''Paradise'' () is a Spanish

speculative fiction Speculative fiction is an umbrella term, umbrella genre of fiction that encompasses all the subgenres that depart from Realism (arts), realism, or strictly imitating everyday reality, instead presenting fantastical, supernatural, futuristic, or ...

television series with mystery and adventure elements set in 1992. Produced by

Movistar+ Movistar Plus+ (formerly Movistar+) is the trade name of the subscription platform for digital television owned by , which operates in Spain. The service is distributed via optical fiber and ADSL as well as with satellites such as Astra. The pl ...

and Globomedia (The Mediapro Studio), it is directed by

Fernando González Molina Fernando González Molina (born 10 November 1975) is a Spanish film and television director. Biography Fernando González Molina was born in Pamplona, Navarre, on 10 November 1975. He studied audiovisual communication at the University of Nava ...

. It premiered on 4 June 2021.

Premise

The fiction is set in the Spanish Levante in the 1990s. The plot concerns the disappearance of 3 girls—Sandra, Elena and Malena—in 1992 in the fictional Valencian coastal town of "Almanzora de la Vega". As the police investigation is seemingly going nowhere, Sandra's younger brother, Javi, starts another search together with Quino, Álvaro and Zeta.

Cast

Macarena García Macarena García de la Camacha Gutiérrez-Ambrossi (born 26 April 1988) is a Spanish actress. She won the Goya Award for Best New Actress for her performance in the 2012 silent film ''Blancanieves, Snow White''. She has since featured in films ...

as Paula Costa, a Civil Guard agent investigating the case of three missing girls in the Mediterranean coast. * as Mario, the father of one of the missing girls. *

Gorka Otxoa Gorka Otxoa Odriozola (born 13 January 1979 in Irún, Gipuzkoa, Spain) is a Spanish comedian and actor. Biography Otxoa began in minor roles in several TV series. He had an important role in the Basque series '' Goenkale'' until his character ...

as Morte, Zeta's father. * Pau Gimeno as Javi. * Cristian López as Álvaro. * León Martínez as Quino. * Héctor Gozalvo as Zeta. * María Romanillos as Bea. * Patricia Iserte as Olivia. ;Introduced in season 2 * Álvaro Mel as Mateo. * Begoña Vargas as Evelyn. * as Valentina. * Carla Domínguez as Anabel.

Production

''Paraíso'' was produced by

in collaboration with (The Mediapro Studio). Created by Fernando Gonzalez Molina, Ruth García and David Oliva, cited inspirations included the works of

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

and series such as ''V'', '' Verano azul'' and '' Compañeros'', although it was already likened to ''

Stranger Things ''Stranger Things'' is an American television series created by the Duffer brothers, Duffer Brothers for Netflix. Produced by Monkey Massacre Productions and 21 Laps Entertainment, the Stranger Things season 1, first season was released on N ...

'' soon after the announcement of the project. Fernando González Molina directed the series whereas Antón Laguna was charged with the

art direction Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to super ...

. Lucas Vidal composed the musical score. It also features songs by OBK and

Mecano Mecano was a Spanish pop band formed in 1981 and active until 1992. Mecano became one of the most successful Spanish pop bands of all time. The band is still the best-selling Spanish band, with over 20 million records worldwide. They were cons ...

. The series' main theme was performed by

Ana Torroja Ana Torroja Fungairiño, 3rd Marchioness of Torroja (born 28 December 1959) is a Spanish singer. She was the lead singer of the pop trio Mecano, considered one of the most popular pop bands from Spain during the 1980s and 1990s. Mecano split in ...

. Filming started by January 2020, taking place in several places in Spain. Shooting locations in the

province of Alicante Alicante (, , ; ; ; officially: / ) is a province located in eastern Spain, in the southern part of the Valencian Community. It is the second most populated Valencian province, containing the second and third biggest cities in the Valencian Co ...

included

Benidorm Benidorm ( , , ) is a municipality in the province of Alicante, Valencian Community, on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Known as the “New York City, New York of the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean”, Benidorm has been a tourist destinatio ...

Altea Altea (, ) is a city and municipality located in the Valencian Community, Spain, on the section of Mediterranean coast called the Costa Blanca. At present, the economy of Altea is based on tourism, which started to grow in the 1950s because of ...

Xàbia () or () is a coastal town and municipality in the ''comarca'' of Marina Alta, in the province of Alicante, Valencia, Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea. Situated on the side of the Montgó Massif, behind a wide bay and sheltered between two rocky ...

Santa Pola Santa Pola (; ) is a coastal town located in the comarca of Baix Vinalopó in the Valencian Community, Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of and has a population of 36,174 inhabitants of whom 6,000 are residents of the nearby to ...

Calp Calpe (; ) is a coastal municipality located in the ''comarca'' of Marina Alta, in the province of Alicante, Valencian Community, Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of and a population density of . The city lies at the foot of the ...

L'Alfàs del Pi L'Alfàs del Pi (; ) is a Valencian town and municipality located in the ''comarca'' of Marina Baixa, in the province of Alicante, Spain, lying at the foot of Serra Gelada. L'Alfàs del Pi has an area of 19.3 km2 and, according to the 201 ...

and the . Additional footage was shot in other locations such as Alhama de Aragón (Zaragoza), municipalities in the Valencia province and the

Madrid region The Community of Madrid (; ) is one of the seventeen autonomous communities and 50 provinces of Spain, provinces of Spain. It is located at the heart of the Iberian Peninsula and Meseta Central, Central Plateau (); its capital and largest munici ...

, and the Centro Nacional del Vidrio in La Granja (Segovia). Filming wrapped in August 2020. On 20 April 2021, Movistar+ announced the intended premiere date of 4 June 2021. In June 2021, The Mediapro Studio reported that the production crew had begun filming of season 2 on 17 May 2021 in Begur (Girona), with Fernando González Molina returning as director. Season 2 was presented by a group of cast and crew members at the 54th

Sitges Film Festival SITGES - International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia () is an annual film festival held in Sitges, Catalonia, Spain. It specializes in fantasy film, fantasy, Horror film, horror and Cult film, cult films. Established in 1968, the festiva ...

on 12 October 2021. In October 2021,

WarnerMedia Warner Media, LLC (Trade name, doing business as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational corporation, multinational mass media and show business, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate owned by AT&T. It was headquartered at the 30 ...

announced the addition of the series (titled ''Paradise'') to their catalogue as "Max Original" with a release date on

HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...

set for 28 October 2021. Movistar Plus+ scheduled the release of the second and final season of the series for 16 June 2022.

References

;Notes ;Citations

External links

* {{Movistar+ original series 2020s science fiction television series 2021 Spanish television series debuts 2020s Spanish drama television series Spanish fantasy television series Television series set in 1992 Television shows set in the Valencian Community Television shows filmed in Spain Spanish science fiction television series Spanish-language television shows Movistar+ original programming Television series by Globomedia