10 Best Spanish series on Netflix

Maybe you have some time to chill at home and watch Netflix with your popcorn but don't want to spend hours choosing what to watch... Or maybe, you are learning Spanish and you want to be exposed to the language more and watching Spanish series is a fun way of doing that... Either way, you are in the right place! Below, you'll find my top 10 Spanish series on Netflix (which are available on Netflix Turkey, but I'm hoping that you'll be able to see them in your country too!) The shows I've listed below are relatively less well-known (I'm assuming almost everyone has seen or at least knows about La Casa de Papel or Narcos by now) and the ones I've enjoyed the most... So, let's begin!

Small note: If you want to see my 12 Best Spanish movies on Netflix list, click here!

1) La Casa de Las Flores (The House of Flowers)

30 mins / 3 seasons

At first glance, this show seems like a regular series revolving around an ordinary Mexican florist family. I thought so too, but this family actually has nothing to do with mediocrity :) All the relationships in the series ̶̶ family, love, work, friendship ̶ are changing in an interesting and unpredictable way. When you watch it, you will realize that the series is a black comedy that aims to break the taboos in society. I think it is refreshing to see series or shows that are not afraid to portray different characters and themes for a change.

By the way, while watching this series, I liked the character of Paulina the most because I was trying to understand their dialogues in Spanish and she speaks really, really slowly :) You won't find anyone else who speaks Spanish (albeit with a Mexican accent) so slowly and precisely :) Perfect for Spanish learners like me.

Some vocabulary to learn from this series: El cabaret, la floreria, la familia (and all kinship terms), el negocio.

2) Alta Mar (High Seas)

40 mins / 3 seasons

It's a series that those who like period dramas and detective stories (mostly Agatha Christie's) will love, and I am definitely one of them! Alta Mar begins with two sisters boarding a ship as big and magnificent as the Titanic, sailing from Spain to Brazil in the 1940s. This ordinary cruise suddenly turns into a journey where murders are committed, hidden secrets are revealed and mysterious events ensue.

I have to admit that, aside from the script, one of the things that drew me to this series was the beautiful clothes, hair, and make-up that the characters wore! As it is a period drama, the style of the characters, the interior design and decor of the ship and even the tablesettings all have that fabulous 1940s aesthetic, which is very pleasing to the eye.

Edit: For the 3rd season, I believe that the scriptwriters were inspired by the pandemic a lot, and they integrated that into the plot of the series, but to me, it seems like they rushed the script and the shooting. They crammed a lot of events into the same season which are not explained in great detail, and some parts that don't make sense are ignored, not resolved in the end. Although I do not like the third season as much as the previous ones, you can still give this series a try and watch it to have a good time. It is unknown for now whether there will be a 4th season or not.

Vocabulary to learn from this series: El capitan, el barco, el camarote, adelante, el fantasma, el/la señorito/a, matar, el virus.

3) Elite

50 mins / 6 seasons

I think Elite is the most known and watched Netflix Spanish series in Turkey after La Casa de Papel and Narcos. At the beginning, it reminded me of Gossip Girl which I watched years ago (of course, Gossip Girl seems very innocent now when compared to this) but a pinch of murder has been added on top of it to make it more intriguing. The series follows the events that happen in a private school in Spain that Spain's wealthy and arrogant youth attends and trouble ensues when a bunch of poor but proud youngsters are suddenly transferred to this school, and a dangerous interaction begins between them. The rest is a cocktail of criminal acts, corruption and forbidden affairs.

Vocabulary to learn from this series: La fiesta, el champan, los pijos, la pastilla.

4) Tiempos de Guerra (Morocco – Love in Times of War)

1 hr 15 mins / 1 season

I wonder, am I the first Turkish person to watch this series? :) Because I haven't heard anything about this series from anyone. This series caught my attention on Netflix because it was a period drama and a Spanish drama specifically set in Morocco. Tiempos de Guerra is about a war that Spain starts to protect its lands in North Africa in the 1920s. The story begins with the daughters of good families who grew up in wealth and luxury in Madrid, and who are going to Melilla to work as nurses to help the soldiers fighting at the front. Of course, our main character has a secret mission: to find his brother and fiancée who are fighting at the front and whom she has not heard from for a long time. She manages to go to Melilla; however, things turn out very differently...

