''Isabel'' is a Spanish historical fiction

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

, directed by Jordi Frades and produced by Diagonal TV for

Televisión Española Televisión Española (acronym TVE, branded tve, "Spanish Television") is Spain's national state-owned public television broadcaster and the oldest regular television service in the country. It was also the first regular television service in ...

. The series is based upon the reign of Queen

Isabella I of Castile Isabella I ( es, Isabel I; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''la Católica''), was Queen of Castile from 1474 until her death in 1504, as well as List of Aragonese royal consorts, Queen consort ...

. It was broadcast on La 1 of Televisión Española from 2012 to 2014.

Production

The project for the Isabel's biopic was first tasked by

(TVE) to Isla Producciones, but TVE did not find the screenplay satisfactory. The series was then commissioned to Diagonal TV, with a writing team formed by Javier Olivares, Jordi Calafí and Anaïs Schaaff. Filming began in Summer 2011 and took place in several Spanish cities: Cáceres,

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

Segovia Segovia ( , , ) is a city in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Segovia. Segovia is in the Inner Plateau (''Meseta central''), near the northern slopes of th ...

. The first season premiered on 10 September 2012, after an eight-month delay. The series was initially expected to debut on 30 January 2012, but a budget cut for TVE postponed the premiere. In November 2012, the show was renewed for a second season. After disagreements with Diagonal TV early in the production of season 1, series creator's Javier Olivares determined not to return for the next season. Filming of the second season began in February 2013. Part of the shooting took place on location at the

Alhambra The Alhambra (, ; ar, الْحَمْرَاء, Al-Ḥamrāʾ, , ) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the ...

Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...

. TVE approved the third season in July 2013 before the second season premiered.

Synopsis

This series is a biography about Isabella, Queen of Castile. The first season chronicles the period between 1461 and 1474: from the end of her childhood to her marriage with Ferdinand of Aragon and her difficult arrival to the Crown. The second season chronicles the period between 1474 and 1492: from her crowning to the

conquest of Granada The Granada War ( es, Guerra de Granada) was a series of military campaigns between 1482 and 1491 during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, against the Nasrid dynasty's Emirate of Granada. It e ...

and the beginning of the journey of Christopher Columbus. The third series covers the marriages of

Joanna Joanna is a feminine given name deriving from from he, יוֹחָנָה, translit=Yôḥānāh, lit=God is gracious. Variants in English include Joan (given name), Joan, Joann, Joanne (given name), Joanne, and Johanna. Other forms of the name in ...

and

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

and

Juan ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...

and

Margaret Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular througho ...

, the subsequent deaths of Isabella's children Juan and

Isabel Isabel is a female name of Spanish origin. Isabelle is a name that is similar, but it is of French origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of '' Elisabeth'' (ultimately Hebrew ''Elisheva''), Arising in the 12th century, it became popul ...

as well as the latter's son Miguel along with the marriages of

Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until their annulment on 23 May 1533. She was previously ...

and Maria of Aragon.

Cast

Episodes and ratings

Season 1 (2012)

Season 2 (2013)

Season 3 (2014)

International broadcasts

The rights to broadcast ''Isabel'' were acquired in the United Kingdom by

Sky Arts Sky Arts (originally launched as Artsworld) is a British free-to-air television channel offering 24 hours a day of programmes dedicated to highbrow arts, including theatrical performances, movies, documentaries and music (such as opera perfor ...

in 2013. In Mexico,

Canal 22 XEIMT-TDT, known as Canal 22, is a television station located in Mexico City. Broadcasting on channel 22, XEIMT is owned by Televisión Metropolitana, S.A. de C.V., and operated by the Secretariat of Culture. It is one of Mexico's principal pub ...

acquired the rights and premiered the series on 6 August 2013. In Chile, the series airs on

TVN TVN may refer to: * TVN (Australian TV channel), a former horse racing channel * Televisión Nacional de Chile, a public broadcaster * TVN (Indonesia), a former television station; predecessor of Rajawali Televisi * TVN (Norway), or TVNorge, a comm ...

