Set at the dawn of Spain’s drug-trade boom, ’Brigada Costa de Sol’ marks an early direct primetime drama involvement for Warner Bros. in Spain


In an alliance which links three of the potential key players in Spain’s new TV scene, broadcast network Mediaset España and Warner Bros. International TV Production España will produce, with the participation of Netflix, primetime cop thriller “Brigada Costa del Sol.”


Starring Hugo Silva, and set in southern Spain, over 1977-82, “Brigada Costa del Sol” will screen first on Mediaset España’s main Telecinco channel, and then globally on Netflix in a first window and second window for Spain.


Inspired by the history of one of Spain’s first anti-narcotics squads, the Grupo Especial de Estupefacientes Costa del Sol, the thriller, set in Torremolinos, narrates the humble origins but huge success of the operation. Shooting from June 7 on location in Malaga and its environs, the series will mix police procedural with drama, romance and the protagonist’s voice over, given his own “subjective and cynical viewpoint” counterpointing the tough fixes in which the unit is embroiled, Mediaset España said in a statement Monday.


Álvaro Cervantes, Jesús Castro, Miki Esparbé and Sara Sálamo co-star.


“Brigada Costa del Sol” marks what looks like an early direct involvement of Warner Bros. in primetime fiction drama series production in Spain. Though Warner Bros. has been linked to Spanish TV fiction production in the past via Eyeworks (“Hermanos y detectives”), it is best known for its distribution and sometimes co-production of top Spanish movies, where historically, until very recently, it has ranked as the active of Hollywood studios.


Operating in Spain for more than 15 years, WB ITVP España has mainly focused on producing non-scripted content for top free-to-air TV operators, with recent shows such as “First Dates” and “Who Wants to Marry My Son,” boths for Mediaset España’s Cuatro, and “Kitchen Nightmares” for Atresmedia’s LaSexta.


WB ITVP also explored local pay TV market in 2016, teaming with Telefonica’s Movistar + to produce contest “AcapelA” for channel #0.


Netflix produced in 2016 its first original series in Spain, “The Cable Girls,” teaming with Bambú Producciones, and has partnered with Zeta Audiovisual for its second, teen mystery drama “Elite,” still to be launched.


It has also agreed with Vancouver Media and Atresmedia to produce a new season of SVOD TV global phenomenon “La Casa de Papel” (“Money Heist”) and has co-financed RTVE’s cult series “The Department of Time” and Atresmedia’s “La Catedral del Mar,” which debuted May 23 with a standout 22.8% audience share for in Antena 3.