by Amelia Leone '24
When Netflix first came across La Casa de Papel—a Spanish drama series following a gang of criminals as they prepare to undergo an elaborate heist—their investment was a gamble. Despite making Spanish headlines and attracting a hearty audience with its first season, the show lost traction with the release of its second and was declared a flop.
Turns out, all the series needed was to be bet on. After being given a brand new name and spot on Netflix’s international catalog, the thriller made its worldwide debut as Money Heist. Back and better than ever, the show immediately captivated viewership regardless of its unannounced arrival.
Two heists, countless bullets fired, and 65 million viewers later, Money Heist is one of Netflix’s biggest hits.
The art of Money Heist is its versatility and mastery in portraying human nature in anything but simple situations. Producer and writer Àlex Pina shares that while creating the show, his main focus was balancing the excitement of action and suspense with the tenderness of desperation and desire. Money Heist is new, unpredictable, spunky, and—in the words of lead actor Àlvaro Morte—“pure rock ‘n’ roll.”
From a business standpoint, Money Heist is no doubt a success. Days after the September 4th release of the first half of Money Heist’s fifth and final season, Parrot Analytics reported that the show was 122.6 times more in demand than the average of any other series worldwide (making it the most in-demand series globally across all platforms). To Netflix, the show is simply an investment, a way to keep viewers subscribed, and a means of making money. To the world, however, Money Heist is so much more.
The word “success” doesn’t nearly grasp the worldwide cultural phenomenon that the series has become. Money Heist can only be described as a global sensation. An IT company in Jaipur, India gave its employees the day off when a new season was released for a “Netflix and Chill holiday.” Numerous viewers have named their children “Tokyo” or “Denver,” taking inspiration from the beloved characters’ city code names. Actors on the show have even seen fans tattooed with Money Heist inspired designs that span entire arms and thighs.
But some of the show’s impacts are not as blatant as a tattoo on someone’s leg; they are engraved into viewers' hearts and mindsets.
Supporters now sport the gang’s famed outfit—red jumpsuits and Dali masks—to protests all around the globe. The masks are a nod to the anti-capitalist beliefs of painter Salvador Dali, who continually questioned the government’s methods and motives through his art. The jumpsuit’s red color represents life and health but also war and anger; it is the shade of passion, an emotion present in the series during every shot fired.
In Puerto Rico, Iraq, Lebanon, France, and Chile, protesters have been spotted singing the song “Ciao Bella.” To anyone who has seen the show, “Ciao Bella” (which translates to “Goodbye Beautiful”) brings to mind memories of the gang prancing in circles and laughing. Yet, amidst the merry tunes of the Italian folk song lies decades’ worth of struggle. The song, originating in the late 19th century, was sung as a cry for freedom and defiance during the Italian Resistance. Money Heist drove a resurgence of the song, now chanted during protests as an anti-fascist anthem and a beacon of hope.
After invigorating major political movements worldwide and setting practically unreachable standards in the television industry, it is hard to imagine what the world would have looked like had Netflix not rolled the dice.
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