From La Casa de Papel to El Eternauta: Netflix's Best Spanish-Language Shows Don’t Come from Mexico

Not long ago, I read an article about the most popular and representative Spanish-language series on Netflix. And yes, I absolutely agree with several of the titles mentioned: La Casa de Papel and Vis a Vis (both from Spain), El Eternauta and El Reino (from Argentina), Club de Cuervos and La Casa de las Flores (from Mexico).

Let me be blunt: Spanish and Argentine series are just brutal—in the best way. When I watched La Casa de Papel, I was blown away. It’s not the most original story — you can clearly see influences from Soderbergh, Tarantino, and Guy Ritchie — but the execution is world-class. It was a global phenomenon that shattered language, cultural, and geographic barriers. Without a doubt, it’s one of the finest products Netflix has ever delivered.

Vis a Vis also got me hooked. Even though it feels like a distant cousin of Orange Is the New Black, its production stands tall and lacks nothing. It was a massive hit in Spain and, while it didn’t reach La Casa de Papel's global status on Netflix, it showcased the remarkable narrative and technical skill of Spanish creators.

And El Reino... what a show. The Argentines pulled off something extraordinary: they took a sensitive, timely, and painfully realistic topic and turned it into a brilliant blend of politics, religion, ambition, and corruption — reminiscent of House of Cards at its peak. The Argentine creators read their country perfectly, translated it into a powerful, universal story, and put it on our screens with admirable honesty.

And what can we say about El Eternauta? We’re talking about a Latin American gem that doesn’t need anyone’s permission to stand shoulder to shoulder with giants like The Walking Dead (also based on a comic) or The Last of Us. It’s a masterful adaptation of a cornerstone of Argentine comic literature that not only honors the original but elevates it to a visual and narrative scale that — without exaggeration — competes with the best the U.S. has ever produced. El Eternauta is undoubtedly a Latin American source of pride.

And here’s where things get complicated. Because, to be totally honest, the Mexican series mentioned only disappoint me. Club de Cuervos? I found it terrible. Unoriginal, excessively crude, clearly designed to exploit two things: the telenovela-style drama beloved in Mexico and our obsessive fixation with soccer. It feels like a vulgar, comedic soap opera dressed up as a “modern” series. It’s been decades since Mexico exported quality telenovelas. Over time, Colombia overtook us, just as we once surpassed Venezuela.

Most current Mexican telenovelas are, frankly, of embarrassingly low quality. And a series about soccer? Sadly, soccer in Mexico today reflects a deep collective ignorance. We have a mediocre league, weak teams, and a fan base permanently stuck in nostalgia. “The Giant of CONCACAF” is now just a blurry memory. Today, countries like the United States and Canada — who didn’t even register on the radar 40 years ago — are nipping at our heels… or have simply surpassed us.

La Casa de las Flores deserves a separate analysis. There are many “casas” in this reflection, but Manolo Caro’s does have a special merit: it’s visually attractive, creative, and has some standout moments. However, it also falls into the easy trap of shock value. And that’s territory that bold geniuses like Fassbinder and Almodóvar explored decades ago. Are we really so far behind in Mexico that we’re still copying what was already done 50 years ago?

I remember my childhood, when “Rock en tu Idioma” hit Mexico. Hombres G, Mecano, Soda Stereo, Enanitos Verdes... they all dominated national radio. And Mexico? Very little. Few local bands got the same push. Albums by El Tri or Caifanes sounded terrible compared to productions by Soda Stereo or Mecano. In the ’80s, we were light years away from creating something like Molotov — which, though highly derivative and lacking imagination, at least could compete in quality.

And all of this leads me to an uncomfortable question: do we really not have the raw material in Mexico to create world-class content? Are we missing the powerful, innovative stories that can stand alongside series like Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, House of Cards, or Black Mirror? Are we lacking the talent to create music on par with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Daft Punk, or Metallica? Are we going to blame lack of capital for our inability to produce top-tier content? Maybe it’s because we just love cheap, sensationalist shows. “Better to fill our screens with the worst kinds of people doing and saying the worst kinds of things to each other for no reason at all.” It’s a reflection of who we are and what we do.

What will it take for us to finally think outside the box?