The more I watched this series, the more I liked it. My favorite character, of course, was Larbi :) Since I don't know much about Spanish history, I can't comment on how well it reflects the facts, but in general, I enjoyed watching the evolution of the characters' personalities throughout the series, the costumes of that period and the filming locations, and how it shows the perspective of the society of that period on women, people from other religions and multicultural relationships (if I look at it from a cultural or feminist critical point of view, there are many things to criticize, but it may be acceptable considering the time period it portrays). What I didn't like about this series was the fact that it ended very abruptly! I think that it was planned to be more than one season, but the second season was not/could not be shot.

Vocabulary to learn from this series: La enfermera, la enfermedad, la guerra, el comandante, el hospital, el doctor, el medico, la ambulancia, el soldado, el/la prometido/a.

5) Las Chicas del Cable (Cable Girls)

50 mins / 5 seasons

Frankly, I started this series to improve my Spanish rather than following its story, but the portrayal of the characters and the plot gradually captured me. As another period drama, it successfully displays the change in women's lives, relationships, gender roles and morals in the society with the modernization of the world, and how these lead to conflicts between different generations, genders and classes. The series chronicles the lives of women working for Spain's first telephone company, and how they go through many of life's difficulties and cruelties while supporting each other.

The series takes place in Madrid in the 1920s. The 1920s is known as the "Jazz Age" in Europe and America, when the old way of life changed especially in the big cities and the old morals were "destroyed." These were the years when very serious and deep ruptures took place, such as technological developments, mechanization, migration from villages to cities due to the abundance of job opportunities, women leaving their homes and joining the workforce, gaining their financial freedom first followed by their freedom in different areas of life, the male-dominated society's inability to digest the change in women's roles in society and family, the conflicts between the old generation and the new generation, and as a result, the foundations of the world we live in today were laid. Las Chicas del Cable impressed me with the way it showed the lives of the characters by not just documenting the emotional turmoils, but also from a wider perspective, with a societal point of view.

Another reason why I liked this series is the aesthetics. The mainstream fashion style of the period, that is, "flapper" style clothes, hair, jewelry is very beautiful to watch as well as the cars and architectural details that reflect that time period.

Vocabulary to learn from this series: la empresa, la compañia, la secreta/el secreto, el operador/la operadora, el proyecto, la policia, el telefono. la culpa, culpable, el tren, estacion de tren.

6. White Lines

55 mins / 1 season

You may have missed this series on Netflix because its name is in English, but in fact, the series is bilingual as it takes place both in England and (mostly) in Spain. That's why I didn't mind adding it here :) Also Alex Piña, who also shot La Casa de Papel, has produced this series. That alone is enough to make us all curious about White Lines.

To summarize, Zoe, a British lady in her 30s, cannot get over the fact that her beloved big brother, who was a famous DJ years ago, went to Ibiza and disappeared there, and the police closed the case without clarifying anything. She struggles with depression for years, but eventually she too reaches adulthood, gets a job, gets married, and begins a normal family life with her husband and child. Then one day, she learns that the corpse of his brother, buried in the middle of the desert in Almeria, is found. Thereupon, she leaves her life and family in England, goes to Ibiza and decides to solve mystery behind her brother's death on her own. Meanwhile, she begins to meet her brother's old friends, learns more and more about her brother's life in Ibiza, puts the pieces of the puzzle together, and her world turns upside down.

Almost all of the story takes place in Ibiza, whose nature is so beautifully captured in the scenes that it looks like paradise and it makes you want to travel there right away. However, besides all its natural beauties, Ibiza also has a dark side: wild parties, all sorts of entertainment and an environment in which all kinds of illegal activities are common (there are a lot of +18 scenes in the series). However, the plot and characters are interesting and the story is well-written. After finishing the first season quickly, we wondered if there would be a season 2, but it doesn't look likely.

