''30 Coins'' ( es, 30 monedas) is a Spanish

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

horror television series created by

Álex de la Iglesia Alejandro "Álex" de la Iglesia Mendoza (born 4 December 1965) is a Spanish film director, screenwriter, producer and former comic book artist. De la Iglesia's films combine grotesque and very dark elements such as death and murder: most of his ...

for

HBO Europe HBO Europe is a premium television group of channels by HBO. It is available as a group of film channels and streaming television services in Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegr ...

. Directed and written by De la Iglesia and co-written by

Jorge Guerricaechevarría Jorge Guerricaechevarría (born 10 July, 1965), also known as 'Guerrica', is a Spanish screenwriter. A regular co-scribe of Álex de la Iglesia's films, he has also been a recurring collaborator of Daniel Monzón. He won a Goya Award for the scri ...

, the series follows Father Vergara, an exorcist who is exiled by the church to Pedraza, a remote village in Spain where he hopes he is forgotten by his enemies. The series premiered on November 29, 2020 on HBO Europe. Filming for the second season will reportedly begin in February 2022.

Synopsis

Father Vergara is an exorcist and ex-convict residing in the small Spanish town of Pedraza, attempting to move on from a troubled past. However, paranormal phenomena start taking place in the town and he will need the help of Paco, the mayor, and Elena, the town's veterinarian, to figure out a mystery seemingly related to a coin he owns, which might be one of the

thirty pieces of silver Thirty pieces of silver was the price for which Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, according to an account in the Gospel of Matthew 26:15 in the New Testament. Before the Last Supper, Judas is said to have gone to the chief priests and agreed to hand ...

paid to

Judas Iscariot Judas Iscariot (; grc-x-biblical, Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης; syc, ܝܗܘܕܐ ܣܟܪܝܘܛܐ; died AD) was a disciple and one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. According to all four canonical gospels, Judas betraye ...

for betraying

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

and handing him over to the Romans. The three will find themselves caught in the middle of a conspiracy involving the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

itself and threatening the world as we know it.

Cast

;Introduced in season 1 ;Introduced in season 2

Production

The series was produced by Pokeepsie Films for

, with the participation of

HBO Latin America HBO Latin America was a company that owned and distributed several television channels in the region of Latin America. It was originally founded as a joint venture between Time Warner and Ole Communications in 1991 with the launch of HBO in the r ...

. Álex de la Iglesia and

Carolina Bang Carolina Herrera Bang (born 21 September 1985), professionally known as Carolina Bang, is a Spanish actress and producer. She is the best known to wider audience for her roles in Álex de la Iglesia's films ''The Last Circus'' (2010), ''As Luck W ...

(on behalf of Pokeepsie Films) and Miguel Salvat, Steve Matthews and Antony Root (on behalf of HBO Europe) were the series' executive producers. The musical score was composed by

Roque Baños Roque Baños López is a Spanish music composer. Baños graduated from Boston's Berklee College of Music in 1995 and has since scored both Spanish and English-language films. He has received numerous awards for his compositional work, including t ...

. Most of the production took place in Pedraza,

province of Segovia Segovia () is a province of central/northern Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the province of Burgos in the north, Soria in the northeast, Guadalajara in the east, Madrid in the south, ...

. Production also worked in Sepúlveda (also in the province of Segovia), and the

Aldeadávila Dam Aldeadávila Dam is a concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the wor ...

(

province of Salamanca Salamanca () is a province of western Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile and León (Castilla y León). It is bordered by the provinces of Zamora, Valladolid, Ávila, and Cáceres, and on the west by Portugal. It has ...

). Other brief shooting locations include

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Campo Real Campo Real is a town of around 6000 people in Spain, around 20 kilometers east of Madrid. It includes a notable church, the Iglesia de Santa Maria del Castillo. The town was first recorded as Aldea Campo, during the Moorish period it was known a ...

