Pan y Circo

There’s a vague sense that we’re listening in on a group of people chatting about these issues over wine, beer and food in a fashion that feels above the fray and a bit disconnected. That was likely not Luna’s intention, but that’s how it comes off. ... Luna is a very curious dinner host, egging on the discussions on Pan y Circo with knowing and educated questions. We just hope that all the discussions are as passionate and animated as the one about femicide was.

The chat, peppered with statistical graphics and illustrative video of slums, climate catastrophes, abortion, “round trip migrants,” drug violence and the like, is generally enlightened, if limited in scope. And then there’s a chef — Enrique Olvera, Alexander Suástegui — serving up another course and describing the molé or what have you as she or he does. It’s jarring and grating at the same time.

Shows like Pan y Circo depend on the suitability of the topics for group conversation and the chemistry of the guests — and unfortunately, the producers mostly flounder on both counts. ... The only one where the show's format really works, at least for this American viewer — deals with Mexico's role in the Central American refugee crisis.