Vocabulary to learn from this series: el cuerpo, el cadaver, la droga, el asesinato.

7. Vivir sin Permiso (Unauthorized Living)

(75 mins / 2 seasons)

This is the story of a wealthy family living in a large, ostentatious mansion while keeping secrets from each other, and plotting against one another. The main character, Nemo, is a family man who has made his fortune illegally. He owns a big company, has become one of the notable businessman of the city they live in, but has actually made his fortune through the drug dealing business. Business aside, he never compromises his love for his family and has sworn to protect them no matter what. Can this man, whom we learn to have Alzheimer's disease in the first episode of the series, save his family and loved ones from a dark future without compromising his personality and before losing his memory? But what if his closest ones betray him even when he sacrifices himself for them?

Despite the fact that it has a very familiar scenario (very similar to Turkish TV series which I'm usually not a big fan of), I became addicted to this series. Both my husband and I watched the series holding our breath, and although each episode was 75 minutes on average, we finished 2 seasons quite quickly. It got high marks from me because of the diverse and versatile characters that are not necessarily black or white, the intricate relationships between the characters, the well-written plot, and the way it tells life through the eyes of an Alzheimer's patient. Also, the story takes place in a small, quiet and rainy fishing town in the Galicia region of northern Spain (of course, the main character cannot leave the Atlantic coast due to his "trade" business), which fits very well to the mood of the story. I like it when TV series show other beautiful parts of Spain, which are not Madrid or Barcelona. Last but not least, I think the actors and actresses in the series are also very successful. Especially Jose Coronado, who is a very famous Spanish actor, is perfect for this role.

Vocabulary to learn from this series: enfermo/a, la enfermedad, la droga, la empresa, la familia, el hijo, la hija, el negocio.

8. Entrevias (Wrong Side of the Tracks)

75 mins / 2 seasons

If you've watched and liked Unauthorized Living I mentioned above, you'll love this too. The amazing duo of Jose Coronado and Luis Zahera, whom I am now a big fan of, appear here once more with their incredible acting and complicated & interesting characters (and with references to the previous series ;) The story of the series also focuses on similar themes: complex family relationships, traumas, drug gangs, a corrupt society and institutions...

The series takes place in Madrid's "Entrevias", a haunted neighborhood where criminals roam, and it begins when two opposite characters surprisingly decide to live together. Tirso Abantos, who is a grumpy and lonely old war veteran who has problems with both his family and his everybody else around him, has been living in isolation for a long time. And his granddaughter, Irene, a depressed, rebellious teenage girl who was adopted when she was a baby, raised with money and luxury, but has never received real love and attention from her parents. Tirso wants to discipline her granddaughter who has recently dropped out of school and has a rogue boyfriend, so that she doesn't fall in the wrong path. Although he does everything he can to prevent bad events from happening, Irene becomes a victim of the drug gangs. As a result, Tirso decides to heal his granddaughter's traumas and take revenge on those who did this to her, but things don't go according to his plan...

Now, tell me: Which classic movie did this remind you of? Think about the transformation of a "tough" man into a very protective and caring father figure when he sees a child's fragility and naivety? I don't know about you, but I instantly thought about the movie Léon, starring Jean Reno and Natalie Portman. Of course, when you look at the details in each production, they are very different from each other, but I think both evoke similar feelings in the audience through the unlikely relationships they focus on.

Vocabulary to learn from this series: el barrio, la ferreteria, la pastilla, el abuelo, la nieta, el inspector/la inspectora.

9. Intimidad (Intimacy)

(50 mins / 1 season)

Let me tell you from the beginning, this is not a series that will make you happy or distract your mind. On the contrary, one's heart hurts while watching, and one dives into deep thoughts. If so, why watch?

