Los Simuladores
Encyclopedia
Los Simuladores is an Argentinian
television series about a small team of con artists for hire, who use their skills to solve common people's life problems. The show ran for two seasons, from 2002 to 2003. It was very popular and highly acclaimed, winning a Golden Martín Fierro Award
. A number of remakes have been produced for various markets worldwide. There are also plans to release a film based on the series.
The original series was produced and aired by the Argentine network Telefé
, and ran for two 13-episode seasons in 2002 and 2003. The series is occasionally shown in reruns on Telefé. Remakes were soon produced in Chile
and in Spain
(the latter produced by Cuatro
), using some of the same actors and production members. Another remake was made in Russia
. Since 2008, Sony Pictures Television International has produced a remake for Mexican
television network Televisa
; as of late 2010, early production is starting on a third season, in which Salma Hayek
is scheduled to appear.
In the second season of the show, a second Simuladores team was introduced. This group, known as the "B-Team" and composed of former clients of the original team (who had appeared on Season 1), had been created to take over "smaller" cases and free the original team for larger and more demanding assignments.
The show is influenced by the literature work Los Arboles Mueren de Pie, by Alejandro Casona
. This show shared elements with American 80s series like Stingray
, The A-Team
, Vengeance Unlimited
and The Equalizer
.
D'Elía, Seefeld, Peretti, and Fiore met while making an old action series, "Poliladron" in the mid-90's. Diego Peretti is a psychiatrist
in real life. The actor who plays Feller, Jorge D'Elía
, is in real life Federico D'Elía's (Santos) father. Santos is played by the same actor in the Argentine and Spanish versions.
Most of the characters' last names are from people known by Damian Szifron (producer), in most cases from his childhood in Ramos Mejía
. "El asistente" ("The assistant"), is the member of the B-Team that does not have a name. However, in the episodes "Fuera de cálculo" and "La Brigada B", this character's last name is revealed to be "Gaona".
On the remakes of the show in other countries sometimes the names of the main characters are conserved.
When "Los Simuladores" are summoned by Santos, their cell phones ring like the show's opening theme, the tango "Cité Tango" (originally by Ástor Piazzolla
, but the show uses the version by Gotan Project
as soundtrack
).
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
television series about a small team of con artists for hire, who use their skills to solve common people's life problems. The show ran for two seasons, from 2002 to 2003. It was very popular and highly acclaimed, winning a Golden Martín Fierro Award
Martín Fierro Awards
Martín Fierro is the name of the most prominent awards for Argentine radio and television, granted by APTRA, the Association of Argentine Television and Radio Journalists. The awards were first given in 1959, limited to television. The next year, the awards adopted its current name, after José...
. A number of remakes have been produced for various markets worldwide. There are also plans to release a film based on the series.
The original series was produced and aired by the Argentine network Telefé
Telefe
Televisión Federal S.A., best known as Telefe and later as TLF, is an Argentine television network. Formerly known as Canal Once , a state-run network, it was privatised and established as Telefe in 1989, when and News Corporation took over the channel...
, and ran for two 13-episode seasons in 2002 and 2003. The series is occasionally shown in reruns on Telefé. Remakes were soon produced in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(the latter produced by Cuatro
Cuatro TV
Cuatro is a Spanish commercial television channel, on air since November 2005. Owned by Mediaset España Comunicación, it is broadcast on the TV frequencies licensed to the previous owner Sogecable in 1990 and previously used by them for the analogue transmission of its pay-per-view channel...
), using some of the same actors and production members. Another remake was made in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Since 2008, Sony Pictures Television International has produced a remake for Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
television network Televisa
Televisa
Televisa is a Mexican multimedia conglomerate, the largest mass media company in Latin America and in the Spanish-speaking world. It is a major international entertainment business, with much of its programming airing in the United States on Univision, with which it has an exclusive contract...
; as of late 2010, early production is starting on a third season, in which Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek
Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez de Pinault is a Mexican film actress, director and producer. She received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her role as Frida Kahlo in the film Frida.-Early life:...
is scheduled to appear.
Plot
The premise of the series centers on a team of four associates who ran a "simulation" business, solving the problems and needs of their clients by staging simulacros ("simulations", or confidence tricks) aimed at confusing whoever is giving their clients a problem (bosses, criminals, spouses, unscrupulous businessmen, etc), thus helping the client come on top of the situation. The price the team charges for its services was exactly twice the cost of the simulation, as well as the client's promise to participate in future simulations (this led to characters who appeared in previous episodes re-appearing in later episodes as secondary actors and helpers for the team, giving the show a degree of continuity). The underlying philosophy used by the team was that sometimes what's legal is not fair, and sometimes what's fair is not legal.In the second season of the show, a second Simuladores team was introduced. This group, known as the "B-Team" and composed of former clients of the original team (who had appeared on Season 1), had been created to take over "smaller" cases and free the original team for larger and more demanding assignments.
