¿Qué pasa, U.S.A.? (1977–1980) User Reviews

Que Pasa USA?The deal USA is that this is the best show ever!

[xxduhsohardcorexx · 10/10 · 3 July 2006]

¿Qué Pasa, USA? was and still is America's first bilingual situation comedy. The program explored the trials and tribulations faced by a Cuban family, named Peña,in Miami as they struggled to cope with a new country and a new language. The series focused on the identity crisis of the teenage members of the family as they are pulled in one direction by their elders who want to maintain Cuban values and traditions - and pulled in other directions by the pressures of living in a predominantly Anglo society. The series is bilingual, reflecting the mix of language often heard in Cuban-American neighborhoods from Spanish in the home and English at the supermarket to the inevitable combining of both into "Spanglish."

I come from a Cuban family and i can relate to this show and the comedy and highly recommend this show to anyone that enjoys a good laugh.

I remember it as being hilarious

[wbohrer · 8/10 · 6 October 2006]

Like most things, the show tarnished a bit with age, but what I remember most was that this show could be watched by people who only spoke one or the other of English and Spanish, and still be enjoyed and understood.

I was in high school when this show was on PBS in the NYC area, and my father's mother was living with us. My grandmother and I were watching the show and laughing till we choked, some slapstick scene with the grandmother and the dishwasher is all I remember now, 30 yrs later. What I remember most vividly is my father walking into the TV room to find his youngest kid and his mother laughing themselves sick, over a Spanish language TV show when neither of us spoke or understood Spanish. He talked about it for days, told everyone he knew at work about it. All we could tell him was, "it was FUNNY!"

The best Latino sitcom ever, period

[demf · 8/10 · 27 November 2006]

I am not Cuban, and yet I used to watch this series fervently on our local PBS station in Puerto Rico. It was extremely funny, and a great deal of the credit, besides the excellent cast, belongs to Luis Santeiro. Given the comedy's format limitations (no dialog would be uttered in English without it being referenced, directly or indirectly, in Spanish, and vice versa), and given the obvious limitations of explaining a culture (in this case, Cuba's) within an American context through acting alone, Santeiro did an excellent job of synthesizing Cuban, American, and Cuban-American elements within a comic vehicle that could only bring you to the floor, laughing, and laughing hard. I'm unaware of the series' episodes being available in DVD format nowadays, but if you have a chance to see them, somehow, check these ones out: The episode where Joe, Steven Bauer's character, has an appendectomy (the African-American nurse is a riot, and so are the Peñas trying to sneak into Joe's room while his suffering room co-patient, a Jewish-American, has to endure them); the episode where Carmen and Pepe Peña end up drunk (and Pepe has to give her some rather hypocritical fatherly advice about the ills of alcohol); Carmen's crash while trying to get driving lessons from Mi Abuelo Driving School (and the entire family's day in court), and the episode where Adela's friend dies, therefore ruining Carmen's, Violeta's and Joe's party and dates. Velia Martinez was EXCELLENT as Adela (there's an episode where she has to do a live coffee advertisement right in the middle of a TV soap opera broadcast, and that vignette is a gem in itself), and so was Connie Ramirez as the sassy, sexy Violetica... to say little about the rest of the regular cast, which was equally good within their context.

One further word of advice: scrap the non-Bauer episodes towards the end of the series run (as well as the rather flat "Parque sí, Parqueo no" one... these are the few ones that force me to give the series a lower score), and try to watch all others in their entirety. Only in this series you'll ever see a Roman Catholic father trying to bless a house simultaneously while a santera evokes her spirits at some room elsewhere in the same house... and they accidentally end up facing each other.

This is a comedic gem of a series. I miss it dearly.

You don't have to know Spanish to enjoy

[timmauk · 11 April 2001]

I do not speak Spanish but I enjoyed watching this show about a close knit family living in Miami. The great thing, for me at least, is that half the language spoken here was English and Half Spanish. This meant a wider viewing audience, but it also was a lesson in learning. The young latin kids (who were born in America) who wanted to speak English. Their Parents had to speak both languages and their elders who only knew (and wanted to only speak) Spanish. Just by watching (with your eyes) and listening (with your head), you could understand what was going on, even if you could not understand what was being said.

The storylines were interesting and funny. The whole cast was great, especially the one who played the Grandmother! I was happy to see that Steven Bauer made it big time. I wish I could see these shows again. I use to watch them on the Public Television station from Orlando, back in the '70's. If TV could be as good as this now a days!

Pepe and Juana are immigrants from Cuba

[SalsaDancer60 · 10/10 · 9 July 2006]

This show was great, I watched the show only a few years ago, but I really enjoyed it! The grandparents were hilarious, especially Adela and her friends. Joe and Carmen were also hysterical, this show deserves 10 stars. Steven Bauer was SO young in this show but he's still gorgeous. lol Adela also had this very funny friend but I forgot her name......Carmen has a friend named Violeta that was funny too. I loved the show where they were at a funeral and Joe was picking up chicks. lol Overall it was a funny show, I wish I had began to watch it sooner. I hope they put it back on TV again.