. In Brazil, the series is aired on a daily basis on + Globosat In

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, the series aired weekly during 2017 on

yes (Israel) yes ( he, יס), formally incorporated as D.B.S. Satellite Services (1998) Ltd ( he, די.בי.אס. שרותי לווין (1998) בע״מ), is the sole direct broadcast satellite television provider in Israel. It broadcasts multichannel TV and ...

's Viva channel. In

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

the series ''(Isabell of Castile)'' starts on 5 February 2014 air on bTV. In the United States, the series aired on

Estrella TV Estrella TV () is an American Spanish-language broadcast television network owned by the Estrella Media subsidiary of HPS Investment Partners, LLC. The network primarily features programs, the vast majority of which are produced by the network ...

on Sunday nights from 16 March 2014 until 2018. In the

Arab World The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

, ''Isabel'' airs on weekdays on

MBC Action MBC Action (stylized as ''MBC'ACTION'') is a free-to-air television channel that MBC Group’s action-packed channel that targets young Arabic males. It delivers the best in high-octane Western series, movies and action. shows and sports and ...

. In

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

, the series airs on national television

RTS1 RTS1 (Serbian Cyrillic: РТС1; First program of RTS ( sr, Први програм РТС-а/), First channel of RTS (/ ) or only First (/ )) is a Serbian public mainstream TV channel operated by RTS. Previously on RTS1 Serbian TV series *Ј� ...

Awards

, - , align = "center" , 2012 ,

Ondas Awards The Premios Ondas (Spanish: literally "wave awards", also known in English as the Ondas Awards or simply The Ondas) have been given since 1954 by Radio Barcelona, a subsidiary of Cadena SER, in recognition of professionals in the fields of radio ...

, Best Spanish Series , ''Isabel'' , , , - , rowspan="24" align = "center" , 2013 , rowspan="3",

New York Latin ACE Awards New York Latin ACE Awards are given annually to honor achievement in Latino cinema, television, radio and theatre by an organization of New York-based Hispanic journalists and correspondents. ACE is an acronym for ''Asociación de Cronistas de Es ...

, Best Cultural Program / Series , ''Isabel'' , , rowspan="3", , - , Best Actress ,

Michelle Jenner Michelle Jenner Husson (born 14 September 1986) is a Spanish actress. She has starred in several films. Biography Michelle Jenner Husson was born on 14 September 1986 in Barcelona, Spain. She is the daughter of Miguel Ángel Jenner, a Spanish ...

, , - , Best Supporting Actor , Pablo Derqui , , - , rowspan="2",

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 TV Actor ,

Rodolfo Sancho Rodolfo Sancho Aguirre (born 14 January 1975) is a Spanish actor. He is best known for his role as Julián Martínez in the television series '' El Ministerio del Tiempo''. Personal life Sancho was born on 14 January 1975 in Madrid, Spain the ...

, , rowspan="2", , - , Best TV Actress ,

, , - , rowspan="8", Iris Awards , Best Fiction , ''Isabel'' , , rowspan="8", , - , Best Actor ,

, , - , Best Actress ,

, , - , Best Writing , Writing team , , - , Best Direction , Jordi Frades , , - , Best Production , Jaume Banacolocha and Joan Bas , , - , Best Art Direction , Marcelo Pacheco and Pepe Reyes , , - , Best Makeup and Hairstyling , Makeup and Hairstyling team , , - , rowspan="7",

Actors and Actresses Union Awards The Actors and Actresses Union Awards ( es, Premios de la Unión de Actores y Actrices, links=no) is an annual award ceremony organised by the Spanish Spanish Actors Union, Actors and Actresses Union, recognising the best performances in Cinema of ...