The show is influenced by the literature work Los Arboles Mueren de Pie, by Alejandro Casona
Alejandro Casona
Alejandro Rodríguez Álvarez, known as Alejandro Casona was a Spanish poet and playwright born in Besullo, Spain, a member of the Generation of '27. Casona received his bachelor's degree in Gijon and later studied at the University of Murcia. After Franco's rise in 1936, he was forced, like many...
. This show shared elements with American 80s series like Stingray
Stingray (NBC TV series)
Stingray is an NBC television series produced by Stephen J. Cannell that ran from 1985 to 1987. It stars Nick Mancuso, who plays the mysterious character known only as Ray, whose trademark is a black 1965 Corvette Sting Ray.-Plot:...
, The A-Team
The A-Team
The A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by...
, Vengeance Unlimited
Vengeance Unlimited
Vengeance Unlimited was a TV series broadcasted during 1998-1999 on ABC which lasted for just one season of sixteen episodes. The show starred Michael Madsen as Mr. Chapel, a mysterious and pragmatic character keen on serving justice to those who have been ignored by the law...
and The Equalizer
The Equalizer
The Equalizer is an American television series that ran for four seasons, initially on CBS, between 1985 and 1989. It starred Edward Woodward as an aging New York vigilante with a mysterious past...
.
Cast and description of characters
- Mario Santos (Federico D'Elía) (LogisticLogisticLogistic may refer to:* Logistics, the management of resources and their distributions** Logistic engineering, the scientific study of logistics** Military logistics, the study of logistics at the service of military units and operations...
s and planningPlanningPlanning in organizations and public policy is both the organizational process of creating and maintaining a plan; and the psychological process of thinking about the activities required to create a desired goal on some scale. As such, it is a fundamental property of intelligent behavior...
): The head of the team, responsible for planning, logistics and contacting the clients. He is the most refined member, drinking exclusively earl grey teaEarl Grey teaEarl Grey tea is a tea blend with a distinctive flavour and aroma derived from the addition of oil extracted from the rind of the bergamot orange, a fragrant citrus fruit....
. After each successful operation he appears smoking a cigarCigarA cigar is a tightly-rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco that is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, and the Eastern...
(except in episode 2.8, where he smoked a pipe), often lit by the person that was fooled. - Pablo Lamponne (Alejandro Fiore) (Technology and transportation): The member in charge of finding the materials and elements needed for the simulations: props, costumes, vehicles, anything. He has a black mixed-breed dogMixed-breed dogA mixed-breed dog, also known as a mutt or mongrel, is a dog whose ancestry is generally unknown and that has characteristics of two or more types of breeds. A mixed-breed may be a cross-breed dog, a random-bred dog, or a descendant of feral or pariah dog populations...
, "Betún" ("Shoe PolishShoe polishShoe polish , usually a waxy paste or a cream, is a consumer product used to polish, shine, waterproof, and restore the appearance of leather shoes or boots, thereby extending the footwear's life...
"), who takes singing lessons (episode 2.8) and plays a role in several simulations. - Emilio Ravenna (Diego Peretti) (Characterization): The team's leading "actor", who does most of the characterizations required for the simulation (even though the other members also play acting roles). He usually takes the name of "Máximo Cozzetti", which he took from a fraudulent lender who ran an illegal lending business (episode 2.8).
- Gabriel Medina (Martín Seefeld) (ResearchResearchResearch can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
): The team's investigatorDetectiveA detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
, in charge of obtaining informationInformationInformation in its most restricted technical sense is a message or collection of messages that consists of an ordered sequence of symbols, or it is the meaning that can be interpreted from such a message or collection of messages. Information can be recorded or transmitted. It can be recorded as...
about the team's clients, the intended targets of the simulation and the elements of the problem the team must solve. His character is ambiguous, in the sense that he appears to be very tough during the simulations but in numerous occasions he displays himself as the most sensitive.
D'Elía, Seefeld, Peretti, and Fiore met while making an old action series, "Poliladron" in the mid-90's. Diego Peretti is a psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
in real life. The actor who plays Feller, Jorge D'Elía
Jorge D'Elía
Jorge D'Elía is a film and television actor.Two of his most recent films have been critically well received: El Abrazo partido and El Aura .-Filmography :...
, is in real life Federico D'Elía's (Santos) father. Santos is played by the same actor in the Argentine and Spanish versions.
Most of the characters' last names are from people known by Damian Szifron (producer), in most cases from his childhood in Ramos Mejía
Ramos Mejia
Ramos Mejía is a locality of La Matanza Partido in Greater Buenos Aires. The city has an area of 11.9 km² and a population of 98,457 .It is one of the largest commercial districts in the Western Zone of Greater Buenos Aires.-History:...
. "El asistente" ("The assistant"), is the member of the B-Team that does not have a name. However, in the episodes "Fuera de cálculo" and "La Brigada B", this character's last name is revealed to be "Gaona".
On the remakes of the show in other countries sometimes the names of the main characters are conserved.
When "Los Simuladores" are summoned by Santos, their cell phones ring like the show's opening theme, the tango "Cité Tango" (originally by Ástor Piazzolla
Ástor Piazzolla
Ástor Pantaleón Piazzolla was an Argentine tango composer and bandoneón player. His oeuvre revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music...
