| El Continental | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Created by | Frank Ariza [es] |
| Screenplay by | Frank Ariza |
| Directed by | Frank Ariza |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | Spain |
| Original language | Spanish |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 70 min (approx.) |
| Production companies | RTVE Gossip Events |
| Original release | |
| Network | La 1 |
| Release | 17 September (2018-09-17) – 20 November 2018 (2018-11-20) |
El Continental is a Spanish drama television series aboutorganised crime set in 1920s Spain. Created, written and directed by Frank Ariza, it aired from September to November 2018 onLa 1. Harshly criticised during its pre-screening at theFesTVal and with dismal ratings during its free-to-air broadcasting run, the series was described as "the biggest fiasco of national (Spanish) fiction in recent times".[1]
The series, set in the 1920sMadrid, is titled after a fictional club in which illegal businesses take place.[2] The fiction tracks both the struggle over clandestine businesses in the city and the relationship between Andrea Abascal (Michelle Jenner) and Ricardo León (Álex García).[2]
Created, written and directed byFrank Ariza,[6]El Continental was produced byRTVE in collaboration with Gossip Events.[4] Consisting of 10 episodes with a running time of around 70 minutes,[2] the series was shot in a film set inSan Sebastián de los Reyes and in thePríncipe Pío train station in Madrid.[7]
Derided in social media already since the release of the first images as a knock-off ofPeaky Blinders, the series also received harsh reviews by professional critics after its pre-screening at theFesTVal in Vitoria.[8] It premiered onLa 1 on 17 September 2018 with a "correct" 10.4% audience share inprime time, only to sink down to a 2.8% audience share in the season finale aired on 20 November 2018, when the series had been already moved to thelate night slot.[8] At the time of its closure, the series was described as "the biggest fiasco of national (Spanish) fiction in recent times".[1]
| No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Viewers | Original release date | Share (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "O pagas o cobras" | Frank Ariza [es] | Frank Ariza | 1,523,000 | 17 September 2018 (2018-09-17) | 10.4 |
| 2 | "Primer paso aprender, segundo superar" | Frank Ariza | Frank Ariza | 793,000 | 24 September 2018 (2018-09-24) | 5.7 |
| 3 | "Y ¿por qué?... Por todo" | Frank Ariza | Frank Ariza | 906,000 | 1 October 2018 (2018-10-01) | 5.8 |
| 4 | "Por todo... O por nada" | Frank Ariza | Frank Ariza | 778,000 | 8 October 2018 (2018-10-08) | 4.9 |
| 5 | "Magia" | Frank Ariza | Frank Ariza | 174,000 | 16 October 2018 (2018-10-16) | 3.5 |
| 6 | "Matar al mensajero" | Frank Ariza | Frank Ariza | 164,000 | 23 October 2018 (2018-10-23) | 3.0 |
| 7 | "Réquiem... mami" | Frank Ariza | Frank Ariza | 153,000 | 30 October 2018 (2018-10-30) | 3.0 |
| 8 | "Truco o trato" | Frank Ariza | Frank Ariza | 224,000 | 6 November 2018 (2018-11-06) | 3.5 |
| 9 | "Pactos de sangre" | Frank Ariza | Frank Ariza | 171,000 | 13 November 2018 (2018-11-13) | 3.4 |
| 10 | "La guerra por una doncella" | Frank Ariza | Frank Ariza | 189,000 | 20 November 2018 (2018-11-20) | 2.8 |