“31 Minutes” is a comedy about the worst newscast in Chile. The show ran from 2003 to 2014 across 68 episodes, and it never stopped being a bad idea — and that’s exactly what makes it a great one. Created by Álvaro Díaz González and Pedro Peirano, the series follows a low-prestige news team whose stories are so ridiculous they barely make sense. But the show is not just a joke machine. Its notes carry messages, sometimes explicitly, sometimes buried under absurdity.
The host is Tulio Triviño, played by Pedro Peirano. He is the face of the show, the man responsible for presenting stories that range from the bizarre to the educational. The team around him includes Juan Carlos Bodoque (Álvaro Díaz González), Policarpo Avendaño (Daniel Castro), Juanín Juan Harry (Rodrigo Salinas), Patana Tufillo (Jani Dueñas), and many more, with additional voices handled by Guillermo Silva, Felipe Godoy, Héctor Velozo, Fernando Solís, Patricio Díaz, Francisco Schultz, and Lorena Penjean.
Trailer, via 31 minutos.
The Format
The show is a news program. That means the format is simple: a host reads a story, and something always goes wrong. The stories are often ridiculous, but they are also often educational. The notes are the beating heart of the series. Some of them are pure nonsense, jokes that land and move on. Others carry a message, whether about politics, society, or just how people behave.
The show never takes itself seriously. That’s the point. It is a comedy about a news program that fails at its job, and it fails at its job perfectly. Tulio Triviño is the anchor, and he is the character who makes it work. He is a man of many voices, able to play Raúl Guantecillo and many others, and he carries the show with his deadpan delivery.
The Cast
The cast is small. That works to the show’s advantage. Every character has a distinct role. The show rarely overreaches. The most important figures are:
- Tulio Triviño (Pedro Peirano)
- Juan Carlos Bodoque (Álvaro Díaz González)
- Policarpo Avendaño (Daniel Castro)
- Juanín Juan Harry (Rodrigo Salinas)
- Patana Tufillo (Jani Dueñas)
- Aditional Voices (Guillermo Silva, Felipe Godoy, Héctor Velozo, Fernando Solís, Patricio Díaz, Francisco Schultz, Lorena Penjean)
The show uses its cast to build its jokes. The characters are not realistic people. They are types, and the show works because it knows that. The chemistry between the characters is what carries the show through its worst moments.
The Notes
The notes are the show’s real subject. They are the reason the show exists. Some are jokes that are over in a second. Others carry real weight. The show is a comedy, but it is also a show about the news. The show takes the news seriously, even as it makes jokes about it.
The notes are educational in their own way. They teach the viewer something, even if that something is a lesson about how the world works. The show is not a parody of the news. It is a parody of a failing news program, and that is a very different thing. The show is a comedy about failure, and it makes that failure work.
The Running Time
The show ran for 68 episodes across 4 seasons. That is a long run by the standards of this kind of show. The show did not waste its time. It used its run to build a world, a small corner of Chile where the news was always wrong and the jokes always landed.
The show’s run ended in 2014, on December 27. That is a long time to be making jokes about the news. The show could have ended at any point, but it chose to end on its own terms.
The Verdict
“31 Minutes” is a comedy about failure. It is a show that is proud of being bad. The show is not ashamed of its jokes. It is proud of them, and that pride is what makes the show work.
The show is not perfect. Some jokes land harder than others. Some episodes are stronger than others. But the show’s core is strong. The notes are the show’s heart, and the notes never fail it.
The show is a comedy about a failing news program. It is a comedy about failure, and it is a comedy that works. The show is a comedy about the news, and it is a comedy about life. The show is a comedy about everything, and it is a comedy that never stops being funny.
Key Facts
- First aired: 2003-03-15
- Last aired: 2014-12-27
- Network: Televisión Nacional de Chile, Cartoon Network Latin America
- 4 seasons, 68 episodes
- Created by: Álvaro Díaz González, Pedro Peirano
- Host: Tulio Triviño, played by Pedro Peirano
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