The original cast. From left to right: Plutarco, Renata, Martina, Tecla, Plácido, La Nena, Licha, Gaby (top), and Arnoldo (bottom)
Una familia de diez ("A Family of Ten"), also known as Una familia de diez + 2 ("A Family of Ten Plus Two") by the second season, is a TV series created by Televisa, premiering March 22, 2007 on El Canal de Las Estrellas directed and produced by Jorge Ortiz De Pinedo who also plays Plácido López, the father. It's a re-adaptation of the series El casado casa quiere.
The plot develops inside an apartment in Mexico City. It's about a string of problems derivate from space shortage, economic trouble, and the humor and genius of each one of the characters.
Starred by Jorge Ortiz de Pinedo, Zully Keith and Eduardo Manzano, with the co-protagonistic performances of María Fernanda García, Andrea Torre, Mariana Botas, Ricardo Margaleff, Daniela Luján, Jessica Segura, Moisés Iván Mora, Carlos Ignacio and Patricia Martínez , with the child actors Camila Rivas and Tadeo Bonavides.
In 2018, Jorge Ortiz de Pinedo confirmed a second season of the series, which premiered on August 25, 2019, and aired on El Canal de Las Estrellas in Televisa. In this second season, two new characters appear: Plutarco and Gaby's son and Aldolfo and La Nena's daughter, this reason Televisa named the second season Una familia de diez +2. In the middle of 2019, Mariana Botas confirmed a third season of the series, which premiered October 13, 2019, and it aired likewise on Sundays in El Canal de Las Estrellas in Televisa. In this third season, Licha and Tecla stop appearing and for this reason integrated Carlos Ignacio, La Nena's father, again into the cast to take Licha's place.
Una familia de diez has examples of the following tropes:
- Abusive Parents: Played for Laughs;
- Don Arnoldo for Plácido; by abandoning him since he was 5, crashing at his place over 40 years later to stay without paying anything, eating everyone's meals, insulting him, and leaving Plácido indebted several times by ordering food on credit at Plácido's name.
- Licha for La Nena; by leeching of her to buy her medicaments, making La Nena her "nurse".
- Agony of the Feet: Plácido is in the receiving end of this, either by Plutarco or Tecla accidentally stepping on his feet.
- Bad Boss: Placido deals with this constantly. Don Justo deserves a special mention by being the main boss of Plácido and Plutarco during the first 2 seasons, by denying them free days for years, giving them humiliating tasks, and uploading their humillations on Youtube.
- Big Eater: Don Arnoldo (grandpa). The only times he is not eating is when he is complaining about not eating. And always tend to eat everythign in teh house, much to everyone's dismay.
- Big Ol' Unibrow: Tecla, since she is the stereotype of a rural Mexican.
- Birds of a Feather: Plutarco and Gaby. They get along as a couple because they're just as dimwitted as each other.
- Bratty Teenage Daughter: Martina act incredibly entitled and always complains about the way her family talks and acts for not being "cool". And complains about not being able to buy all the trendy things she would like, even knowing the situation of her family. She doens't get better once she reaches adulthood.
- Butt-Monkey: Nothing ever goes right for Plácido. Even when it looks everything is gonna be OK, it's a matter of time for something to go awry. Tecla shares this trait with him.
- Catchphrase:
- Every time his wife or someone asks Plácido how's his day, he replies, "Mal, muy mal, a mí siempre me va mal" (Bad, very bad, I always have it bad)
- "Qué distraída soy, te confundí" (How distracted I am, I mistook you) is what Renata says when Plácido remarks her that they didn't do anything she did with past lovers.
- "¿Usted cree?" (You believe?) is shared between Plutarco and Gaby when they finish their sentences.
- Every time someone calls Licha out on her dramatic tantrums, she always blurts, "¡Yo no soy dramática!" (I am not dramatic!)
- Clashing Cousins: Cousins Martina and La Nena are continuosly arguing, insulting, and snarking against each other.
- Dead All Along: Near the end of the Season 3 episode Un fantasma de diez, when Plácido, Renata, and Carlos return to Doña Romina's apartment for the last time, a man who lived next door reveals the poor old lady died a year ago. The three of them nearly faint upon the reveal, with Carlos running to the man's arms before fainting.
- Didn't Think This Through: Plácido has had several lapses of judgement over the course of the series:
- Sending his daughter Martina to private school -> She was expelled from school due to her terrible grades. La Nena lampshaded constantly during Season 1 that they were wasting money since Martina always fails, and she was right.
- Make Plutarco fix the toilet -> Goodbye toilet!
- Gambling the family's whole rent money in contests and lotteries -> He lost ALL THE MONEY by gambling!!
- Limit zealously the access to medicines, food, electricity, phone service, and water to reduce high costs -> Most of the family got ill/hurt, he lost a lottery prize because he couldn't use the phone, and the expenses were still high due to resulting hospital bills anyway.
- The Ditz: Both Plutarco and Gaby tend to be very slow and not understand simple instructions, sometimes taking them too literal.
