Crafting a list of the best Spanish series of all time is playing with fire: your favorite is bound to be missing. But if our television has shown anything in the past few decades, it’s that it can produce phenomena capable of competing with any fiction in the world. Comedies that defined an entire generation, thrillers that conquered the planet, and dramas that are now part of the collective memory. This is our ranking, from 1 to 15.
1. ‘Tell Me How It Happened’ (La 1, 2001-2023)
No one embodies the Alcántara family like them. 23 seasons, 413 episodes and 22 years on air make ‘Cuéntame’ the longest-running prime-time series in the history of Spanish television and, more than that, a broad audiovisual chronicle of our recent past—from the dictatorship to the 21st century—told from the living room of a family in Sagrillas. Our number one for its longevity, its view of history, and its bond with the audience.
2. ‘There Is No One Here to Live’ (Antena 3, 2003-2006)
Desengaño 21 is, probably, an unforgettable landmark for fans of Spanish comedy. The neighborhood community created by the Caballero brothers defined 21st-century Spanish comedy with characters who, twenty years later, continue to generate memes, catchphrases, and reruns that keep their memory alive.
3. ‘Money Heist’ (Antena 3 and Netflix, 2017-2021)
The phenomenon. What began as a heist series on Antena 3 ended up becoming, thanks to Netflix, an international phenomenon of Spanish fiction, with its red jumpsuits and Dalí masks slipping into protests around the world. The Professor, Tokyo, Berlin and the rest put Spanish fiction on the global map forever.
4. ‘Patria’ (HBO España, 2020)
The adaptation of Fernando Aramburu’s novel about the final stretch of ETA was a punch to the heart of Spanish drama. Elena Irureta and Ane Gabarain delivered two anthology performances in a series that was uncomfortable, necessary, and shot with an honesty that still hurts.
5. ‘Elite’ (Netflix, 2018-2024)
Eight seasons in Las Encinas turned ‘Elite’ into a Spanish teen series with international reach. Murders, love triangles, and a not-so-subtle portrait of class inequality that found an audience outside Spain.
6. ‘The Time Between Seams’ (Antena 3, 2013-2014)
The adaptation of María Dueñas’s bestseller was a period drama with a strong reception. Adriana Ugarte as Sira Quiroga, sewing, espionage and a postcard-perfect Tangier: Boomerang TV’s miniseries swept the audience and remains a reference in the genre.
7. ‘Veneno’ (Atresplayer Premium, 2020)
The Javis delivered a luminous and heart-wrenching portrait of Cristina Ortiz, La Veneno, and, by extension, a series that stands out for its writing and its characters. Eight episodes that brought visibility to trans reality with a sensitivity and an impeccable artistic direction.
8. ‘The Ministry of Time’ (La 1, 2015-2020)
The Olivares brothers imagined a secret ministry that travels through Spain’s history and gave birth to a cult series of public television. Smart, educational without being preachy, and with a fandom—the ministéricos—that won’t forgive a misstep.
9. ‘Paco’s Men’ (Antena 3, 2005-2010)
Daniel Écija and Álex Pina created a police comedy with its own personality. Paco, Mariano, and Lucas (Paco Tous, Pepón Nieto and Hugo Silva) formed a comic trio with excellent chemistry, and their 2021 return proved that affection for the show remained intact.
10. ‘Merlí’ (TV3, 2015-2018)
An unorthodox philosophy teacher and his pupils at the Àngel Guimerà high school captured audiences first in Catalonia and later, thanks to Netflix, audiences in Latin America. ‘Merlí’ proved that a Catalan-language series could become a global phenomenon and left an educational imprint that’s hard to match.
11. ‘Locked Up’ (Antena 3 and FOX Spain, 2015-2019)
The Cruz del Sur prison gave us two of the most powerful female characters in recent Spanish fiction: Macarena by Maggie Civantos and Zulema by Najwa Nimri, the true breakout of the series. Antena 3 released it, and FOX turned it into an international phenomenon.
12. ‘Velvet’ (Antena 3, 2014-2016)
Madrid’s fashion galleries of the 1950s provided a home for a memorable Antena 3 series. Paula Echevarría and Miguel Ángel Silvestre crafted a story of an impossible love that worked so well it even spawned its own continuation on Movistar Plus+ with ‘Velvet Colección’.
13. ‘Gran Hotel’ (Antena 3, 2011-2013)
Before Bambú Producciones became a factory of successes, Ramón Campos and Gema R. Neira already produced this period drama with the soul of an elegant soap opera. Yon González and Amaia Salamanca led three seasons of intrigue and romance that ended up exported to half the world.
14. ‘El internado’ (Antena 3, 2007-2010)
Mystery, science fiction, and teenage drama in a boarding school hidden in the woods. The seven seasons of ‘El internado: Laguna Negra’ proved that Spain could also produce a cult series with its own mythology, and its fandom continues to demand answers almost two decades later.
15. ‘Physics or Chemistry’ (Antena 3, 2008-2011)
Seven seasons and 77 episodes transformed Zurbarán High School into the playground of an entire generation. The youth series from Ida y Vuelta wasn’t afraid to tackle drugs, sexuality, or machismo with a direct look at adolescence’s conflicts, and it helped launch the careers of actors like Maxi Iglesias or Úrsula Corberó.
And that’s our ranking for now. You’re bound to be missing something (Los Serrano, La que se avecina, El caso Asunta were left off), but that’s the game. Which one, in your opinion, is the best Spanish series of all time?
