''Crematorio'' () is a Spanish TV series written and directed by Jorge Sánchez-Cabezudo. It is based on

Rafael Chirbes Rafael Chirbes (27 June 1949 – 15 August 2015) was a Spanish novelist. He was born in Tavernes de la Valldigna in Valencia. He is the author of several novels, two of which have won the Premio de la Crítica de narrativa castellana - ''Cremato ...

's novel of the same name. It was produced by MOD Producciones for Canal+.

Plot summary

Crematorio is the story of the Bertomeus, a family that has managed to amass a great fortune over several generations. Rubén Bertomeu left agricultural businesses behind to create a business network that has made him the richest and most powerful man in Misent. Only in the family environment Rubén Bertomeu finds opposition to his way of understanding progress.

Cast and characters

Main cast

José Sancho José Asunción Martínez (11 November 1944 – 3 March 2013) better known as José Sancho or Pepe Sancho, was a Spanish actor. Over a period of fifty years he appeared extensively in Spanish television and films. He was perhaps best known ...

is Rubén Bertomeu, a wealthy real estate developer heading a huge project called ''Costa Azul'', which includes miles of coastline. He has made a fortune in recent years, but at the limits of what is considered legal. * Alicia Borrachero is Silvia Bertomeu, Rubén's daughter, who runs a gallery and lives separate from the darker side of her father's business. *

Juana Acosta Juana Acosta Restrepo (born 28 November 1976) is a Colombian-Spanish actress. She has appeared in more than 40 films. Biography Juana Acosta was born in Cali, Valle del Cauca, on 28 November 1976. She made her television debut with an appeara ...

is Mónica, Rubén's 29-year-old lover, who uses her looks to get what she wants. *

Aura Garrido Aura Garrido Sánchez (born 29 May 1989) is a Spanish film and television actress. She has appeared in such films as ''Stockholm'' as well as the television series '' El ministerio del tiempo''. Early life Garrido was born in Madrid in 1989. Her ...

is Miriam, Silvia's 18-year-old daughter who studies at a prestigious London university, paid for by her grandfather Rubén. *

Montserrat Carulla Montserrat Carulla i Ventura (19 September 1930 – 24 November 2020) was a Spanish actress. Career Coming from the amateur theatre, she completed her training with courses at the Institut del Teatre de Barcelona (Barcelona Theatre Institute) a ...

is Teresa, Rubén's mother, who had a closer relationship with Matias, Ruben's recently diseased brother. * Pau Durà is Zarrategui, the Bertomeu's family lawyer, who has spies in the police force and in other organisations so that the company manages to stay one step ahead. *

Vicente Romero Vicente Romero Romero (born 8 February 1987) is a Spanish former footballer who played as a right midfielder. Football career Romero was born in Valencia. A product of local Valencia CF's youth academy, he only appeared once for its first team, ...

is Sarcós, the man who does Ruben's dirty work. *Pep Tosar is Collado, Ruben's former right-hand man, who now works for himself in a small business and begins to have problems with his former boss. *

Vlad Ivanov Vlad Ivanov (; born Vladimir Ivanov , 4 August 1969) is a Romanian actor of Lipovan , flag = Flag of the Lipovans.png , flag_caption = Flag of the Lipovans , image = Evstafiev-lipovane-slava-cherkeza.jpg , caption = Lipovans during a c ...

is Traian, a Russian who has made money with Ruben's previous projects and is determined that Ruben's family have no negative effect on future undertakings.

Reception

Critical response

The series is rated as one of the best in the history of Spanish television. Manuel Cuesta of ''El Almería'' especially praised the performance of Pepe Sancho, claiming it gave the show credibility and glamour, and described it as the actor's best work. '' Variety'' described ''Crematorio'' as a "withering social portrait of modern Spain" and suggested that the series represented part of "a talent influx from cinema into TV production" in Spain. The show was acquired by

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

in August 2017.

Episodes

Awards and nominations

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * {{authority control 2011 Spanish television series debuts 2011 Spanish television series endings Television series about organized crime 2010s Spanish drama television series Television series based on Spanish novels Television series by MOD Producciones