Are you on the hunt for a new Spanish series to binge watch? You want to hone those Spanish listening skills, but feel like there’s too little or too much for you to choose from?
You’ve already watched Money Heist but that seems to be the only recommendation these days?
Hold on tight, or rather – sit back comfortably, because in this post we are bringing you 5 amazing Spanish series – that are not Money Heist.
1. EL TIEMPO ENTRE COSTURAS (2014)
El tiempo entre costuras – The Time In Between, is a beautiful periodic piece set in mid-20 century.
Place of action: Madrid, Morrocco and a very intense misadventure in Portugal.
The series is based on the homonymous novel by María Dueñas. If you prefer to practice Spanish by reading Spanish books to watching Spanish series, read our recommendations for bestselling Spanish novels in 2021.
When this novel was made into a TV show in 2014, it became an instant hit. To this day, it remains one of the most popular and beloved series in Spain.
And the best part? You don’t have to be a history buff to love it.
WHO IS SIRA AND WHAT MAKES HER SPECIAL?
This beautiful Spanish series follows the life of Sira Quiroga, a simple seamstress who’s never stepped a foot outside her little barrio in Madrid.
So how does someone like that become involved in international espionage and privy to confident state matters?
That’s part of the journey: Sira’s life is full of ups and downs. If I had to point out one thing that I love the most about the series is that the characters aren’t perfect. We watch Sira go from a bit naïve and reckless, inexperienced in matters of life, to a strong character willing to do what it takes.
Sira is embodied by the talented actress Adriana_Ugarte whose natural delicacy adds to the character. And then there are the characters based on real people, like Sira’s best friend, Rosalinda Fox. She was a well-known elite socialite and a British spy.
It’s no surprise then that the series is full of suspense, drama, love, friendship, loyalty to family but also to one’s own country. No spoilers, though.
El tiempo entre costuras has 1 season and is available on Atres Player – you will need VPN if you’re outside of Spain so bear that in mind.
Another option is to purchase it on Amazon.
2. EL MINISTERIO DEL TIEMPO (2015)
Picture this: you come in to work only to see the famous 17th century painter Diego Velázquez throwing a tantrum about how they are restoring his paintings wrong. Apparently, they look like “una serie española de televisión.”
Even better, your boss is threatening Velázquez with sending him back to the Cave of Altamira to paint buffalos. However, at the Ministry of Time, where the main character works, this is just another normal Monday morning.
THE MINISTRY OF TIME – THE WHY AND THE WHEN
So what is the Ministry of Time and how does one end up working there?
Imagine the word got out that there are secret doors which allow you to travel through time. Now imagine that you are about to fight in a war and knowing what happens would help you win it. That’s exactly how you end up with two French soldiers, fully dressed in 19th century fashion, setting off the alarm in the library in modern-day Madrid, fleeing with the book that will tell them what happened in their war.
And the consequences of tempering with time and history? That’s what Ministry of Time is here to deal with. Our main characters are a group of secret government officials from different time periods, and secrets of their own, trying to stop people from changing the events in the past to their benefit. Or at least that’s what they think they are doing.
Time is not to be messed with, as the president of the Ministry keeps warning everyone. Will the main characters resist the temptation to change history and fix their own problems? At what cost would you stop the Nazi Germany from rising if you could travel through time?
BEST SPANISH SERIES TO LEARN ABOUT HISTORY AND CULTURE
Velázquez is just one of the many historic figures that appear on the show. You will get to ‘meet’ Picasso, Dalí, Lope de Vega, Federico García Lorca, Luis Buñuel, Miguel de Cervantes, Isabella of Castile….
And if you’re serious about Spanish and Spanish culture, you’ll want to know more about these prominent figures. With this in mind, El Ministerio del Tiempo in not only a very entertaining TV show, it’s also a great way to learn about history, culture and literature.
Not to mention, as our patrulla, made out of people from different eras, travels through time, you will also get to hear a great variety of Spanish register. From modern and colloquial Spanish to archaic ‘vuestra merced’, a courtesy treatment of the past used to address other people of the same or higher rank. This was sometimes degraded into vuesa merced, with the same meaning. Later, it evolved into vusted and, finally, usted, which is used nowadays.
To make things even more interesting, often it is the very members of the Ministry who are tempted by the possibilities of time.
WHERE CAN I WATCH IT?
If you like Doctor Who, chances are, this Spanish series is for you.
So far, there are four seasons of this unique and fun series. If you’re at intermediate or advanced level, we suggest you watch the show on the Spanish platform, TV a la carta – free of charge. You can choose to watch it with Spanish subtitles – and Spanish subtitles only, which is a great exercise.
The series is also available on Atres Player and as Blue-ray and DVD on Amazon
3. MONARCA (2019)
Try to think of all the stereotypes you have about Mexico: chihuahuas, tequila, corruption, haciendas, mercenaries, drug cartels. You’ll find them all in Monarca. The series is openly ‘very Mexican’. And yet, it’s done in an artful and engaging way.