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, and

Alcalá de Henares Alcalá de Henares () is a Spanish city in the Community of Madrid. Straddling the Henares River, it is located to the northeast of the centre of Madrid. , it has a population of 193,751, making it the region's third-most populated Municipalities ...

(including outdoor shots). Some indoor scenes were shot in the Castle of Calatrava la Nueva in

Aldea del Rey Aldea del Rey is a municipality in the province of Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It has a (decreasing) population of 1.721 (1-1-20.16). Main sights *Castle of Calatrava la Nueva *Renaissance ''Palacio de Clavería'' (15th century), founde ...

and the Palace of the Marquis of Santa Cruz in Viso del Marqués, both in the

province of Ciudad Real The province of Ciudad Real () is a province in the southwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It is bordered by the provinces of Cuenca, Albacete, Jaén, Province of Córdoba (Spain), Córdoba, Province of Bada ...

; the

Castle of Guadamur The Castle of Guadamur is castle in Guadamur Guadamur is a municipality located in the province of Toledo, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2008 census ( INE), the municipality has a population of 1819 inhabitants. On June 4, 2007 sig ...

(

province of Toledo Toledo is a province of central Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha. It is bordered by the provinces of Madrid, Cuenca, Ciudad Real, Badajoz, Cáceres, and Ávila. Its capital is the city of Toledo. ...

), the library of the and the

University of Salamanca The University of Salamanca ( es, Universidad de Salamanca) is a Spanish higher education institution, located in the city of Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It was founded in 1218 by King Alfonso IX. It is th ...

's . After months of rumours, social media content published by De la Iglesia regarding a new season and the self-announcement of

Najwa Nimri Najwa Nimri Urrutikoetxea (; born 14 February 1972) is a Spanish actress and singer. Early life Nimri's mother is from Pamplona and her father, Karam Nimri, is Jordanian. She has a brother named Karim Nimri, a half-brother named Andre Nimri an ...

as cast addition at the red carpet of the

9th Feroz Awards The 9th ceremony of the Premios Feroz, known as the Feroz Awards 2022, presented by the Asociación de Informadores Cinematográficos de España, took place at the Auditorio de Zaragoza in Zaragoza, Spain, on 29 January 2022, to recognize the bes ...

HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...

officially confirmed the return of the series for a second season on 11 February 2022, with shooting already underway. Footage for season 2 was shot in the city of Toledo.

Episodes

Release

The first episode of the eight-part first season premiered on

on 29 November 2020. The rest of the episodes were released on a weekly basis. The series aired in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

via

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

and

in 2021, prior to its airing on

. The first episode was screened at the

77th Venice International Film Festival The 77th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 2 to 12 September 2020, albeit in a "more restrained format" due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Australian actress Cate Blanchett was appointed as the President of the Jury. '' The Ties ...

on September 11, 2020.

Reception

Scout Tafoya of '' RogerEbert.com'' found the series entertaining, writing that de la Iglesia and Guerricaechevarría "peddle a Catholic version of the Cosmic Horrors of William Hope Hodgson and H.P. Lovecraft"; "their style a crispy plait of

Luis Buñuel Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish-Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico, and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians, and directors to be one of the greatest and m ...

and

Alex Cox Alexander B. H. Cox (born 15 December 1954) is an English film director, screenwriter, actor, non-fiction author and broadcaster. Cox experienced success early in his career with ''Repo Man (film), Repo Man'' and ''Sid and Nancy'', but since th ...

". Rosie Knight of ''

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

'' considers that "much of the strength of 30 Coins comes from tstrio of leads," and that "easily the best thing about the show is that, aside from the horror, it also works as an Indiana Jones-style artifact quest," giving it 8 out of 10. Marissa de la Cerda writing for ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'' writes "the grotesqueries that de la Iglesia is known for are on full display in the phantasmagoric visuals and viscera". She grades it a B, concluding that it "successfully lean into its drama-horror hybrid to underscore the characters’ humanity." Reviewing for ''

Cinemanía ''Cinemanía'' is a Spanish language monthly film magazine based in Madrid, Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)( ...

