Endemol Shine Boomdog Revs Up Comedy Shows (EXCLUSIVE)

By Anna Marie de la Fuente

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Endemol Shine Boomdog is amping up its comedy fare with new development pacts inked with some of Mexico’s top comedic talent. The Mexico City-based studio, a division of Endemol Shine North America, has tapped a new generation of comedy talent in Mexico, many of whom have built their following on social media and the digital realm, said Alvaro Godoy, head of development, .

The new shows include “Mañanas Magicas,” a sketch comedy show headlined by Fran Hevia, Alex Fernandez and Michelle Rodriguez. Ricardo O’Farrill, the first Mexican comic to have a comedy special on Netflix, is developing music-comedy show “Janguea y Rapea” while El Diablitowill host “Me Lleva el Diablo,”a comedy transformation reality series. Fernandez, whose podcast is the number one in Spanish on Spotify, said: “I just want to get started on ‘Mañanas Mágicas’ tomorrow.”

“I mean, working with Michelle and Fran not only is extreme fun, I deeply admire both of them and I simply click with them in terms of comedy. They haven’t told me the same, but you can quote them,” added Fernandez who has worked with Rodriguez in “LOL: Last One Laughing,” the Eugenio Derbez-hosted show that pits comedians against each other.

“Comedy always saves us. I think people really want stories they can relate to, they want to laugh and feel complicit with the characters who tell those stories,” said Rodriguez.

El Diablito added, “After one season of ‘Se Busca Comediante’ and two seasons of ‘LOL,’ I feel that teaming up with Endemol Shine Boomdog for a comedy show like ‘Me Lleva el Diablo’ is a guarantee for success… plus, we are going to have a blast doing it.”

“Janguea y Rapea” taps O’Farrill’s passion for urban music with comedy, combining a talk show format and musical segments.

El Diablito will bring his charisma and gregarious nature to “Me Lleva el Diablo” where he will help coax socially awkward persons – nominated by family or friends – to interact more with other people and have fun.

“Mañanas Magicas” parodies traditional Mexican morning shows such as “Despierta America” on Univision and “Hoy” on Televisa.

“We believe that these shows have crossover appeal and will resonate worldwide,” said Godoy who has spearheaded the development of a slew of comedy shows for Endemol Shine Boomdog and served as a comedy writer himself on “Chumel Con Chumel Torres”and“La Sopa.”

“Endemol Shine Boomdog has a long history developing some of the most popular comedic series in the region,” Godoy noted.

Among them are “Chumel Con Chumel Torres” for HBO Latin America, “Last One Laughing” (LOL) for Amazon Prime, “Nailed It” (Mexico) for Netflix, “Me Caigo de Risa” and “Quién es la Máscara” for Televisa as well as the breakout new sitcom “Se Rentan Cuartos” for Comedy Central.

Endemol Shine Boomdog also recently teamed up with improv and sketch comedy theatre troupe Upright Citizens Brigade to foster new Spanish comedy talent. As part of that pact, Boomdog and UCB jointly launched the first-ever Spanish-language comedy boot camp to develop both writers and performers to participate in an untitled sketch comedy show. “This is open to both newbies and fairly established talent,” said Godoy who expects the boot camp to bow sometime this year.