''¡García!'' (or ''García!'') is a Spanish television series based on the graphic novel by Santiago García and Luis Bustos. Created by Sara Antuña and Carlos de Pando for

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 ...

, it stars Francisco Ortiz and Veki Velilla.

Eugenio Mira Eugenio Mira (born 1977) is a Spanish filmmaker and composer. He has been credited as composer in some films under the pseudonym Chucky Namanera. He was born in Castalla, Alicante. After finishing his studies in high school and as a piano player ...

directed the 6 episodes.

Premise

Set in a version of current-day Spain on the verge of

societal collapse Societal collapse (also known as civilizational collapse) is the fall of a complex human society characterized by the loss of cultural identity and of socioeconomic complexity, the downfall of government, and the rise of violence. Possible cause ...

, the fiction follows Antonia, a reporter who accidentally unravels a decades-old plot concerning a super-agent created in the 1950s by the

Francoist Francoist Spain ( es, España franquista), or the Francoist dictatorship (), was the period of Spanish history between 1939 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in 1975, Spai ...

secret services, García, who was subsequently cryogenized. The latter, defrosted by Antonia, finds himself dazed and confused in current-day Spain.

Cast

Production

Created and written by Sara Antuña and Carlos de Pando (showrunners of '' The Neighbor''), ''¡García!'' is an adaptation of the eponymous graphic novel by Santiago García and Luis Bustos. The series is produced by García La Serie, S.L. (an ''

ad-hoc Ad hoc is a Latin phrase meaning literally 'to this'. In English, it typically signifies a solution for a specific purpose, problem, or task rather than a generalized solution adaptable to collateral instances. (Compare with ''a priori''.) Com ...

'' production company linked to Zeta Studios) for WarnerMedia Original Programming. The project, billed as a "satirical thriller with sci-fi elements", was greenlighted in May 2021. Miguel Salvat, Steve Matthews and

Antony Root Antony Root is a British television executive and producer. He has worked in the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States. He is currently the executive vice-president of HBO Europe and head of original production for WarnerMedia EMEA. Ed ...

are credited as executive producers, whereas

was charged with the direction of the 6 episodes comprising the season, set to feature a running time of around 60 minutes. is the cinematography director. Shooting in

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 ...

had already begun on 7 May 2021. Still in production, the project was showcased together with other HBO Max originals (''

Todo lo otro ''Dafne and the Rest'' ( es, Todo lo otro, links=no; ) is a Spanish television series created, written, directed and starred by Abril Zamora for HBO Max. It is one of the first Spanish original titles of the HBO Max catalogue, which debuted in E ...

'', ''

Venga Juan ''Venga Juan'' is a Spanish comedy television series created by Diego San José for HBO Max which stars Javier Cámara. It consists of a continuation of '' Vota Juan'' and '' Vamos Juan''. It premiered on 28 November 2021. Premise After his spe ...

'' and ''Sin novedad'') at the

69th San Sebastián International Film Festival The 69th San Sebastián International Film Festival took place from 17 to 25 September 2021 in San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, Spain. The festival opened with Zhang Yimou's '' One Second''. Marion Cotillard and Johnny Depp were awarded the Donostia ...

in September 2021. On 25 October 2021, HBO Max released a teaser video, announcing an intended release date for 2022.

Release

The first two episodes made their

world premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its firs ...

at the

Fantastic Fest Fantastic Fest is an annual film festival in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 2005 by Tim League of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Alamo Drafthouse, Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News, Paul Alvarado-Dykstra, and Tim McCanlies, writer of ''The Iron Gi ...

in September 2022. They also screened at the 55th Sitges Film Festival. HBO Max released the first two episodes in 4K along with

Dolby Vision Dolby Vision is a set of technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories for high dynamic range (HDR) video. It covers content creation, distribution, and playback. It includes dynamic metadata that are used to adjust and optimize each frame of the ...

and

Dolby Atmos Dolby Atmos is a surround sound technology developed by Dolby Laboratories. It expands on existing surround sound systems by adding height channels, allowing sounds to be interpreted as three-dimensional objects with neither horizontal, nor verti ...

on 28 October 2022. A free-to-air release of the first episode on Spanish channel DMAX was also programmed for 28 October 2022.

Reception

Raquel Hernández Luján of ''

HobbyConsolas ''HobbyConsolas'' is a Spanish video game magazine founded in 1991 by Hobby Press and published by Axel Springer SE. The first issue appeared in October 1990. The monthly magazine offers information about games for all consoles, and since 2012 ha ...

'' rated the show with 80 points ("very good"), praising its "agile storytelling, the committed cast, and its boundless aesthetic and musical ambition". Pere Solà Gimferrer of ''

La Vanguardia ' (; , Spanish for "The Vanguard") is a Spanish daily newspaper, founded in 1881. It is printed in Spanish and, since 3 May 2011, also in Catalan (Spanish copy is automatically translated into Catalan). It has its headquarters in Barcelona and i ...

'' highlighted "an impeccable execution that knows how to recreate the adventurous spirit of Indiana Jones and the sense of action of the classic James Bond without renouncing to have its own identity". In the United States, ''

Decider Decider is both a real word and a "Bushism". It may refer to: * ''Decider'' (website), a pop culture website operated by the ''New York Post'' *'' Bill Maher: The Decider'', a stand-up comedy special * Decider (Turing machine), a Turing machine th ...

''s Johnny Loftus also wrote a positive review for the series, concluding: "''Garcia!'' offers a gleeful riff on spy movies, and a grip of chase and fight scenes right out of the Indiana Jones adventure handbook. But it also has something to say about the shifting tides of contemporary politics, between democracy and fascism, and that push and pull isn’t exclusive to contemporary Spain."

Accolades

, - ! rowspan="5" , 2023 , 28th Critics' Choice Awards , , colspan = "2" , Best Foreign Language Series , , , , align = "center" , , - , rowspan="2" , 10th Feroz Awards , colspan = "2" , Best Drama Series , , rowspan="2" , , - , Best Supporting Actor in a Series , Emilio Gutiérrez Caba , , - , rowspan = "2" , 31st Actors and Actresses Union Awards , , rowspan = "2" , Best Television Actor in a Minor Role , , Luis Rallo , , , , rowspan = "2" , , - , Arturo Querejeta , ,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:García! 2022 Spanish television series debuts 2020s Spanish drama television series Spanish-language television shows HBO Max original programming Television shows based on comics Television shows filmed in Spain Television shows set in Spain Television series by Zeta Studios Spanish thriller television series Political thriller television series Fictional super soldiers Political satirical television series Cryonics in fiction Spanish action television series