'', Miguel Ángel Romero considered De la Iglesia's creation as an immersion in the Lovecraftian universe, and also noted an implicit reference to

Nyarlathotep Nyarlathotep is a fictional character created by H. P. Lovecraft. The character is a malign deity in the Cthulhu Mythos, a shared universe. First appearing in Lovecraft's 1920 prose poem "Nyarlathotep", he was later mentioned in other works by ...

in the season finale. Romero praised

Cosimo Fusco Cosimo Massimo Fusco (born 23 September 1962) is an Italian actor. Biography Born in Matera, Italy, Fusco was educated in Los Angeles, Rome, and Paris. He is best known for his role as Paolo, one of Rachel's boyfriends in the American sitcom ...

's chilling performance and the performances of

Eduard Fernández Eduard Fernández Serrano (born 25 August 1964) is a Spanish screen and stage actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including three Goya Awards and four Gaudí Awards. Biography Eduard Fernández was born in Barcelona on 25 August ...

and

Manolo Solo Manuel Fernández Serrano (born 1964), better known as Manolo Solo, is a Spanish actor. Biography Born in Algeciras in 1964, Manuel Fernández Serrano (his real name) was raised in neighbouring Los Barrios until age 6, later moving to Sevill ...

in antagonist roles, also welcoming the referencial nature of De la Iglesia's work (inspired by the likes of

Antonio Mercero Antonio Mercero Juldain (7 March 1936 – 12 May 2018) was a Spanish director of the television series ''Verano azul'' and ''Farmacia de guardia''. He is best known as the director of a 1972 surrealist short horror film titled '' La cabina'', w ...

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades thr ...

and

John Carpenter John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American filmmaker, actor, and composer. Although he worked in various film genres, he is most commonly associated with horror, action, and science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s. He ...

). Among the negative aspects to be improved Romero cited the "particularly calamitous CGI" featured in the last episodes and the disjointed plots.

Accolades

, - , rowspan = 7 align = "center" , 2021 , rowspan= 6 ,

8th Feroz Awards The 8th ceremony of the Feroz Awards was held at the Teatro Coliseum in Madrid, on 2 March 2021. The ceremony was hosted by Pilar Castro. Originally scheduled to take place on 8 February 2021 at the Teatro Ciudad de Alcobendas in Alcobendas, the ...

, Best Drama Series , ''30 Coins'' , , rowspan = 6 , , - , Best Main Actor in a TV Series , Eduard Fernández , , - , Best Main Actress in a TV Series , Megan Montaner , , - , Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series , Manolo Solo , , - , rowspan=2, Best Supporting Actress in a TV Series , Macarena Gómez , , - , Carmen Machi , , - , 71st

Fotogramas de Plata Fotogramas de Plata are a series of Spanish annual film, theatre and television awards awarded by ''Fotogramas'' film magazine since 1951. On 5 February 1951, ''Fotogramas'' magazine awarded their first Placa de San Juan Bosco award to actor Jes� ...

, , Best Television Actor , , Eduard Fernández , , , , , - , align = "center" rowspan = "3" , 2022 , , rowspan = "2" , 9th , , colspan = "2" , Best Drama Series , , , , rowspan = "2" , , - , Best Direction , , Álex de la Iglesia , , , - , 30th Actors and Actresses Union Awards , , Best TV Actor in a Minor Role , , Secun de la Rosa , , , , align = "center" ,

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2020 Spanish television series debuts HBO Europe original programming 2020s horror television series Spanish mystery television series Spanish thriller television series Spanish-language television shows Television shows set in Castile and León Television shows set in Rome Television shows filmed in Spain Spanish horror fiction television series Television series about witchcraft Television shows about exorcism Television series about demons Television series about religion Television shows about Catholicism 2020s Spanish drama television series Spanish fantasy television series 2020s supernatural television series