- Does Not Like Men: Licha has a hatred of men since her husband left her for another man (which is treated as particulary shameful). So she always says that all men are the same... All the way to abandon anyone for another man.
- Downer Beginning: Most of the season premieresnote are this:
- Season 1: Plutarco's relationship with Gaby costed Plácido a salary rise. The next morning, Tecla moves with the family, and Plutarco announced his elopement with Gaby and the pregnancy to the family making them a family of ten.
- Season 2: The house they won in the previous season finale got on fire thanks to Don Arnoldo and Tecla, which sent the whole family back to the old apartment building. And they have no furnitures thanks to the fire.
- Season 3: Licha dies from allergic reaction during the week after Tecla left the family, which left the family devastated and Plácido indebted with Licha's bills for medicines, and they still have no furnitures.
- Season 5: Martina spent the first episode crying for being left at the altair.
- Downer Ending: To an extent, the last four season finals are this:
- Season 2: The López's furnitures were stolen, La Nena was fired from one of her jobs thanks to Aldolfo, Plácido remains unemployed, and Tecla abandones the López family to pursue her acting career.
- Season 3: Plácido is arrested for not paying predial taxes and burning the house they used to live during the time-skip (since Arnoldo refused to take responsability of the fire).
- Season 4: A pregnant Martina is left on the altar by Romualdo.
- Season 5: Renata wasted the fortnight in a slot machine, and Plutarco's flight dissapeared in the Bermuda Triangle.
- Drama Queen: Licha based on her hypocondria. The show make it clear that she doens't actually have any sickness, but she will yell about her imminent death over every minor pain she feels.
- Faking the Dead: Licha and Don Genaro faked their demises to be together. The ruse continued until Don Genaro died for real. After his death, Licha decided to return with the López
- Formerly Fat: La Nena was fat as a kid, as revealed in an episode from Season 4.
- Granola Guy: Aldolfo. He is the textbook stereotype of a chairo. note
- I Resemble That Remark!: Whenever someone mentions that Licha is too dramatic, she will say she is not dramatic... Very loudly and with very exagerated gestures.
- Ironic Name: Plácido, as one might imply, means "placid" in Spanish. Plácido is anything but, being constantly exasperated by his family's antics.
- The Klutz: Plutarco, on top of being dim-witted, always trips, bumps with people and objects or falls over.
- Lazy Bum: Don Arnoldonote , Lichanote , and Aldolfonote are the main freeloaders of the family.
- Like Father, Unlike Son: Plutarco and Gaby have this dynamic with their son Justito, as he is actually incredibly smart for his age, in contrast to his dimwitted parents.
- Mad Libs Catchphrase: Whenever Don Arnoldo feels like boasting, he says, "Y hablando de [tema], vino a mi mente [película], donde trabajé junto a mi(s) entrañable(s) amigos [nombre(s) de actor(es)]." (And speaking of [topic], came to my mind [movie], where I worked alongside my dear friend(s) [actor name(s)].)
- Naughty by Night: La Nena. She is hardworking and smart, working as a teacher at a kindergarten and looking after her mother Licha, but when her love life is concerned, she is lustful.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: La Nena is rarely called by her actual name (Lucila); she's just "La Nena".
- Overly Long Name: Aldolfo's full name is Aldolfo Mao Emiliano Lenin Fidel Castro Cienfuegos, which is absurdly fitting for a chairo like him.
- Parental Abandonment: Don Arnoldo left Plácido at 5 years old, in the middle of the birthday party. Since Season 3, Don Arnoldo comments he had tried to abandon Plácido several times before.
- Perpetual Poverty: The López are these; always having money issues due to the low incomes from Plácido and La Nena (usually the only breadwinners of the family).
- Phrase Catcher: In later seasons, every time Licha vehemently denies being a drama queen despite her tantrums, Aldolfo (and later Plutarco and Gaby) will cover his mouth and shout "¡Callen a la ruca!" (Shut the old hag up!)
- The Pollyanna: Renata, since she always ready to see the bright side of everything.
- Really Gets Around: Renata used to be this. She apparently had so many boyfriends that she has trouble remembering them all, always assuming that whatever sexual adventure she had in the past was with Plácido. And when corrected she can only say, "Sorry, I got you mixed."
- Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Justito, since he is a kid genius unlike his dimwitted parents Plutarco and Gaby.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Tecla took a considerable one by the Season 2 Finale onwards. She ditched the López after starting her acting career. Shortly afterwards, she told her mother to go back when she visited her, and told the López off when they came to see her on the red carpet.
- Valley Girl: Martina is a "fresa", known for alwasy complaining and wanting to be trendy and having the latest fashion and the most expesnive items. Or at least tries since she doesn't have the means for it.
- We Used to Be Friends: An episode from Season 4 revealed that Martina and La Nena were friends when they were younger, until La Nena ate all the candies and cake in Martina's birthday when they were children. From then on, their clashes started.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist: Renata is always optimistic about everything, unlike her husband Plácido.
