for Season 1 and Season 2.
    • Season 3 ends with Berta leaving Antonio and Enrique being kidnapped by the defaulter.
    • Season 4 ends with Antonio discovering that one of his only friends, Coque, is his wife's lover. Also, Goya dies and Lola throws Estela out of her house because of Estela lying to Lola about who her real father is.
    • Season 5 ends with Araceli leaving Enrique and Reyes at the altar (but Enrique then marries Judith), and Amador is forced to move to his mother's town, separated from his friends.
    • Season 6 ends with Enrique and Judith breaking up and Judith discovering that she is pregnant, and the "Cuquis" being evicted by the bank.
    • Season 7 ends with La Cuqui having to do time in jail for at least 6 months and Lola abandoning her family to join the FARC. It's, however, one of the happiest season finales of the series because Antonio and Berta reconcile and Enrique and Judith agree on joint custody of their son Dylan.
  • Black Comedy
  • Blatant Lies: Lots of times, especially Amador's lies to la Cuqui about his jobs and money. Also, Enrique's lies to Antonio in Seasons 3 and 4 to protect him from finding out the truth and killing Coque.
  • Book Dumb: Amador. He's usually misspelling words and expressions, which results in Leo correcting him every time, much to Amador's annoyance.
    • Fran, too, who used to get very bad grades until he dropped out of school. Nines doesn't have a formal education either.
  • Breakout Character: Estela Reynolds, who was introduced as a supporting character to Javi and Lola, became surprisingly popular in season 3 (the season in which she appears for the first time). Season 4 has a plot centered around her in every episode, and Javi and Lola became HER supporting characters.
  • Break the Haughty: Antonio, definitely. Estela as well, to a lesser degree.
  • Brutal Honesty: Nines.
  • The Bus Came Back: Araceli returns to Mirador de Montepinar in Season 5 after leaving at the beginning of Season 2.
    • Also, Estela Reynolds reappears in the final episode of season 6 and is back in season 7 as a lead character for the whole season.
    • Sergio Arias comes back in Season 6 but doesn't appear in Season 7.
  • Building of Adventure: Naturally, as the show is set in an apartment building, although in later seasons, scenes outside the building became a regular occurrence.
  • Butt-Monkey: Nearly every character is this, but the most prominent ones are Antonio, Amador, Javi and Enrique.
  • Butch Lesbian: Reyes.
  • Casanova Wannabe: Amador.
  • Cassandra Gambit
  • Catchphrase: The series is full of catch phrases and most characters have several of their own. Just to name a few:
    • Antonio: "OK then, I'll confiscate your doormat!", and to Enrique: "Enrique, you're very negative. You undermine my morale!"
    • Amador: "You want salami?", and to Leo: "But don't touch me... Why do you touch me?"
    • Leo, to Amador: "Amador, you owe me 50.000 euros."
    • Estela: "Coffee?! In the morning?!". Also "Fucking stairs!", "Oh, what a gratuitous attack!" and "I'm so alone! So alone!".
    • Coque: "One little thing that comes to mind..."
  • Cat Fight: A lot of times; between la Cuqui and Goya, Judith and Raquel, Raquel and Lola... The show loves this trope.
  • Celebrity Paradox: La Chusa, Coque's ex-girlfriend, is played by the famous spanish actress Paz Padilla. When Coque sees a Paz Padilla's poster, he says: "Hey, that woman looks like la Chusa!".
  • Chastity Couple: Vicente and Fermín.
  • Christmas Episode: The Season 4 premiere, which was made to be broadcast on Christmas. Several more episodes has been made into Christmas Specials ever since.
  • Cloudcuckoolander: Most of the characters are this, but the most prominent example is Antonio's sister, Violeta.
  • Comically Missing the Point: Coque never gets the other characters' comments and jokes.
  • Comic Trio: Antonio, Enrique and Coque usually act as this with Antonio being the leader, Coque being the blindly obedient one and Enrique being the Only Sane Man.
  • Continuity Nod: Season 6 and onward seasons are full of this. This is due to the popularity of the previous seasons thanks to the reruns of the show.
