The enigma of a cancellation: 'The mysteries of Laura' returns eight years later in film form

Beyond all the cases counted and studied in

, surely the strangest is its cancellation. The series, a detective police bet with humorous overtones produced by Grupo Boomerang for RTVE, began to air in 2009, with audience figures that exceeded two million viewers and with a second season that averaged three million fans . The third, issued in 2014, was the last of all. Then it achieved an average of 2,455,000 viewers, a figure that today would be excellent, but then it did not seem enough for TVE. The series remained for months in limbo, without renewing or canceling. Finally, it was confirmed that there would be no more chapters and that the plots that were left without closing would remain that way. Now, eight years later, Inspector Laura Lebrel, played by actress María Pujalte, is back with

a television movie that La 1 premieres on the night of Thursday, January 13, although it remains to be seen if there will be more cases on the horizon.

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Since the issuance of the last chapter, time has passed not only for the characters of the series, but also for its actors: on December 22, when Pujalte answers these questions on his mobile, he turns 55.

He has not lacked work since then, having so many roles in film -

(2017) or

(2019) - as on television -

(2019) or

(2019) -.

But in this time frame, both Agent Lebrel's police nose and Pujalte's freshness to interpret her remain intact: “I had no hope that they would take it up again, and I was very surprised when they called me.

But the good news is that we are back ”.

More information

TVE prepares the return of 'Los misterios de Laura'

In this new adventure, located in times of pandemic and in the boom of technology, social networks and 5G, the series will not only propose to the viewer a new case, but will also answer the questions that have arisen in these years : what has become of the protagonists, what do they do now or what is the relationship between them. In Laura's case, as a consequence of an event recounted in the film, she now runs a rural house, with an ecological garden, away from the license plates and police stations. But a seemingly perfect crime, and the desperate search for answers by her ex-teammates, who need her cunning to find the culprit, will make her return to the ring. "The scriptwriters Javier Holgado and Carlos Vila, I think with good success and in an intelligent way,They pose what has happened to the characters during these years through the mystery that they are going to solve, and that is very nice. Hard things have also happened to them in these years. Everything has a more twilight light, but it is beautiful because it is something vital ”, assesses Pujalte.

Oriol Tarrasón, María Pujalte, César Camino and Laura Pamplona repeat in their usual roles of 'Los misterios de Laura'.

At first, says the actress, she was "intrigued" with this new story and what it had brought her character over the years, something that had to be "cared for and pampered."

But after reading the script, with a "kick of emotion" in between, she was "very happy" with the result.

"We are still us, the public will recognize our characters, and everything is quite coherent and credible," says the protagonist.

Love for his character

She confesses between laughs that, although she likes the detective novel, she cannot say that she was a devourer of Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes, but she enjoys and has always been “very happy” playing Laura Lebrel: “When they gave me this character I thought : 'María, this is a gift that doesn't happen, maybe only once in a lifetime', because it's not so easy for them to give you such a character.

At that time, there was hardly any character fiction in Spain, that is, a series that revolves entirely around a protagonist.

So that made it even more exceptional.

So I gave myself body and soul.

And then, seeing the result, the reception they had among the public, the acceptance, the affection and everything else ... How could I not adore my

?

I will be 70 years old and will continue to be my

”.

Inspector Laura Lebrel in a moment of 'Laura and the mystery of the unexpected murderer'.

Pujalte falls short in words to describe the admiration she feels for her character, so much so that she doesn't even dare to compare herself to her: “I'm much dumber, she's a

and a hero. He is a very intelligent person, very talented in what he does ”. The actress says that on one occasion, speaking with a police inspector, she said “hey, I have a few colleagues like this, like what you are doing, women who seem to be unaware of anything, discreet, who go unnoticed , in which nobody would notice, but very formed, with heads ... Some

. And this is how he likes to think of Laura Lebrel, whom he "dreams of performing again", to continue being happy while making others happy.

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