In my review of COBRA KAI, I wrote, “there’s a trend of challenging TV these days that leaves audiences feeling like the world will end. Yet, it’s incredibly rare when a TV show comes out with excellent values and hooks you into binging all the episodes in just a few days.” The same is true for ACAPULCO, an overlooked comedy gem on Apple TV+.
What hooked me in ACAPULCO were the characters. It’s easy to fall in love with the show’s leads because they want to do what’s best for their family and friends, yet they tend to mess up along the way. Maximo (Enrique Arrizon) works at the glitzy Las Colinas hotel to pay for his mom’s (Vanessa Bauche) eye surgery. At the same time, his frenemy, Chad (Chad Overstreet aka Sam from GLEE!), always tries to take care of his girlfriend, Julia (Camila Perez). On the surface, their motivations are simple, but there’s a lot more going on beneath the layers of character development.
Without spoiling, the show is easiest compared to:
- The class system depiction of hotel guests versus the staff as seen in WHITE LOTUS, but with the comedy tone of RED OAKS.
- The flashback narrator style of one of my favorite sitcoms of all time, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER.
- And the instantly likable do-good characters of TED LASSO. Hell, there’s even a Christmas-themed episode.
There’s a reason that ACAPULCO has a 100% fresh score on ROTTEN TOMATOES. It’s an easy binge-worthy experience that scratches the itch in the feel-good comedy zone. If it’s true that “what the guest wants the guest gets,” then sign me up to be a guest for more seasons of this lovable can’t-miss series.
The entire first season is available on Apple TV+.
