Pantaya Debuts New Dark Comedy ‘Mi Tío’ (My Uncle), Starring José Eduardo Derbez And Ariadne Díaz

Pantaya continues beefing up its originals slate. This week, it’s dropping a new series to its platform.

José Eduardo Derbez (De Viaje con los Derbez), Ariadne Díaz (Tenías que ser tú) and Santiago Beltrán star in the dark comedy Mi Tío, a Mexican remake of the BBC’s My Uncle. But Derbez, son of comedian Eugenio Derbez (Acapulco, CODA) says audiences will see some subtle differences in the Spanish-language version.

“The writers did an excellent job in adapting the British original to Mexican humor. I only saw two scenes from the original. As an actor it’s very difficult to watch a project that has already been done because you run the risk of getting a little tainted,” he explains. “The uncle from England and the uncle from Mexico are not that different, but each one has his style. The point was not to do an imitation or a replica but to show each one has their own essence.”

Mi Tío is about Andy, a heartbroken frustrated musician (Derbez), deemed a loser who feels there’s no real meaning in life. The first episode starts with him attempting to commit suicide (just like in the British original), when his sister Sam (Díaz) calls him, begging him to pick up her son Tadeo (Beltrán) from school.

“It’s a heavy way to start off. But with director Javier Colinas, we worked on the character to see how we could add depth,” says Derbez. “The story evolves a lot after that… he begins to connect with his nephew and to change. He sees his family in a different way and starts feeling affection for his nephew, wanting to spend more time with him. In a way, it’s a self-help relationship for both Andy and Tadeo. And it’s a family triangle. We also help his mom Sam.”

Sam has her own set of serious problems. She struggles with alcohol addiction in the midst of a divorce.

“I think it’s a very honest project in the sense that whenever there are stories about family, they tend to be idealized as perfect in telenovelas or movies. This series shows you a family that is dysfunctional, just like there are in real life,” says Díaz. “There are always frictions, but in the end, you know that you can always count on your family.”

The series tackles a lot of difficult issues, including suicide, isolation, alcoholism and bullying.

“We were very concerned that addressing such serious issues the way we did might feel disrespectful to some people. But we worked hard with our director Javier Colinas with great care and respect to make these topics and situations our own and capture them in such a way that viewers can identify with them,” says Díaz. “I think it’s characteristic of Latinos and particularly people in Mexico that we are able to laugh at our tragedies. We try to make the best of the bad moments in our lives, despite the pain we feel.”

“It’s black humor, it’s sarcastic, it’s very direct and very real,” says Derbez. “And obviously, it’s for an audience 18 and older, because there is some mature content. But I think there’s something in the series for everyone.”

The cast includes telenovela star Eduardo Yáñez, who plays the role of a strip club owner who dresses in drag, along with Gema Garoa, Michelle González, Mara López, Luis Arrieta and Alfonso Borbolla.

Mi Tío is produced by Corazón Films and directed by Javier Colinas (El Juego de las Llaves). It’s written by Charlie “El Huevo” Barrientos, Aldeni Fraga, Mao Garcia. Iliana Reyes Chávez, Javier Colinas, Carla Farell, Mario Almeida are the show’s executive producers.

Pantaya will premiere all of the season’s six 30-minute episodes on March 25.