The series begins with the leaking of an obscene video that casts a shadow on the successful career of an ambitious politician living in Bilbao, who is married with one child. With this one video, all her lifelong achievements are ignored, her colleagues in her own political party also turn their backs on her, and she receives harsh criticism from the press. All of a sudden, this woman finds herself in the middle of a struggle both in the political community, in the society, in her family and within herself, in order to prevent everything she has acquired with difficulty and immense effort over the years from disappearing due to the choices she made in her private life.

The series doesn't actually focus on a single character. As the events progress, it turns out that women of all ages and professions have experienced very similar threats and have been/are being victimized in the same way. While some choose to struggle with it, some find the solution in escape...

Well, as I said, why watch this series, which does not have a happy or funny story? First of all, it's hard to come across a TV show or movie that puts a female character (or many different female characters) in the middle of the story and represents their lives realistically. It's a nice change when a series deals with female characters who defy the discriminatory gender roles in the society and support each other instead of undermining each other.

The issue of women being victimized in different ways is a topic that we talk about a lot in our country (and around the world...) but maybe we don't think much about it anymore because we take it as "normal" or "common". This show encourages you to face and dive deeper into the thoughts you're trying to escape (which I think is an achievement in itself). We all experience discrimination in some way in our daily lives, so how do we deal with it? By fighting, hiding, ignoring, or letting it slowly dissolve us?

In addition to these important topics we delve into while watching, I appreciated the fact that it was set in Bilbao. Bilbao's dark and gloomy atmosphere, incredible, lush nature, combined with good quality music with the lyrics in Basque language added a unique visual and audial layer to these series.

Vocabulary to learn from this series: (in Basque) Eskerikk asko, agur. (in Spanish) intimidad, politica/o, inspector/a, el crimen, suicidarse.

10. Sagrada Familia (Holy Family)

(35 mins / 1 season)

The reason why this series caught my attention at first was that it was directed by the same director (Manolo Caro) as The House of Flowers, which I watched on Netflix and added to my list here, and Caro referred to this series as his "masterpiece". So I was expecting a series similar to The House of Flowers, and indeed, I noticed a lot of similarities between the two shows. A visual style that includes a ton of colors and patterns, a story revolving around the eccentric members of a family full of secrets, and the meticulous creation of the main characters as well as the side characters. It sounds very similar, right?

The series tells the story of a family living quietly in Melilla, then, suddenly leaving everything behind as a result of a mysterious event and starting a new life in Madrid with their new identities. However, the past never leaves us. This family's new life, which seems very normal and ordinary but is only the façade, begins to crack as their dark past is slowly revealed.

In this series, the most interesting thing to me is that there are a lot of characters who are in the role of mothers and each depicts a different side of motherhood. For example, the main character, Gloria, is an indicator of how dangerous a mother can become with the instinct to protect her child. On the other hand, Blanca, another mother character, does everything she can to achieve the level of perfection that she finds fit for her home, herself, her husband and even her child (even though it is obvious that perfection is neither attainable nor real). Another female character who does not want to be a mother is forced to become a mother due to the pressure she faces from society and her husband. We see many different "mother" types, for better or worse. It earned my admiration for having so many female characters at the center of the story, and for escaping the typical scenarios that often oscillate between the clichés of the typical caring mother and the witch (step) mother, and taking on all kinds of mothers that are not black and white. It was also enjoyable to watch the references to the artistic style of Antoni Gaudi and the famous Sagrada Familia Cathedral as well as the music chosen for the soundtrack.

FYI, the second season of this series is in production!

Vocabulary to learn from this series: la madre, la mujer, hijo/a, perder, proteger, preservar, la familia perfecta, el amor.

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There are still some TV series that I have not watched yet, but I am curious about. If I watch and like them in the coming days, I will add them to this list. By the way, if you have other series that you like and would like to recommend, you can share them with me in the comments or on Instagram. Have a good time :)

P.S: If you want to check out the 12 best Spanish Netflix movies I've selected, click here!

¡Adios!