  • Corrupt Politician: The mayor.
  • Cover Innocent Eyes and Ears: La Cuqui does this sometimes with her children whenever she and Amador are having an inappropriate conversation.
  • Crazy Jealous Guy: Amador tends to be this way with la Cuqui. Also, Antonio, during Season 4 after his wife confessed to him that she had a lover.
  • Crossover: The series ends up having two crossovers with El Pueblo in Seasons 12 and 13, including jokes with the physical resemblance between some characters (both series are from the same creators and share some of the same actors).
  • Dawson Casting: In-Universe example: Lola, who is in her thirties, plays Lucrecia in Bloody Boarding School, who is a teenager.
  • Deus Angst Machina: Antonio. And to a lesser extent, the "Cuquis", Javi and Enrique.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Nines, Leo and Fran are the most prominent examples.
  • Demoted to Extra: Enrique's son, Fran, loses importance from Season 4 onwards.
    • Also Izaskun and Maritere, who were very important characters in Season 1, after Season 2 became supporting characters that (very) rarely starred some plots.
  • Diegetic Soundtrack Usage: Judith and Nines sing part of the show's theme tune in season 6, episode 10.
  • Digging Yourself Deeper
  • Dirty Old Man: Enrique's father.
  • The Ditz: Coque, and to a lesser extent, Maritere.
  • Divorce Assets Conflict: The "Cuquis" during Seasons 3 and 4, and again in later seasons too.
    • In Season 7, Berta wants to divorce Antonio and the two quickly are at war, with Antonio refusing to give in to her demands and throwing Berta out of their house. As a result, Antonio ends up temporarily losing the flat to her and has to go live at Enrique's. They end up getting divorced but reconcile in the season 7 finale.
    • Enrique and Judith, in season 7 too, who do get divorced as well and in joint custody of their son Dylan.
  • Does Not Like Men: Reyes and Nines.
  • Dumb Blonde: Subverted with Raquel.
  • Dysfunctional Family: The most prominent examples are the "Cuquis", the Maroto-Trujillo, the Recio and the Pastor.
  • Dysfunction Junction: Indeed.
  • Early-Installment Weirdness: The first two seasons can come as a complete shock to any viewer who has started watching the show in the later seasons.
    • Basically, all the characters acted like normal human beings, being more calm, friendly or controlled before the Flanderization that they would suffer from the third season onwards. Antonio Recio and Amador Rivas are arguably the most glaring case: although Antonio was already a nasty hypocrite, he was still far from the sociopathic madman he would become over the course of the series. Meanwhile, although Amador is not what anyone would call cultured or particularly intelligent, he still has his moments of cleverness, very different from the complete imbecile he would become over the years.
    • A late viewer will also be surprised to find that the first two seasons spend a considerable part of the episodes with some characters (like Cristina and Joaquin) who would never appear or be mentioned again for the next twelve seasons.
    • A viewer who started watching the late seasons may be led to believe that Amador was always a neglectful or ignorant husband and the main person responsible for the destruction of his marriage and his family, especially because his ex-wife Maite accuses him of this. That same viewer would probably be shocked to watch the first two seasons and realize that Amador was a good father and a good husband at the beginning of the series, and that it was Maite who started the domino effect that would lead to the mess that would become their lives, when she had an affair with Sergio.
  • Expy: Enrique Pastor is basically Juan Cuesta with his name changed.
    • Araceli, who was a Deadpan Snarker in Season 1, became an Expy of La Hierbas when she reappeared in Season 5. Both characters were played by the same actress.
  • Easily Forgiven: Played up to eleven with Enrique when it comes to Judith's and Antonio's wrongdoings. In one episode from Season 4, Antonio wrongly thought that his friend Enrique was Berta's lover, and hired a hitman to kill him. In the next episode they were friends again, and only three episodes later, Enrique resigned as President of the Community which was what he had always wanted the most for Antonio.
    • Amador and Teodoro forgive each other very quickly.
  • Eccentric Mentor: Maxi, to Amador and his friends.
  • Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Antonio suffered a great deal when he found out that he was adopted in Season 6, and went to great extents to find his beloved mom. He also seemed very affected by his adopted mother's neglect.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Antonio may be a total jerkass but he still cares deeply about (very few) people even if he treats them horribly most of the time, those being Berta, Enrique, Coque and Alba.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: Antonio won't accept bribes and will go to great extents to punish corrupt politicians. He also won't kill his loved ones, since he had to hire a hitman to kill Enrique because he couldn't do it himself, and couldn't kill his other friend Coque at gunpoint either.
  • Exactly What It Says on the Tin: Most episodes are named after three things that will appear on said episode, such as "A diva, a pheasant and a really expensive apartment" from season 3.
  • Exiled to the Couch: Happens many times throughout the series with several different couples.
    • Instead of the couch, Amador ends up sleeping in his children's bedroom.
    • Averted with Fermín and Estela.
    • Subverted with Antonio and Enrique, who almost always end up sleeping in the same bed whenever Antonio has come over at Enrique's even if Enrique's angry with him.
    • Nines usually sleeps on the couch for reasons that have nothing to do with couple quarrels.
  • Extreme Doormat: Coque and Vicente are the most prominent examples, although Javi, Enrique and Berta fit this as well to an extent.
  • Family Business: To some degree, "Mariscos Recio", with Antonio, Berta, Violeta and Nines all helping with Antonio's small fish shop at some point in the series. However, Antonio and his employee Parrales are generally the ones who run the business.
  • Fidelity Test
  • Flanderization: Every character is a flanderized version of himself/herself from the first two seasons.
    • Antonio Recio was a religious man with sociopathic traits who liked women. From Season 3 onwards, he is a lustful man who is always asking about Judith's private parts and usually asking Enrique to going to prostitutes.
    • Berta was a very religious woman, often seen as The Fundamentalist, but she had other interests. After Season 5, she becomes The Fundamentalist fully. Justified in that after hitting her head, she thought she saw the Virgin.
    • Coque was a not very smart pothead. From Season 3 onwards, he becomes totally stupid.
    • Amador, who in the first seasons showed some traits of being rude and uncultured but who was also a good father, becomes a rough-spoken jerk obsessed with women who usually forgets about his children. Eventually lampshaded by his wife, who angrily asks if he's been always so stupid.
  • Forgotten Anniversary: Antonio hardly ever remembers his wedding anniversary and it's Berta who has to remind him.
  • Friends with Benefits: Coque and Nines, in Season 7. They eventually become a couple.
  • Functional Addict: Coque
  • The Fundamentalist: Berta.
  • Gayngst: Subverted with Berta, who accepts her bisexuality after she confesses it to her priest and he absolves her of her "sin". Played straight, although during only one episode, with la Cuqui.
  • Glad I Thought of It: Antonio does this sometimes when Enrique or Coque have an idea.
  • Gold Digger: Manolita, a woman who seduced Antonio to take his money.
  • Granola Girl: Araceli.
  • Half-Witted Hillbilly: Minguito, a friend of Amador's who lives in the countryside, is a painful example of this, being portrayed as an ignorant man who falls in love with Raquel and constantly harasses her (despite her making it clear that she doesn't feel anything for him other than disgust).
  • Hard-Drinking Party Girl: La Cuqui, and to a lesser degree, Judith, are a mild version of this.
  • Hates Being Touched: Amador, with regards to Leo, who never gives up.
    • However, it is averted once, and even switched roles on occasion.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: Amador with Leo, and later on with his brother Teodoro.
    • Antonio and Enrique, too, although the heterosexual part is debatable.
    • Fermín and Vicente are a literal yet not entirely fitting example of this.
  • Hey, That's My Line!: Antonio's usual reaction to Enrique borrowing his Catch Phrases.
  • Holier Than Thou: Antonio and Berta, to a degree.
  • House Wife: Berta.
  • Hysterical Woman: Estela is this trope. The "Morcillo", to a degree.
  • Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Except for the pilot, all episode titles have the same format: "X, Y and Z".
