Skip to main content

Netflix readies new period drama as first original series from Spain

netflix adds picture in ipad sign
Netflix
Netflix went global this year, switching on in over 190 countries in total, and now it’s getting ready to start production on its first original series filmed and produced entirely in Spain.

Hailing from the directors and producers of popular Spanish series Velvet and Gran Hotel, Carlos Sedes, Ramon Campos, and Teresa Fernandez Valdes, the yet-to-be-titled drama will start production in Madrid this year and debut on Netflix worldwide some time in 2017. The series will be a period piece set in the 1920s, following the lives of four very different women with very different backgrounds from across Spain, each hired to work as a switchboard operator for the only telephone company in the country. It promises to deliver jealousy, envy, and betrayal as the four women try to work toward success and progress at the forefront of the communications revolution.

The series was co-created by Gema Neira, along with producer Campos. Campos says the team are “enthusiastic fans” of Netflix original series, and feel honored to be part of this project. Fernandez Valdes adds that Netflix is “revolutionizing the television industry worldwide.”

Netflix brass are fans of both Gran Hotel and Velvet, both of which stream through the service, adds Erik Barmack, Vice President of International Original Series at Netflix calls the series “epic romances that have been embraced by our members around the world.”

“We’re certain,” he adds, “that our members will love this unique and engaging drama created by some of the best storytellers in Spain.”

There will be 16 episodes in the first season, each of which will run about 50 minutes. A specific shooting date hasn’t been confirmed, but Netflix confirms that it will commence some time “later this year.”

Netflix is developing original series in various locations around the world, including Suburra in Italy, which will also premiere in 2017, and 3%, which is being shot entirely in Brazil in 4K Ultra HD resolution and is listed as “coming soon” on the site.

Editors' Recommendations

Christine Persaud
Christine has decades of experience in trade and consumer journalism. While she started her career writing exclusively about…
The 10 most popular movies on Netflix right now
A woman points a gun and stares.

Netflix is one of the most popular streaming services in the world, with nearly 250 million subscribers. And just what do those people tend to watch? In particular, what is the most popular movie on Netflix? Each week, the streaming service releases a list of its 10 most-watched movies over a recent seven-day period to keep subscribers in the loop regarding its most popular titles.

Zack Snyder is back in the top 10 with Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver, the second film in his space opera series. Despite Snyder's popularity, the new Rebel Moon film could not unseat What Jennifer Did, which is the No. 1 movie for the second straight week. New additions to the top 10 include the comedy Knocked Up at No. 8 and the action movie Anna at No. 2. Below, we've listed the top 10 movies in the U.S. from April 15 to April 21, along with general information about each film, such as genre, rating, cast, and synopsis.

Read more
Deadpool & Wolverine: Everything we know about the film formerly known as Deadpool 3
Deadpool and Wolverine stand together in Deadpool & Wolverine.

In retrospect, we should have suspected that Deadpool & Wolverine wouldn't keep its most famous co-star out of the title. In 2022, Ryan Reynolds coaxed Hugh Jackman into reprising his role as Wolverine for the first time since 2017's Logan. Once that happened, the name Deadpool 3 didn't fully convey how monumental this film would be.

So Marvel Studios has officially retitled it as Deadpool & Wolverine. Jackman has also humorously rebranded the film as Wolverine & [expletive], which would make this R-rated flick a lot harder to market!

Read more
5 years ago, Game of Thrones aired its last great episode. Here’s why it still holds up
Jamie knights Brienne in episode 2 of Game of Thrones season 8.

Many fans would likely agree that Game of Thrones went out not with a bang, but a profound whimper. After dominating pop culture for nearly 10 years, the hit HBO series concluded with a trio of episodes that were universally reviled by both fans and critics alike. The show's lackluster, ham-fisted finale led to its popularity seemingly vanishing into thin air. In the five years since it aired, time hasn't been kind to Game of Thrones season 8.

To this day, many people still discuss the series' final season with a mix of bitterness and disbelief, and those fans won't find any disagreement about the quality of Game of Thrones' last few chapters here. As disappointing as its eighth season remains, though, April 21 marked the five-year anniversary of its noteworthy second episode, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The fan-favorite installment ranks not only as its season's best chapter, but also as the last great episode that Game of Thrones ever produced.

Read more