10 Must-Watch Spanish-Language TV Shows on Netflix

Before USA’s Queen of the South, there was La Reina del Sur, the original show that inspired the American version of the series. The ongoing telenovela features Kate del Castillo as Teresa Mendoza, a Mexican woman who eventually becomes a drug boss in Spain. This storyline draws from Arturo Pérez-Reverte’s novel, and is a bit different from the USA series. Teresa escapes the cartel, starts her own organization, has a child and at some point, spends time in prison. Stream three seasons on Netflix.

You can stream the first seven seasons of the Netflix original Elité, which centers on privileged students at the fictional Las Encinas high school in Spain. The teen drama is not lighthearted, with murder, death, drugs, emotional themes and cunning behavior filling each plot. Look out for season 8 later in 2024.

A fictional miniseries based on a real-life tragedy in Spain, The Asunta Case explores the murder of a little girl named Asunta Basterra. Were her parents Rosario and Alfonso really behind the crime? If you’re into mysteries or true crime, you can binge all six episodes now.

If you like stories that have a Taken vibe, then you may enjoy Wrong Side of the Tracks. José Coronado stars as a war veteran whose granddaughter gets in a horrific situation with local drug dealers after she steals from them. The characters may irritate you a little, but if you want a crime drama to watch that has a vengeful angle, stream three seasons of the series.

One of the most-watched series on Netflix, Money Heist is a crime drama set in Spain that kicks off at the Royal Mint in Madrid. A group of thieves hatch a sophisticated plan under the leadership of “the Professor,” but things do not go smoothly. Through five seasons, viewers are taken on a tense, emotional and action-filled ride as the gang tries to pull off more than one heist. It’s easy to root for your favorite characters and hate your least favorites through this nail-biter of a series. 

What do you mean you haven’t watched Narcos? What are you waiting for? Pasco Escobar’s exploits in the Colombian drug trade are told through this fictional series that starts off in the 1970s and takes viewers through the timeline leading up to — and after — his death. Wagner Moura plays the cartel leader Escobar, with Pedro Pascal featuring as DEA agent Javier Peña and Boyd Holbrook as fellow agent Steve Murphy. Stream all three seasons. then follow up with Narcos: Mexico.

Don’t be fooled into thinking this is a love story. Murder, black-market organ trafficking and high-level cover-ups are all woven into The Marked Heart. The Colombian series follows Simón’s quest to find out what really happened to his wife after she was killed. The wealthy seem to get away with whatever they want, but a woman named Camila holds the key that ties everything together. 

A telenovela that’s packed with drama and comedy, The House of Flowers is an entertaining series about a wealthy dysfunctional family with lots of secrets. The family’s floral business in Mexico provides a rich backdrop to all the drama, which all starts when the family patriarch’s mistress takes her own life. Watch all three seasons and then finish up with Netflix’s 2021 release, The House of Flowers: The Movie. 

Five complete strangers learn they share the same birthmark. These women band together to find out the truth, but it’s dangerous and more sinister than they imagined. Sisterhood, heroics and criminal antics steer the story of The Five Juanas, a drama based on Bernardo Romero Pereiro’s book. While a rumored season 2 is said to be in the works, you can watch season 1 now.

In this dramatic tale set in the 1960s, María Rodríguez decides to forgo her hopes for her future and her current love in order to ensure economic stability for her family. She agrees to leave her Andalusian home to marry a wealthy landowner, but he isn’t as he seems.