  • I Need to Go Iron My Dog
  • Inferiority Superiority Complex: Antonio and Estela are the most prominent examples. They often act like they're better than other people, but it's just a façade as deep down they know it's not true and actually have a very low self-esteem.
  • In-Series Nickname: Too many for most characters, from "Rancio" to "Papuchi" to "Friki" to "Bicho" and many others.
  • It's All About Me: Antonio and Estela.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Amador. Antonio and Estela have their moments too.
  • Jerkass Ball: Everyone in the show has held it at least once.
  • Kids Are Cruel and Teens Are Monsters: Almost every child and teen that appear in this show is a walking embodiment of the worst stereotypes of both groups.
  • Killed Off for Real: Goya, Leo and Justi. The screenwriters tried for these deaths to be Played for Laughs, but mostly failed.
  • Killed Offscreen: Izaskun in season 7, after Marivi Bilbao, who played her, passed away shortly after the end of season 6.
  • Knight of Cerebus: When Germán Palomares shows up, things get deadly serious. Made more terrifying that his face is never seen.
  • Lazy Bum: Vicente and Nines.
  • Lies to Children: Used frequently with the "Cuquis", to their children.
  • Lonely Together: Javi and Vicente in Season 5, and Antonio and Enrique in Season 7.
  • Long-Distance Relationship: Javi and Lola, the few times Lola has left the country for work-related reasons for a few months.
    • Raquel and Fina's son.
  • Loser Protagonist: Amador, so much.
  • Lovable Sex Maniac: Antonio.
  • Love Hungry: Estela, which is why she sleeps with so many people.
    • Antonio, too. This is why he has such a strong emotional co-dependency with Berta and Enrique. This also serves as Antonio's main motivation to find his birth parents.
    • Judith, Enrique and Fermín also qualify.
  • Love Hurts
  • Love Martyr: Berta and Enrique are this to Antonio.
    • Enrique with Judith and Javi with Lola.
    • Fermín with Vicente.
  • Love Triangle: Amador/Maite/Sergio, Antonio/Berta/Coque, Reyes/Araceli/Enrique/Judith, Lola/Javi/Raquel etc.
  • Love-Obstructing Parents: Javi's mother Goya. To some extent, Lola's parents.
  • Magical Realism: It's rare, but it's there. The main examples are the resurrection(s) of Fina's cat and Amador Jr.'s implied psychic powers.
  • Make Up or Break Up: The series is fond of this trope. Some examples include the "Cuquis", Javi and Lola, Antonio and Berta and Enrique and Judith. It's happened more than once for all of these couples.
  • Manchild: Amador.
  • Man Hug: Between Antonio and Enrique, lots of times.
  • Manipulative Bastard: Most characters are this, but especially Antonio.
  • The Masochism Tango: Vicente and Goya, Vicente and Fermín, Estela and Fermín.
  • May–December Romance: Judith, who is thirty-something years old, and Enrique, who is in his mid-fifties.
    • An even more extreme example of this for Enrique is his relationship with Alba, who is in her mid twenties.
    • Also, 19-year-old Fran and his 30-something year old girlfriend in Season 6.
  • Mirror Character: Antonio and Enrique. The latter starts acting more and more like Antonio as time goes by. He even lampshades it in one episode from Season 7 when he says that he spends too much time with Antonio after suggesting he kills a neighbor, much to Araceli's astonishment.
  • Mistaken for Gay: Amador when he moved with Leo.
    • Bruno is often mistaken for gay.
    • Vicente and Fermín and their odd relationship.
  • Mood Whiplash: Episode 10 from season 6. It's a very funny one with great moments but ends with the Cuquis crying after the bank evicts them.
  • Mr. Fanservice: Amador, definitely, every time he dresses up as "Espartaco" or wants to get laid, which practically happens in every other episode.
  • Ms. Fanservice: Judith, Lola and Raquel are often seen only wearing their underwear.
  • Murder Is the Best Solution: Antonio. Except that he is never actually able to murder anyone.
  • My Sister Is Off-Limits: Antonio with Violeta due to her being mentally handicapped. Subverted with Amador and in episode 6x09 when Antonio sets her up as a prostitute to attract clients to his casino.