, but the show uses the version by Gotan Project
Gotan Project
Gotan Project is a musical group based in Paris, consisting of musicians Philippe Cohen Solal , Eduardo Makaroff , and Christoph H. Müller .-History:...
as soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
).
Season 1 (2002)
- Tarjeta de navidad ("Christmas Card"): The team helps a struggling artist to get back together with his estranged wife.
- Diagnóstico rectoscópico ("Rectoscopic Diagnosis"): The team helps a man to get rid of a loan shark and his thugs.
- Seguro de desempleo ("Unemployment Insurance"): The team helps an old man to get his job back after being unceremoniously fired by his boss for being too old.
- El testigo español ("The Spanish Witness"): The team helps a woman to get rid of a Spanish nosy lover who intends to settle in Argentina.
- El joven simulador ("The Young Pretender"): The team works to help a young high school student to pass six hard exams in a single week.
- El pequeño problema del gran hombre: ("The Big Man's Small Problem"): The team must help the President of Argentina to get his self-esteem (and his sexual performance) back up.
- Fuera de cálculo ("Out of Calculations"): The team helps a pair of inexperienced thieves survive a bank robbery.
- El Pacto Copérnico ("The Copernicus Pact"): A lawyer hires the team to make his wife want to leave and divorce him, clearing his conscience for cheating her.
- El último héroe ("The Last Hero"): The team works to take all the money from a swindler who poses as an artistic agent, convincing him to enter a fake SurvivorSurvivor (TV series)Survivor is a reality television game show format produced in many countries throughout the world. In the show, contestants are isolated in the wilderness and compete for cash and other prizes. The show uses a system of progressive elimination, allowing the contestants to vote off other tribe...
-like reality show which will keep him in the Chaco jungle for a full year. - Los impresentables ("The Unpresentables"): The team helps a girl's humble family look good for a dinner with her boyfriend's "perfect" family.
- El colaborador foráneo ("The Foreign Collaborator"): The team helps a neighborhood get rid of a corrupt police officer who terrorizes the vicinity.
- Marcela & Paul ("Marcela and Paul"): The team helps a recently-divorced woman get the love of her life back by arranging a romantic night with whom she believes to be Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
. - Un trabajo involuntario ("An Involuntary Job"): The team must work for free to free Santos from a mobster.
Season 2 (2003)
- Los cuatro notables ("The Remarkable Four"): To help the family of an ailing man, the team tries to convince an HMOHealth maintenance organizationA health maintenance organization is an organization that provides managed care for health insurance contracts in the United States as a liaison with health care providers...
doctor-turned-businessman that he has been nominated to the Nobel PrizeNobel PrizeThe Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
for an old idealistic paper he wrote in his youth. - Z 9000 ("Z 9000"): The team convinces an abusive husband that he has a murderous clone stalking him.
- La gargantilla de las cuatro estaciones ("The Necklace of the Four Seasons"): The team is contacted by a man that can't stop cheating on the woman he loves; however, they pretend to refuse the case and he becomes part of the simulation.
- El Clan Motul ("The Motul Clan"): Simulating a vampires story, the team saves a retirement house from being sold.
- El vengador infantil ("The Child Avenger"): The team helps a young comic-book lover to gain self-esteem and resist a bully.
- El matrimonio mixto ("The Mixed Marriage"): A Jewish boy and a catholic girl hire the team to convince their respective parents that a mixed marriage is not a bad idea.
- El Gran Desafío ("The B Brigade"): U.S. agents capture the members of the B-Team after taking them for terrorists -which they were pretending to be for the purposes of a simulation-, leading the original team to try to infiltrate the FBI itself to free them.
- Fin de semana de descanso ("Holiday Weekend"): Taking a small vacation, the team unmasks a crime being committed by a couple, the Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
way. - El debilitador social ("The Social Debilitator"): The team simulates a trial against a model manager that encourages the girls into unhealthy eating habits, charging him for "pre-crimes against Humanity".
- El anillo de Salomón ("The Ring of Solomon"): A famous orchestra conductorConductingConducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
hires the team to get rid of an obnoxious classical music fan. - Episodio final ("Final Episode"): A two-part episode. The victim from the ninth chapter of the first season comes back from the jungle seeking to kill the team for having tricked him and stolen from him almost one million pesos (at that time, almost USD200,000). The team then makes a simulation to make him believe that it was a test, and then train him to kill Osama Bin LadenOsama bin LadenOsama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
. The team also works to convince an ambitious corporate employee to return home and help his father and sister with the family business. This is the team's final job, as they decide to quit for some time and go their separate ways.
External links
- Los Simuladores Argentina Brief review
- Los Simuladores Spain Official Website Nacho BarahonaNacho BarahonaNacho Barahona is a Spanish film editor with over 225 TV series episodes, 14 short films, numerous advertisements and 3 documentaries to his credit, as well as 8 nominations and awards in film-making.-Biography:...
Film Editor (1st Season) - Los Simuladores Spain Homepage at Cuatro