The Terragrossa Funeral Home is a small, family-run business that operates at a leisurely pace. Death is a sure thing—they never run out of clients. The employees have been there for a long time. Damaso, the CEO’s deputy, is champing at the bit and has long dreamed of becoming a director. But now a golden opportunity has presented itself, since the CEO has had the good taste to pass away as well!
The widow is considering selling the business, but Damaso manages to convince her not to turn her back on her husband’s legacy. But here’s the thing: the deceased’s daughters are getting involved. Worse yet, his grieving wife decides to work for the first time in her life by taking over the company.
For Damaso, the team, and the clients, life and managing the funeral arrangements are not going to be a smooth ride…
Laughing at Funerals: A Bold Challenge
For all of us who are familiar with the Franco-Belgian comic strip “Iznogood”—the story of the chief advisor who wanted to become vizier instead of the vizier himself—this modern take is quite charming. Damaso’s desperate efforts and highly creative schemes to reach the pinnacle of his career are commendable… But they get a little tiresome after a while.
It was actually the rest of the plot—which, unfortunately, wasn’t developed enough—that interested me the most in this original series: the lives of the team members, who are all a little eccentric but likable, and the way the families cope with their grief. The series does a good job of showing a wide range of reactions, but it remains too conventional in its approach. Where a message of tolerance would have been welcome, all non-traditional lifestyles are ridiculed. It’s a shame, but kudos nonetheless for tackling this subject with humor!
4 seasons, 24 episodes (30 mn), 2024-2026, on Movistar + and Netflix
WITH:
Carlos Areces as Dámaso Carrillo, Diego Martín as José Miguel « Chemi » Fondao, Roque Ruiz as Pablo Morales, Adriana Torrebejano as Manuela, Gerald B. Fillmore as Abel Aguado, Aitziber Garmendia as Olivia, Ascen López as Nieves, Salva Reina as Nino, Lorea Intxausti as Laia, Manolo Calas as Anselmo, Amaia Salamanca as Vanesa, Bárbara Santa-Cruz as Pilar, Lucía Quintana as Milagros