‘Qué No Panda El Cúnico’: First Docuseries on Chespirito Comes to HBO Max

Chespirito is coming back to our screens through HBO Max!

The estate handling the late Roberto Gómez Bolaños’ affairs, Grupo Chesperito, is partnering with HBO Max on an upcoming documentary about the comedian’s life.

Additionally, Bolaños’ son, Roberto Gómez Fernández, who leads Grupo Chesperito and owns the rights to his father’s heartwarming characters, is seeking to rebrand Chespirito characters with new stories.

After several years of disputes with television chain Televisa, Fernández is bringing forth a new era of Bolaños and his characters forth.

Here’s everything we know about the upcoming collaboration.

Grupo Chespirito and HBO Max announce their new partnership

Following the Televisa dispute in 2020, Grupo Chesperito started looking for a new home for Bolaños’ characters. Eventually, they decided to partner with Warner Bros. Discovery to, at the very least, produce a documentary.

However, the partnership may extend far beyond the upcoming doc, with tentative plans to release a slate of new “Chespirito” content featuring the beloved characters.

“Having the opportunity to tell your father’s story can be such a joy. Especially when your father is Roberto Gómez Bolaños,” Fernández said in a statement. “My father was a little man with a big heart.”

The new docuseries is also a collaboration with Mexico-based company Thr3 Media. Grupo Chespirito’s relationship with Thr3 Media goes back to 2019, however, when the two organizations agreed to work together on new “Chespirito” content.

A new era for Bolaños’ beloved characters

Known for their catchy phrases such as “¡Chanfle!, ¡¡rechanfle!!, ¡¡¡recontrachanfle!!!”, “Fue sin querer queriendo” and “Qué no panda el cúnico,” Chespirito’s characters were staples for Latino children of several generations.

Now, the collaboration between Grupo Chesperito and Warner Bros. Discovery seems like a match made in heaven. With over 100 characters and many opportunities for merchandising, something Fernández already wants to continue doing, the possibilities for new series are almost endless.

The idea behind the new slate of “Chespirito” content blends well with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, who is currently rebranding the company to bring audiences new sequels, reboots, spin-offs, and requels based on their favorite characters.

In a 2019 interview with Thr3 Media CEO, Bruce Boren, who previously worked for Televisa, he said the company has plans to “develop and design a cinematic universe based on the characters of Roberto.”

Similarly, Zaslav is greenlighting sequels left and right. The 2023 and 2024 slate of releases from Warner Bros. Discovery focuses heavily on continuing or reintroducing stories featuring beloved characters.