, rowspan="2", Best TV Lead Actor ,

Ginés García Millán Ginés García Millán (born on 10 September 1964) is a Spanish actor who has combined theater, film and television. Biography Born on 10 September 1964 in Puerto Lumbreras Puerto Lumbreras () is a Spanish municipality in the autonomous com ...

, , rowspan="7", , - , Pablo Derqui , , - , Best TV Lead Actress ,

, , - , rowspan="2", Best TV Supporting Actor , Pedro Casablanc , , - , Sergio Peris-Mencheta , , - , Best TV Supporting Actress , Bárbara Lennie , , - , Best TV Actress in a Minor Role , Clara Sanchís , , - , World Media Festival , Best International Series , ''Isabel'' , style="background:#dce5e5; text-align:center;", Silver Award , , - , New York Festivals World's Best TV & Films , Best Drama , ''Isabel'' , , , - , rowspan="2", Premios Zapping , Best Series , ''Isabel'' , , rowspan="2", , - , Best Actress ,

Other media

''La corona partida'' and ''Carlos, Rey Emperador''

In April 2015, TVE announced the production of the film '' La corona partida''. The film focuses on the aftermath of Queen Isabella's death. Jordi Frades, director of the series, also directed the film, and Rodolfo Sancho (as King Ferdinand), Irene Escolar (as

Joanna the Mad Joanna (6 November 1479 – 12 April 1555), historically known as Joanna the Mad ( es, link=no, Juana la Loca), was the nominal Queen of Castile from 1504 and Queen of Aragon from 1516 to her death in 1555. She was married by arrangement to Phi ...

), Raúl Merida (as

Philip the Handsome Philip the Handsome, es, Felipe, french: Philippe, nl, Filips (22 July 1478 – 25 September 1506), also called the Fair, was ruler of the Burgundian Netherlands and titular ruler, titular Duke of Burgundy from 1482 to 1506, as well as the fir ...

) and

Eusebio Poncela Eusebio Poncela Aprea (born 15 September 1947) is a Spanish actor. Biography Eusebio Poncela Aprea was born in Madrid on 15 September 1947. After graduating in drama, he made his debut onstage in the play '' Mariana Pineda'' in the mid 1960s ...

(as

Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros, OFM (1436 – 8 November 1517), spelled Ximenes in his own lifetime, and commonly referred to today as simply Cisneros, was a Spanish cardinal, religious figure, and statesman. Starting from humble beginnings ...

) reprised their roles. The film served as the link between ''Isabel'' and the series ''

Carlos, rey emperador ''Carlos, rey emperador'' () is a Spanish historical fiction television series, directed by Oriol Ferrer and produced by Diagonal TV for Televisión Española. The series is a sequel to the successful ''Isabel'' and is based upon the reign of Charl ...

'', which is based upon the reign of

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

, Isabella's grandson.

Crossover with ''El ministerio del tiempo''

and

reprised the roles of

and

respectively in the ''

El ministerio del tiempo ''El ministerio del tiempo'' (English title: ''The Ministry of Time'') is a Spanish fantasy television series created by Javier and Pablo Olivares and produced by Onza Partners and Cliffhanger for Televisión Española (TVE). It premiered on 24 ...

'' episode "Una negociación a tiempo".

References

;Citations ;Bibliography *

External links

*
''Isabel''
on

RTVE Play RTVE Play (often stylized as rtve play) is the over-the-top media service provided by the Spanish public broadcaster RTVE. It was launched in Spain on 22 June 2021, replacing the old catalogue 'RTVE a la carta', created in turn in 2008. History ...

Official site
{{Authority control 2012 Spanish television series debuts 2014 Spanish television series endings 2010s Spanish drama television series Television series about the history of Spain Television series set in the 15th century Television series set in the 16th century La 1 (Spanish TV channel) network series Cultural depictions of Isabella I of Castile Ferdinand II of Aragon Cultural depictions of Joanna of Castile Reconquista in fiction Television shows filmed in Spain Spanish biographical television series Television series by Diagonal TV