The Catalan, theatrical and homosexual audiences were waiting for the premiere of Smiley, the adaptation of the play that took advantage of the usual romantic comedy mold to apply it to a love story between two men. He had captivated the audience in the halls and it was time to convince the audience on the sofa. But, despite the good reception among its audience, the number of viewers was not enough for Netflix. And it is that, as the creator of the series, Guillem Clua, has reported in the program Aquí Catalunya: “There will be no second season of Smiley”.
The beginning of this theatrical phenomenon began in 2012 at the Flyhard theater in Barcelona when Álex and Bruno, two very different boys, met due to a misunderstanding. Álex, a waiter, and Bruno, an architect, a priori had nothing in common except for a chemistry that they themselves did not understand, obsessed with finding someone who fit the mold they had in their heads. The adaptation of Smiley was a creative challenge for Clua, author of the work, who had to expand the gallery of characters to adapt to the television medium.
Carlos Cuevas (Merlí) and Miki Esparbé (Kings of the Night) were chosen to play Álex and Bruno in the filming that took place in Barcelona. The rest of the cast was completed by Pepón Nieto, Meritxell Calvo, Giannina Fruttero, Eduardo Lloveras or Ramón Pujol, who played Bruno in his theatrical beginnings, which Clua took advantage of to broaden the range of ages and sexual diversity in romantic conflicts.
However, its status as a classic romantic comedy, heir to titles such as Love Actually, and its release close to Christmas were not enough for Smiley to enter the list of the most watched series in a non-English language on Netflix, not even in the week of its premiere nor in the subsequent ones. This absence prevented hope about the future of the comedy, which will have to settle for a single season of eight episodes and that left the door open for a second season.
The positive note, for Smiley fans in all its aspects, is that Clua confirmed in the same interview that Smiley: After love, the theatrical sequel, can be seen again on stage. "We believe that in 2020 many people were left without being able to see it and not solving it would be unforgivable," explained the playwright from his social networks, who is in an unbeatable moment at the theatrical level after the worldwide success that his work L'oreneta is reaping ( The Swallow), which has Carmen Maura in Paris or Emma Vilarasau in Barcelona.
