Before Squid Game came along, Money Heist proved that fans in America would put up with subtitles for the right show. Money Heist began as a Spanish original series in 2017 before Netflix picked up the streaming rights later that year. From there, it didn’t take long for the show to find new fans around the world, and Netflix ordered additional episodes of the series before Money Heist came to a conclusion after its third season in December 2021.
Yet in the streaming era, nothing ever really ends, especially when a show has such a sizable audience. A spinoff series, Berlin, featuring Pedro Alonso’s title character, is coming to Netflix on December 29. As if you needed an excuse to revisit Money Heist, here are three reasons why it’s still one of the best Netflix shows to watch.
The show throws you right into the heists
One of the things that we appreciate the most about Money Heist is that it doesn’t make you wait around for the good parts. The show often throws the viewer right into the middle of an elaborate heist that was conceived by The Professor (Álvaro Morte), a criminal mastermind who doesn’t seem to believe in doing anything small.
The initial heist is so daring that the entire team has to take hostages and hold their positions for days even as the police surround them outside. It’s a high risk and high reward situation that makes the drama surrounding the heist so deliciously intense.
The relationship drama is compelling
You wouldn’t think that there would be much time for love in a show like Money Heist, but it’s pretty determined to have its thrilling heists punctuated with some good old-fashioned romance. That said, there’s nothing traditional about the relationship that develops between The Professor, nee Sergio Marquina, and Raquel Murillo (Itziar Ituño), an inspector for the National Police Corps in Spain who was in charge of stopping The Professor’s team.
When Raquel learns who Sergio really is, it doesn’t mark the end of their relationship – it’s only the beginning. Even the show’s breakout character, Tokyo (Úrsula Corberó), nee Silene Oliveira, has her romance with Rio (Miguel Herrán), nee Aníbal Cortés. Tokyo’s just not as trusting of other people, even her partners.
The stakes are always going up
It’s probably a good thing that Money Heist had a relatively short run on Netflix. Because this was a series that had to constantly raise the stakes through each season, which would have ultimately been unsustainable had it lasted any longer. The initial schemes of The Professor were bold, but his later plans seemingly threw caution to the wind and put the entire team into dangerous situations.
Of course, the fun of that is watching the team squirm out of trouble by the skin of their teeth. They may not always like each other, but this group needs each other. And that’s the message that the show sends while also staging some pretty impressive heists.
Watch Money Heist on Netflix.
