Money Heist has definitely got many hooked. Even celebrities like Ayushmann Khurrana couldn’t stop raving about it. Spanish dramas are certainly becoming favourites for their no-holds-barred portrayal of all things criminal! Be it the popular Narcos series or El Chapo or the one based on Pablo Escobar, and then Money Heist of course, Spanish dramas are slowly making way to our watchlist (and are fighting with Korean dramas for attention). So, if you are done with Money Heist, here are some more Spanish dramas (some popular and some lesser known) worth binge-watching to spice up your lockdown life a bit.
Elite
Set in a fictional elite school called Las Encinas, this series revolves around three teenagers who get an admission to the school through scholarship. These three aren’t from a wealthy family unlike their classmates. While the focus is on these three and their relationships with their wealthy classmates, don’t dismiss it as just another glossy teen drama. There’s plenty of ‘action’ happening between the sheets and off it as well, especially when a mysterious murder comes to light. The third season started streaming from March this year (plenty to keep you hooked) and a fourth one is in the making.
El Dragon: Return of the Warrior
Revolving around a handsome Tokyo-based financer, this one a pure crime drama. While Miguel Garza has been enjoying and living his life with his girlfriend in Tokyo, one call from his grandmother changes everything. His grandfather is the head of a drug cartel and is suffering from Alzheimer’s and he wants Miguel to take charge of the family business. While Miguel agrees to takeover, only with the aim of turning the business into something else. But, that is least of his problems. As things change when rivals gangs, Russian cartels and Italian mobs come in the picture.
Grand Hotel
Set in the early 20th century during the reign of King Alfonso XIII, this one looks like a Spanish counterpart of Downtown Abbey (but with a lot of mysteries). Julio Olmedo visits Grand Hotel to meet his sister Cristina who works there as a maid. But, when he arrives at the hotel, he realises that his sister has been fired and nobody knows where she’s gone. Suspicion begins to gnaw at him and in a bid to find his sister he starts working at the hotel in disguise. As he begins to delve deeper, several mysteries revolving around the hotel owners come to light. With the help of Alicia, one of the daughters of the owners, Julio begins to unravel the mysteries of Grand Hotel while struggling to find his sister. This is one lengthy series — it has almost 66 episodes spread across three seasons.
Hache
Again, typical of Spanish dramas, this one too has a lot of drugs and sex. This revolves around Helena, a prostitute, who tries to win over a drug cartel leader. Set in 1960’s Barcelona, Helena must also hone her skills to rise to the top—without getting caught or murdered in the process.
Locked up
Macarena Ferreiro, a young naive woman, under the influence of her boss and lover, commits multiple tax frauds. And, when the crimes come to light, her lover cleverly extracts himself from the various frauds. Macarena ends up in a high-security women’s prison. Thrown amidst some notorious criminals, Zulema being one of the most dangerous ones, she must learn to survive in her hard, new world. Meanwhile, her family is trying to gather money to fund her her bail, which puts them in the path of Zulema’a boyfriend. This one has glimpses of Orange is the New Black.
Toy boy
A young, handsome male stripper, Hugo Beltran, is framed for murder and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Seven years later, when he is released pending retrials, Hugo sets out to prove that his rich, gorgeous lover Macarena, was the real culprit, because the victim was her husband. The problem is, Hugo doesn’t remember anything from the alcohol-fuelled night of the murder. With the help of his lawyer, Triana, who was actually responsible for getting him out of the jail, Hugo must retrace his steps into the past. As the two try to prove his innocence, their budding romance proves to be an hindrance. Sex, mystery, this series has all the ingredients of a masala entertainer.
Drug Squad: Costa Del Sol
The series is based on the true story of one of Spain’s first anti-narcotics squad. The year is 1977. A group of courageous police detectives is formed to tackle the growing menace of drug cartels and drug lords in Torremonilnos in Costa Del Sol.
Criminal Spain
This one a little different from the above dramas. Set in the confines of an interrogation room, detectives must make their suspects reveal truths and help them solve their cases. Full of psychological cat and mouse games, the detectives’ personal lives are juxtaposed against their professional lives.
Unauthorised living
Yet another drug lord, yet another race against time to choose the heir. Nemo Bandeira is a businessman, but that’s only a facade. In reality, he’s a drug lord who’s diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. not wanted his rivals or anyone to know about his vulnerability, he must choose the right person to succeed him. Options are plenty, but are they trustworthy?
Ungorvernable
If you have watched House of Cards then you will love this Spanish equivalent of the series (don’t mistake it for a Spanish remake, because it isn’t, just the plot premise is similar). Ungovernable (Spanish title Ingobernable) revolves around the peace-loving Emilia Urquiza, First Lady of Mexico, who wants to improve the conditions of her country. But, as she and her husband President Diego Nava push for internal peace, unforeseen circumstances creep up living the First Lady at loggerheads with her husband. And the President, must find a way to deal with the problem while discovering an unsavoury truth.