SalsaDancer

One of the best shows I've ever seen

[ramiro233 · 10/10 · 18 March 2008]

Que Pasa USA one of the best shows I've ever seen. This show has been my favorite show since i was 7. I started to watched this show since i was like 6 or 7. No other show compares to this show. If they only put this show back on air man thats the best thing television people could do. If they were to put this show back on air i would watch it every day. I can only wish this show can come back on it would be the best thing that ever happened in my life. Another reason why i would like the show to come back is because of the cast. They were one of the best cast i have ever seen in television man. I think all of the cast from Que Pasa USA should come back and do one show for the old times. In conclusion i would like to add that if you guys would come back on air i would be so thank full with who ever would be responsible for putting you guys back on air. oh yeah don't forget I'm your guys number one fan

Very specific content, so enjoyable

[vitor_mplopes · 9/10 · 30 May 2020]

It's nice to see how the city of Miami used to be and the comedic situations an immigrant family would experience!

My Big Fat CUBAN Family - before it's time

[mrserigoyen · 10/10 · 9 November 2012]

This classic show gives a realistic, hysterical view of the lives of Cuban-American family that people of all backgrounds can relate to. This is My Big Fat Greek Wedding for Cubans. I fondly remember watching this show as a young girl and laughing at the interactions between the family members. Recently, I had the opportunity to watch a few episodes and had a greater understanding and appreciation of the topics tackled -- family dynamics, trying to assimilate with American culture while maintaining roots, and growing pains of life. The episode I'll forever hold dear as the funniest EVER is when Abuelo and Abuela go through the US citizenship process: HILARIOUS. Great show, wonderful cast, and unforgettable story lines. They don't make shows like this anymore and that's a shame.

We Could All Relate!

[acejm · 14 December 2000]

You know there are always shows that seem to come across television with themes that we could all relate to. However, not too many programs come across so accurately as the one that began filming down here in Miami. "Que Pasa Usa?" was an original in style, presentation, material, but not in theme. It's storyline felt real because we (the Hispanic community) could relate. We all had the grandparents that could not speak English, or the exremely "macho dad" like Pepe Pena! The unbelievable truth however was that many of the viewers of QPU were in fact of American origin. Was it curiosity? Could have been---but it was also a set-up and programming style like no other, a style which went on to win the show an Emmy. This is still one of my favorite shows and I do hope generations to come appreciate talent, in every technical form, this show brought to the small screen. That and the popular, "Estas cosas no pasaban en Cuba!" I cannot think of anything that can top that phrase.

What a show! If only more people knew about it!

[Cliff-11 · 20 January 2001]

I have to tell you that growing up in Miami when this show was new was kind of freaky as elements of character and certain episodes could have been plucked right out of my life or the life of those around me. Even being Puerto Rican (not Cuban), I felt such a kinship with the Peñas, I felt Cuban by osmosis. If it wasn't the drama of the kids' identity crisis of being American and Hispanic at the same time, it was the insane drama Papa Peña went through when they thought Joe might be gay mirrored my own coming out trauma. Still one of my favorite shows, holding its own alongside some all-time classics, despite its miniscule budget and supposedly limited appeal. I've turned on many a non-Spanish speaker onto the bilingual show and hope that more people outside of South Florida will learn about this show and it's surprisingly universal message.

Great Show!

[mdginzo · 21 June 2003]

Actually, this show was intended to help newly-arrived Cubans learn how to speak English. The show was in Englsih and Spanish musch like Cuban-American households. The children on the show spoke mostly English and the parents mostly Spanish. The older characters spoke as much Enmglish as they could and _wanted_ to learn English, but as we all know it is easier to learn a language when you are younger than when you are older. The fun of the show was in the way the older characters tried to deal with the younger characters in a new land and everyone's attempts at becoming American while remaining Cuban.

A documentary of 1970's Miami

[jrpollo · 26 January 2006]

"¿Qué Pasa, U.S.A.?" is much more than a TV sitcom. It is a veritable documentary of life in 1970's Miami, before Mariel, drug wars and the information age. It provides glimpses into the many cultures that make up our city, from the obvious transplanted Cubans to the blacks to the Jews, upper and middle class (we have no lower class in Miami ;-),old and young, every character represents a familiar relative, neighbor or acquaintance. At that time, most Cubans had been in Miami for less than 20 years, and the hope of a return to a free Cuba still burned in our hearts. In a bittersweet way, that explains the strong resistance of the first generation to assimilate into the culture and the amusing conflicts between them and the second generation. With its universal themes and unique local flavor, it is a definite "must see", especially now that the entire series has been released on DVD.