  • Named After Somebody Famous: Cris's full name was Cristina Aguilera. Probably not related to Christina.
  • Nice Guy: Parrales, Fermín, Bruno. Initially, Enrique and Javi were this as well, but they become less so in later seasons, mostly due to their never-ending Deus Angst Machina status.
  • No Bisexuals: Everyone (even Araceli herself) says that Araceli is a lesbian, despite her clearly being attracted to men such as Joao. Averted later in the series with La Cuqui.
  • Nobody Thinks It Will Work: Nearly every one of the neighbours and especially Antonio thought Enrique and Judith's relationship wouldn't work. It finally doesn't as they get divorced in the season 7 finale.
  • "No" Means "Yes": Antonio has a tendency to think that when Enrique says "No", he means "Yes", and will just go ahead and explain to him his mater plan, much to Enrique's frustration.
  • Nosy Neighbor: Basically the core of the show. Almost every character is this.
  • Odd Friendship:
  • One-Person Birthday Party: Subverted in Season 5 with la Cuqui. Her casual friends didn't come to the party because her closest friends and family had prepared a more private, surprise party for her.
  • One-Steve Limit: The huge amount of characters makes it impossible to play this trope straight:
    • Antonio Recio, his son Toñín, Toni (Estela Reynolds' ex-con boyfriend) and Antonio Fernández (film director).
    • Amador Rivas and his stepson Amador Jr.
    • Rosario "Charo" de la Vega and Rosario Parrales.
    • María Teresa "Mari Tere" Valverde and María Teresa "Maite" Figueroa.
    • Cristina Aguilera, Cristina the dentist's wife and Cristina (Judith's patient).
    • David the pizza delivery boy and David (Lola's flirt).
    • Úrsula (Fran's goth ex-fiancée) and Úrsula Maroto.
    • Gloria (Leo's mother) and Gloria the presenter.
    • Jaime Aguilera, Jaime Romaní and Jaime the receptionist.
    • Manuel (Raquel's ex-boyfriend), Manuel Bragado and Manuel Carrión.
    • Pablo (Cris' ex-boyfriend) and Pablo (Judith's ex-boyfriend).
    • Francisca "Paqui" (Enrique's date) and Francisca "Estela Reynolds" Pacheco.
    • Pedro the kid, Pedro (Patu's ex-husband) and Pedro Bécker.
    • Mario (Judith's ex-boyfriend) and Mario Vaquerizo As Himself.
    • Ramón Garrido and Ramón Rivas.
    • Santiago (Judith's coworker) and Santiago (Javi's boss)
    • Teresa (Javi's boss' wife) and Teresa the swinger.
    • Yolanda "Yoli" the prostitute and Yolanda "Yoli" Morcillo.
    • Germán Palomares and Germán Bécker.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: Fernando "Nano" Rivas, Amador Jr. "Ojos de Pollo" Rivas, Germán Palomares "El Moroso", Jorge "Coque" Calatrava, Gregoria "Goya" Gutiérrez, Maria Dolores "Lola" Trujillo, Javier "Javi" Maroto, Paca Pacheco "Estela Reynolds", Leonardo "Leo" Romaní, Maximiliano "Maxi" Angulo, Angelines "Nines" Chacón, among a few others.
  • Only Sane Man: Enrique.
  • Parental Abandonment: Enrique's parents and Enrique himself as he basically abandoned both his sons, Antonio's parents and his birth ones, la Cuqui's father, Javi's mother Goya and Lola's dad Fermín, although he had his reasons, Amador's mother.
  • Parental Favoritism: Judith's father, who always paid more attention to Judith's sister, Ingrid. Amador's parents, who have always favoured his siblings.
  • Parental Neglect: The Cuquis, Estela, Nines, Antonio and his parents, Enrique and his father, Nines, Judith and Lola towards their newly-born babies (justified in Lola's case in that she has post-partum depression)... Very few characters are actually good parents on this show.
  • Parents Walk In at the Worst Time: Has happened more than once to Amador and his hooks-ups with his mother Justi.