The title of the series is based on the real Mexican tequila brand Monarca. The drink in the series, however, is called Los Herederos – The Heirs.
And the name couldn’t be more fitting. Despite being deeply Mexican, the show explores many universal topics – treason, love, power, hypocrisy, sexual identity. And the greatest force in the world of Monarca: the family.
WHAT IS MONARCA ABOUT?
The drama starts when Ana María, who moved to the United States 20 years ago to start her own life, is called down to Mexico by her father. He believes in her more than even she believes in herself and wants her to take over Monarca. However, not all of her siblings are be happy about that – and they have their own drama going on on the side.
Despite this being a fictional story, audience has said that its reflection of the modern Mexico is very much real, so don’t let the tequila storyline fool you.
A REFLECTION OF THE MODERN MEXICO
Underneath it all, there’s the understanding of the complex Mexican social structure and the particular type of corruption that exists in Mexico. It’s the corruption that goes deep, to the very foundation of the country.
Which brings us to the big questions of the series: is it possible to succeed in Mexico without becoming corrupt? All the characters in Monarca are walking that line. It’s precisely that conflict that gives them depth as human beings and makes for a great premise.
In words of the actress Irene Azuela who plays Ana María:
If you like the drama, you’ll like this.
If this sounds right up your alley, you can watch Monarca on Netflix.
4. QUIÉN MATÓ A SARA (2021)
Pocos de nosotros somos lo que parecemos’’
Agatha Christie
Those are the opening words of ¿Quién mató a Sara? – Who Killed Sara? And it’s not even until the season 2 that you realize just how much foreshadowing was in that sentence.
The opening scene is just a bunch of teenagers having fun on a boat on the open sea. One of them, Sara, uses the parachute at the back of the boat but the rope breaks and she falls to her death.
Because most of the people on the boat that day were part of the Lazcano family, the rich, seemingly invincible family, none of them goes to prison. Instead, Álex, Sara’s brother, is wrongly accused and spends the next 18 years in prison for negligence.
As soon as he gets out, however, he swears vengeance upon Lazcano family. Because Álex knows only one thing for sure: the death of his sister was no accident.
And that’s where our Mexican whodunnit starts.
RED HERRINGS GALORE
If you’re guilty of watching Pretty Little Liars back in the 2010s, you know the drill: every single person becomes a suspect at one point. We go through their motives, and compromising scenes, only to find out they weren’t A either.
In the same way, Álex’s suspicion is shifting between the members of the Lazcano family throughout the whole season.
And the result? Instead of putting his initial suspects behind bars, those very suspects join him in his investigation.
The second season, however, is truly about Sara, the real Sara that Álex had no idea about. It all started with the discovery of her second diary, but this is where’s we’ll put a lock on it: ‘cause two can keep a secret if one of them is dead.
If you love a good mystery, ¿Quién mató a Sara? is available for you to watch on Netflix.
5. CLUB DE CUERVOS (2015)
To give you a little break from all the thriller and mystery, we’ve chosen this Mexican dramedy.
This unusual show is actually the first ever original Netflix show in Spanish. It appealed to the public straight away with its rhythm and originality.
MEET THE PROTAGONISTS
It all starts with the death of Salvador Iglesias, who was the president of the fictional football club Cuervos de Nuevo Toledo. The drama – and the comedy – start from the moment his pretty much useless son takes over the club, to the discontent of his sister.
Naturally, this being a Mexican show, there must be elements of telenovela and family drama.
ANOTHER ASPECT OF MEXICO
This isn’t a show that explores the deep problems of the Mexican society, although it still reflects a seemingly trivial, but incredibly important aspect of Latin American societies: football.
This is seen not only in the owners of the club, but in the crazed fans as well. If you’ve ever watched Latin American fans during a World Cup, you’ll understand.
Apart from the show being funny, many fans have also said they were deeply moved by parts of the series and that it was one of the best endings to a series ever.
But that we’ll leave for you to find out for yourself.
We hope you’ve enjoyed in our selection of TV shows in Spanish. There’s no doubt they’re a great way to focus on pronunciation and the natural flow of language.
Even if you’re a beginner, don’t worry if you can’t understand. Just enjoying the experience and hearing the language will make you want to learn more!
To find out more about how you can effectively and proactively listen to better your Spanish, or any language for that matter, stay tuned, because we’ll be covering that in our next post.
LISTEN WITH ROMANCE
In the meantime, if you are in search of a good Spanish listening resource, we have something for you!
We have been working hard to bring you our next resource, this time based on the well-known fairy tale Snow White aka Blancanieves to support your understanding.
This 30 pages-long resource comes with 10 minutes of audio content and an audio retelling of the adapted story. Besides being visually appealing and fun, it is packed with activities that build upon each other in the most optimal way to develop your listening skills, to practice and understand past tenses, to expand, retrieve and solidify Spanish vocabulary & much more!
It is completely FREE for a limited time, so take advantage of that now. Find out more about Blancanieves here and start improving your Spanish.
