31 Minutos

The program focuses on the adventures of the team of a low-prestige newscast, where something unexpected always happens. Their notes, while some are quite ridiculous, others are educational and leave a message both explicitly and implicitly. The news program is hosted by Tulio Triviño.

31 Minutes (2003-2014) is a Chilean children's television comedy created by Álvaro Díaz González and Pedro Peirano for Televisión Nacional de Chile and Cartoon Network Latin America. Set inside a low-prestige newscast, the series follows the puppet and marionette team of a cheap broadcast where something unexpected always happens. Tulio Triviño, voiced by Pedro Peirano, hosts the show, while Álvaro Díaz González voices Juan Carlos Bodoque and Daniel Castro voices Policarpo Avendaño, with Jani Dueñas and Rodrigo Salinas rounding out the principal cast. The engine of each episode is the gap between the crew's ambitions and the chaos of a shoestring production, as the team pursues stories and notes that range from ridiculous to genuinely instructive. Its four seasons across the 2000s and 2010s are built as episodic, case-of-the-week segments with recurring characters rather than one continuing arc. The show carries a playful, irreverent register with a sincere undertone, delivering messages about children's rights both explicitly and implicitly. Its sets, puppets and newsroom gags feel distinctly Latin American, and fans of Sesame Street and The Day Today will find a similar mix of absurdist silliness and sly satire. The result is a warm, slightly anarchic family comedy with a cult following across Latin America.

Acclaimed by its audience for sharp, absurdist puppet-based comedy that also slips in lessons on children's rights and social issues.

• Sesame Streetabsurdist puppet comedy with educational undertones and a satirical take on media
• The Day Todaylow-budget absurdist sketch comedy inside a fictional broadcast format
• The Officemockumentary-style workplace comedy about a chaotic media team

Created by

Álvaro Díaz González, Pedro Peirano

Release Date

2003-03-15

Episode runtime

30 min

Rating

9.1 / 10 (386)

What is 31 Minutos about?

A low-prestige Chilean newscast staffed by puppets and marionettes turns every broadcast into chaotic, lesson-laced comedy.

What is 31 Minutos like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of 31 Minutos as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as simple.

Is 31 Minutos violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in 31 Minutos.

What did critics think of 31 Minutos?

Acclaimed by its audience for sharp, absurdist puppet-based comedy that also slips in lessons on children's rights and social issues.

Which shows are like 31 Minutos?

Shows with a similar feel include Sesame Street, The Day Today, and The Office.

How long is 31 Minutos?

31 Minutos: 4 seasons, 68 episodes.

Is 31 Minutos still running?

No, 31 Minutos has ended.