  • Please, Don't Leave Me
  • Politically Incorrect Hero: Antonio, who is a proud racist, sexist and homophobe.
  • Poltergeist: In episode 2.07 - A trio, a cleaning lady and a rain of cauliflowers.
  • Psycho Ex-Girlfriend: Violeta for Enrique and Amador, la Chusa for Coque. Rebeca has her own psycho ex-boyfriend, who stalks her to the point that she had to move to another apartment.
  • Punny Name: The title is likely a pun on the phrase "la vecina" (the neighbor woman).
  • Put on a Bus: A lot of characters are put on a bus and don't appear again. Some examples:
    • Cristina leaves the series after the end of Season 1.
    • Araceli is Put on a Bus in season 2. The Bus Came Back in Season 5.
    • Sergio Arias leaves the show at the end of season 2. Again, The Bus Came Back in season 6 but he was Put on a Bus again since he doesn't come back in Season 7.
    • Joaquín is put on a taxi.
    • Estela Reynolds leaves at the end of season 4. Again, The Bus Came Back at the end of season 6.
    • Maritere also leaves the show with no explanation.
    • Reyes and Justi appeared only in season 5, and they don't reappear in season 6.
    • Izaskun is put on a bus in late Season 6 due to the actress quitting because of her age.
    • Maxi, Fran and Parrales are put on a bus at the end of Season 6.
    • Estela leaves the show once again at the end of season 7.
    • Judith leaves in Season 9.
    • Javi leaves the series at the start of Season 12, abandoning Lola and their daughter for another woman.
    • Enrique leaves the series after the Season 12 finale, traveling to Brazil in order to meet his grandson.
    • Raquel, Nines, Alba and Ongombo also leave the series after the end of Season 12, without any explanation as to what happened to them.
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Lola gives one of these to her mother Estela several times throughout the series. Enrique gives a heartbreaking one to Antonio in the fourth season premiere, and Rebeca and Judith give another one to Antonio in the twelfth episode from Season 7.
  • Revenge Before Reason: Antonio, particularly during Season 4.
  • Rules Lawyer: Rebeca.
  • Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: Antonio.
  • Self-Induced Allergic Reaction: Berta, many times, but only because Antonio asks her to for his master plans.
  • Serenade Your Lover: Javi tries this with Lola in the Season 6 premiere to win her back. Doesn't work.
  • Sexless Marriage: Goya and Vicente's marriage, most of the time.
    • Vicente and Fermin's asexual marriage.
  • Sexy Priest: At one point, Berta lusts after her confessor, Father Alejandro.
  • Sex with the Ex: The "Cuquis", Enrique and Judith, due to their on-again off-again relationship, Fermín and Raluka.
  • Show Within a Show - La Pecaminosa (The Sinful Girl). Sergio Arias, a neighbour from Mirador de Montepinar, is the hero of the show.
    • In season 6 Lola is starring a (low-budget) show called Internado Sangriento (Bloody Boarding School).
  • Sibling Triangle: Amador/Yoli/Teodoro.
  • The Shrink: Judith, who is or at least tries to be Type 3.
    • She becomes quite a bad one by Season 9 due to her own growing insanity.
  • Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Raquel, Judith, La Cuqui.
  • Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: Antonio has Rebeca in Season 7 due to her being Berta's lawyer with regard to their divorce. Judith has been this to Antonio as well, from late Season 4 onwards.
    • Antonio himself may be considered this to most other characters. Likewise with Fina.
  • Slice of Life
  • Small Name, Big Ego: Antonio thinks he's "built an empire", Estela believes she's a well-known actress, and Fermín believes he is skillful at everything and that he has had great success in life.
  • Something Only They Would Say: Has happened to Antonio several times when he pretends to be someone else and says one of his numerous catch phrases.
  • Straw Hypocrite: Antonio.
  • Surreal Humor: Sometimes, particularly in later seasons.
  • Talking Down the Suicidal: Enrique talks Antonio down from killing himself in the Season 4 finale. Subverted in the Season 4 premiere.
