Biyograficim
Un Paso Adelante

Un Paso Adelante

TV Series · 2002–2005 · 11 people

Globomedia made the musical drama-comedy Un paso adelante ("One Step Forward"), shown on Antena 3 in Spain from 2002 to 2005. Likened to the American series Fame, it was a big hit abroad: in Germany as Dance – Der Traum vom Ruhm, in France as Un, dos, tres, and in Serbia and Montenegro as Korak napred, and in Italy and Latin America. It began on 8 January 2002, ended on 24 April 2005 and ran to 84 episodes of about 80 minutes.

The story takes place at Carmen Arranz, a famous arts school in Madrid. Lola, Pedro, Rober, Jero, Ingrid, Silvia and Marta want to become successful singers, dancers and actors, but learn the hard way that the road to fame is not easy. The cast includes Beatriz Luengo, Pablo Puyol, Mónica Cruz, Miguel Ángel Muñoz and Silvia Marty, with Asier Etxeandía and Beatriz Rico also in it.

The pop group Upa Dance, born from the series, split when it ended. Abroad the episodes were re-edited and multiplied: Germany reached 130. In France it started on M6 in 2004, and in Canada on Séries+ in 2011. A sequel, UPA Next, arrived on Atresplayer Premium on 25 December 2022, with a new cast and some returning students.

DirectorJesus del Cerro
Production companyGlobomedia
NetworkAntena 3

Reactions

You can pick up to 3 reactions.

Cast

Only cast members with a profile on this site are listed.

Asier Etxeandía Asier Etxeandía Actor · 51 years old Beatriz Rico Beatriz Rico Actor · 56 years old Beatriz Luengo Pablo Puyol Mónica Cruz Miguel Ángel Muñoz Silvia Marty Erika Sanz Lola Herrera Jaime Blanch Natalia Millán

More from this director

Through different eyes

Series Binger A series devotee tracking character arcs, cast chemistry and season pacing.

Set at Carmen Arranz, a famous arts school in Madrid, this series gives the Fame formula a warm Spanish accent. With a big student line-up – Lola, Pedro, Rober, Jero, Ingrid, Silvia and Marta – almost everyone finds someone to root for, and the cast's chemistry in the song and dance numbers is what really powers it. Over six seasons and 84 episodes the pace inevitably wobbles: at roughly 80 minutes, episodes can feel overlong, and the school-drama formulas start repeating. Still, the core idea that the road to fame is hard holds up. The much later sequel, UPA Next, keeps the curiosity alive.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humour and heart.

A colourful series about singing, dancing and school life. It is about young people's dreams and the value of hard work, which is a good message for teenagers. But the episodes are long, around 80 minutes each, and small children may get bored. Because it shows the world of young adults, some topics may be heavy for little ones, so watch the first episodes together. I think it suits middle-school and high-school kids best.

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Un paso adelante is a musical dramedy walking the road Fame opened, and it makes no secret of it. The arts-school frame is ideal for setting stage performance beside personal conflict in every episode, and the show is at its best when the musical numbers are cut together with the dramatic beats. The problem is structural: an episode length of about 80 minutes leaves too much room for filler and dilutes the storytelling at times. That German broadcasters could re-edit it into 130 episodes says how flexible – in other words, how fragmented – the material is. Even so, Jesus del Cerro's series left a mark on its genre, proving a TV musical could find an audience across many countries.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

Reviews (0)

Log in Log in to write a review.

Comments