At Sweden's Göteborg Film Festival last month, Ampere Analysis' Guy Bisson observed that "today's production market was scaled for 100% Peak TV. Global scripted first-run series orders are now, however, 75% of Peak TV."

Is Spain any different? Yes, if it's bullishness at Berlin Series Market, the Berlin Festival's TV Forum, is anything to go by.

No county has more series at BSM's screening showcase Berlinale Series Market Selects than Spain.

Taking place Monday Feb. 17, Spain's double-backed TV showcase features Spanish Thrillers, two first-look panel sessions staged by Iberseries & Platino Industry and part of a now three-year-old agreement with the Berlinale Series Market, representing Iberseries' opening up to Europe. It is followed by Spanish Connection, a pitching event backed by Spain's ICEX and part of Spain's Country in Focus.

Put together, and adding a screening on Tuesday of the critically acclaimed Red Flags – “a YA jewel,” said Spain's La Vanguardia – this represents the biggest national showcase at the BSM.

It also speaks volumes of the kind of TV now being made in Spain. Five takes:

International Ambitions Remain

While flat or down in most of international, SVOD originals orders from Spain soared from 43 orders in 2023 to 75 in 2024, Ampere's Fred Black said at Content Americas. “The growing presence of Spanish content on global SVOD platforms and across all types of windows is a clear indication that demand for Spanish storytelling is stronger than ever,” says José Antonio Salso, citing the overseas success of Atresplayer success “Veneno” and “Dressed in Blue.” “In the last few years, Spanish series are battling to find international markets,” says Castro. That cuts several days, in straight sales, or RTVE's international co-production drive.

Public Broadcaster Power

“Public broadcasters are going to gain and will only rise in prominence. They should be cherished,” U.S. analyst Evan Shapiro said at last October's Iberseries & Platino Industria. Many are still making original moves. Co-produced with Mediacrest, “Internal Affairs,” for example, is “one of the most expensive series in RTVE history,” says José Pastor, its director of film and fiction. Mediacrest's first fiction series, it shows in the series' multiple locations, packed by actors and extras in many scenes, and crafted costume and sets.

The Battle for Originality

“We wanted to make a thriller. Thrillers trap audiences and travel really well in international, but we aimed for original cop thriller, whose originality is given by its drama elements,” says Pastor. The battle for so many series is, indeed, to take a stock genre, the crime thriller, and imbue it with a sense of originality. “Sanctuary” addresses “motherhood in a dystopian future, AI social inequality and climate crisis, all from a futuristic perspective that feels both relevant and different,” says Salso.

Of Spanish Connection crime thrillers, “Dark Waters” takes a supernatural turn, “The Wheel” is distinguished by its complex protagonist.

Key Cast is Key

Cast allows broadcasters and platforms to differentiate what's on their screen, aids streamer subscriber retention and build. So “’Shades’ boasts a top-notch cast. It represents for us a way of thinking about how to do the production design before we really start to write, as opposed to when we're entering post-production. Focused on essentially two locations and very strong writing, we were able to put a lot of money into the cast,” says Secuoya Studios' CEO Brendan Fitzgerald.

Women's Stories   

Part of “Internal Affair's” originality is that it's “a cop thriller told by women – directors María Tagore and Samantha López – about women and their  journey to new empowerment,” says Pastor. “Women don't get to make so many thrillers. We wanted to give them the chance.” Five of the eight series selected for Berlin have women protagonists, often in different types of mutual aid.