    • Javi also fits this trope every time he has to talk Estela and Vicente down from doing something stupid. They both do attempt suicide more than once by throwing themselves out the balcony, but it is often downplayed.
    • In the third season, a suicidal man threatens to jump off the balcony and Judith, his psychologist, manages to talk him down.
  • There Are No Good Executives: Basically the show's point of view towards politicians, businessmen and people in positions of power.
  • Thinks Like a Romance Novel: Raquel, who is waiting for "her fairy-tale prince".
  • Trauma Conga Line: The Season 4 finale and episode 7x12 are this for Antonio.
    • In the season 4 finale, he discovers that one of his two friends, Coque, is Berta's lover, loses the presidency of the community because the neighbours despise him and thinks that his best friend Enrique has betrayed him by becoming the new President of the community, so he leaves the building. At the end though Enrique and Coque look for him and the three friends leave together Mirador de Montepinar.
    • In episode 7x12, Antonio loses at trial, Rebeca and Judith give him a cruel "The Reason You Suck" Speech that causes him to have a panic attack later on and ends up in the hospital where no one goes to see him showing just how alone Antonio truly is. He then does everything in his power to make up with Berta but she doesn't forgive him and by the end of the episode Enrique throws him out of his house due to being fed up with Antonio's jerkass behaviour. However, Antonio does make up with both Berta and Enrique in the next episode.
  • Took a Level in Kindness: Berta, in later seasons.
  • Took a Level in Jerkass:
    • Antonio, during Season 4 onwards.
    • Enrique in later seasons, to an extent.
    • In Season 12, Javi leaves Lola and their daughter to be with another woman and have a new family with her.
  • Tournament Arc: Episode 1.07 - A reunion, an eviction and a paddle tournament.
  • True Companions: There are several groups of friends in the series that fit this trope.
    • Los Leones (The Lions), which consists of Amador, Leo, Vicente, Javi and Maxi (and later on, also Fermín and Teodoro), often meet at Maxi's bar, help and advice one another and, in conclusion, are very good friends.
    • Antonio, Enrique and Coque are El Equipo A (The A-Team) and are good friends as well despite often not being able to tolerate one another.
    • Then there's "La Chupipandi", the female group of friends, which initially was composed of Judith, Raquel, Lola and Nines, but later on La Cuqui, Berta, Araceli, Rebeca and Alba joined the group as well.
  • "Truman Show" Plot: The 100th episode has the characters learning they are the stars of a television show after a series of mishaps started by a falling spotlight. In the end it's All Just a Dream caused by Vicente's latest Bungled Suicide.
  • Unconfessed Unemployment: Amador, after he was replaced with an indoor plant.
  • Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist: Antonio, bordering on Villain Protagonist.
  • We Need a Distraction: Lots of times, especially when it comes to Antonio's or Maxi's master plans.
  • Whole-Plot Reference: The 100th episode is an Affectionate Parody of The Truman Show.
  • Will They or Won't They?:
    • Judith and Enrique in Season 4 and Season 5. In Season 6 they did and were married for the whole season, but in Season 7 Judith wanted to divorce him and they went back to Will They or Won't They?. In the season 7 finale they divorced each other but remained friends.
    • The "Cuquis", for three seasons straight until they get remarried in the Season 6 premiere. They go back to this trope in later seasons, unsurprisingly.
    • Antonio and Berta, and Javi and Raquel during Season 5. The former does (temporarily at least), the latter doesn't.
    • Javi and Lola during Season 6. They do.
    • Berta and Araceli, from late Season 6 until mid Season 7 when they get together.
    • Enrique and Alba, and Fermín and Vicente, in Season 10. They both do.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: A lot of characters are Put on a Bus with no explanation, converging in this trope. The show's producer justified this saying that they do this to leave the doors open to the characters so they can come back.
  • Why Waste a Wedding?: In an early episode, Cris remembers she forgot to cancel her wedding (and telling her family about it), only to head to the church at the time she was supposed to marry - and find her ex marrying someone else. He explains that it is really difficult to book a date for a wedding, so he decided to use the one he had already set.

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