Spanish channel Antena 3 scheduled Santiago Segura's festive comedy Padre no hay mas que uno 3 for late-night summer broadcast. The third instalment of the hit film franchise aired at 11:00 p.m. as part of the network's El Peliculón movie strand, bringing Christmas Eve settings and holiday carols to August television screens.
The programming decision by parent company Atresmedia relied on what network programmers described as the Segura effect. Broadcasters used the light family humor of the Madrid filmmaker to offer viewers a festive escape during the hot summer night, proving Segura's ability to attract general audiences regardless of the season.
Race to replace antique nativity statue
The plot of the film centers on a chaotic domestic crisis inside the household of main characters Javier, played by Segura, and Marisa. The family's children accidentally break the Baby Jesus figurine from their traditional Christmas nativity scene. Rather than a simple holiday ornament, the piece is a rare antique collector's item owned by Javier.
Fearing their father's reaction, the children launch a frantic race against time through the crowded Christmas market in Madrid's central Plaza Mayor to locate an exact replacement before the alarm is raised. Their search grows more complicated with the arrival of their newly separated and desolate grandfather.
The situation escalates when the youngest daughter disappears into the crowded holiday market. Segura designed the storyline as a direct homage to director Fernando Palacios' classic 1962 Spanish comedy film La gran familia. The scene echoes the famous search for the lost child Chencho in Plaza Mayor, updated with fast-paced contemporary comedy beats.
Subplots and guest appearances
Alongside the main search in Plaza Mayor, the film weaves together several secondary storylines involving the wider family. The eldest daughter deals with a painful romantic breakup, while Segura's character Javier makes absurd attempts to manage the turbulent love lives of his children.
The narrative also features guest appearances from Spanish media figures El Cejas and Omar Montes, alongside ensemble cast member Leo Harlem. Meanwhile, the children's grandmother creates further comic entanglements as she attempts to build a romantic relationship with her new co-father-in-law.
The broadcast highlights Segura's position as one of Spanish commercial cinema's most dependable comedy directors. By turning a mid-winter Christmas Eve story into a summer ratings draw, Antena 3 reaffirmed the enduring appeal of clean family entertainment across television schedules.
