From Netflix to Disney, the 10 series filmed in Malaga and released in 2024: How many have you seen?

The boom in series being shot for the small screen looks to Malaga in its plotlines and 2024 has been a year with a record number of premieres. Almost a new series every month as ten fictional and documentary-style productions launched this year amid the schedules of the main streaming platforms, from Netflix to Disney+, via Movistar+, Atresmedia, TVE and Canal Sur.

The results have been a mixed bag, from the resounding success of drug-trafficking thriller Marbella to outright failures such as the black humour mythological satire Kaos, the most expensive series filmed in Malaga that was then cancelled barely a month after its premiere.

In terms of genres and themes, corruption, luxury and organised crime linked to the Costa del Sol were in abundance, as well as some irreverent comedies and international productions set in World War II, Hollywood itself or the world of television. Which of these titles have you seen and which are you missing?

Undoubtedly, one of the most intriguing ‘Malaga-inspired’ titles released in 2024. The series starts from a revealing and meta-cinematic premise: Cary Grant did not really exist, but was the great persona invented by Archie Leach, the real name of the actor who played the leading man in With Death At His Heels and The Chained.

A British production by ITV, this miniseries portrays the legendary actor during the height of his Hollywood fame, revealing that behind his magnetic, charismatic, and charming image as a leading man lay a doubtful individual burdened by childhood and family traumas. These experiences shaped him into a miserly, chauvinistic, vain, unbearable, and egocentric figure. An intimate side of the star that surprises viewers, featuring Malaga and the Costa del Sol as the backdrop for the Californian mansion and landscapes where the protagonist lived.

In the wave of productions filmed and set in Marbella, Netflix did not want to miss out on including that in one of its series, which links drug trafficking in Galicia with the luxury of the Costa del Sol. Clara Lago and Tamar Novas star as a lawyer who quits her job at a successful law firm and a drug dealer from the Padín family, who form a relationship amidst the clan’s plan for the largest-ever drug shipment into Spain. Based on the true story that led to Operation Nécora, the first major raid against drug networks in Galicia, the script is by Jorge Guerricaechevarría and mixes love, drugs and revenge in an entertaining plot that was better received by audiences than by critics.

A dramatic showdown between two actresses, Belén Rueda and Hiba Abouk, forms the central premise of this series about ambition and powerful women, set in the glamorous Marbella of the jet set. The storyline follows Nicole (Rueda), the owner of the trendiest nightclub and the unrivalled queen of nightlife on the Costa del Sol, whose empire is threatened when Eva (Abouk), a friend from her past, returns to challenge her reign.This portrayal of Marbella’s golden era draws inspiration from the iconic Olivia Valere and her legendary nightclub, frequented by famous figures such as Tina Turner, Lola Flores, Liza Minnelli, Sean Connery, and even a diamond smuggler whose resemblance to the infamous Adnan Khashoggi is unmistakable.

Two years of filming, Hollywood A-lister Jeff Goldblum in the starring role , a plot that updates Greek mythology with humour and the most expensive film production set in Malaga (some 50 million euros) that, as well as being the setting, was also the headquarters for the filming of this series in Spain.

All the ingredients for the triumph of this production centred on a perverse, ruthless and charming Zeus -Goldblum is superb - who feels threatened by all those around him and unleashes his wrath on humans and gods alike.

The formidable use of scenery - the province plays scenes set in Greece - is joined by enthusiastic critical acclaim, but then a muted reception by viewers led Netflix to kill the series barely a month after its premiere and its second season was cancelled. It was a pity about its failure because its original proposal was worth continuing.

True crime also takes the spotlight among Malaga’s 2024 premieres with the second season of the documentary series about the murder of Lucía Garrido, whose body was found floating in the pool of her estate in Alhaurín de la Torre in 2008. What initially appeared to be a case of gender-based violence murder eventually uncovered a network of police corruption and the annulment of the first trial. The second season, consisting of two episodes released this year, focuses on the retrial of the case. However, it’s worth watching all five episodes which follows the quest for justice by the victim’s sister, her friend, a dismissed Guardia Civil officer, and the Internal Affairs department. Recently, RTVE Play launched the film version of this shocking and painful case.

The unique group of friends formed by the 40-somethings Pedro, Luis, Raúl and Santi return to the fray in this second season, trying to adapt to the new times and to a society of empowered women in which they feel very lost. Unexpected fatherhood, polyamory, romantic anarchy, and various disappointments come together in this second season, which pits the new masculinity against the reaction of the “machosphere.” The protagonists travel through Malaga and Marbella to enjoy some espetos and track down Patrick Garay and his courses on how to cure toxic masculine attitudes. A social satire by the creators of Aquí no Hay Quien viva, it has once again been a hit on the Netflix platform.

Premiered last April, this drama has gained popularity with the phrase that defines Marbella as "the UN of organised crime." Its release also coincided with the scandal surrounding the arrest, release, and subsequent flight of the leader of the Dutch Mocro Maffia on the Costa del Sol, the very organisation that the series focuses on. The central theme of this Movistar+ series is the extensive legal machinery of top law firms serving these alleged criminals. The main character is a sharp lawyer, played by Hugo Silva, an expert in twisting the law to tip the scales in favour of his clients. With a fast-paced style reminiscent of Scorsese, this acclaimed production offers a sharp portrayal of drug trafficking and the underworld, with the paradox that, despite being set in Malaga and showcasing charismatic corners of the local coastline, most of the filming took place in the Canary Islands.

A blockbuster production from the Hulu label—the adult fiction content distributor of the Disney group—this miniseries tells the tragedy of Polish Jews during World War II. The series was filmed in the capital, with an extravagant use of sets, extras, and the presence of its lead actor, Logan Lerman, the mythological hero from the Percy Jackson franchise, who here takes on a mortal role portraying one of the brothers in a family struck by barbarism and the Holocaust. This international production brought the service company Fresco Film, based in Pedregalejo, to Málaga, where they filmed spectacular period and battle scenes. On screen, these scenes recreated settings from four different countries: Italy, Israel, Uzbekistan, and Brazil.

Acid and biting. That's how the series Rivals appears, a critique of the world of television set in the UK during the crazy 1980s when franchise bidding was at its height. At the helm of this merciless comedy are Alex Hassell (the invisible superhero Translucent in The Boys), who gives life to this character as a former Olympic showjumper who then went into politics, and David Tennant (of Doctor Who fame and Good Omens), who, despite often playing the good guy, plays the sharp villain of this show as a Lord (peer of the realm) and owner of a private channel, whose main concern is to maintain the licence for his channel while also sinking his old sporting enemy. A series to be discovered that also places Malaga on that idyllic pedestal that the Costa del Sol had - and still has - in the holiday memories of the British.

Premiered at the last South International Series Festival in Cadiz, this documentary miniseries by the Malaga-based company MLK Producciones travels through archaeological sites to update the latest discoveries that have revolutionised the vision of Tartessos, the legendary kingdom so often confused with Atlantis. This production transcends the traditional spaces attributed to the "lost kingdom" (lower Guadalquivir, Cadiz and Huelva) to propose an updated concept of Tartessos, understood as the encounter between Phoenicians and indigenous peoples in the south of the Iberian peninsula, with the excavations at Cerro del Villar in Malaga playing a leading role, which are proving to be fundamental to understanding this period that began ten centuries before the arrival of Christ. The miniseries will soon be broadcast on Canal Sur.