The Argentinian TV Model

Arguably, one of the strongest and most memorable moments from my young teenage years is that which was marked by the appearance of what I consider to be one of the best Argentinian TV fictions. El Garante, or Collateral Man, as it appears to have been re-titled in English, was filmed and set in the second half of the 1990's in Buenos Aires. It is, as far as I'm concerned, the main reason why I decided to pursue the creative career path. The show is the living proof of how much can be achieved when the resources are lacking, to say the least. What exactly makes it so great and unique? A simple story line, with a cheap fantasy twist.
Sometimes, when I hear Canadian producers complain about the size of the Canadian market, and the lack of resources, I feel my intestines turn inside out. It's true that my intestines are not healthy to begin with, but what's also true is the fact that there are close to 25 million English-speaking Canadians living in Canada. While over-the-air television networks in Argentina reach only about 6 million people, CTV, CBC and Global reach the population of all big urban centres! So, in just a few words, the secret is not to be able to reach the tens of millions of people the Americans easily attract. The secret is to produce more quality with less resources!!
That is what El Garante did, and it didn't take long for most Argentinian TV producers to catch on. The story is simple: A young psychologist meets a disturbing man, José, at a bar after receiving a note from this man. José shamelessly tells the psychologist that his dead grandfather had a debt that he was supposed to pay. Not too long into their conversation, we find out that the debt is not a regular one. The psychologist's grandfather had sold his soul to the Devil and the Devil had failed to receive the due payment. As the collateral man, being the first male descendant, the young psychologist is chased and stalked by José, whose main job is to make him sign the agreement.
I have been lucky enough to find the reduced edit on YouTube. The 13-episode miniseries was reduced to 29 10-minute parts and added English subtitles. If you have some time, I strongly recommend you watch it. I think it is worth it.