Una cartera robada y un Toisón de Oro arrebatado en sendos sketches marcan el pulso de la sátira en Grande de España, una comedia de enredos estrenada en Netflix.
Antonio de la Torre Stars in Netflix Comedy Grande de España
Antonio de la Torre stars as an impoverished aristocrat desperate to secure a historical noble title in Grande de España, a six-episode comedy series released on Netflix. Created by Juan Cavestany and Álvaro Fernández Armero, the show pairs de la Torre with Alexandra Jiménez, who plays a working-class woman posing as a wealthy oil magnate to swindle him out of his family’s deteriorating Madrid mansion.
Class Deception and the Pursuit of Status
Don Leandro, played by de la Torre, lives in the basement of a family palacete in central Madrid while his loyal butler supports him with a meager pension. Leandro rents out the dilapidated property for pornographic film shoots and commercials to fund his daughter’s upcoming wedding. His ultimate ambition is to be named a Grande de España, a historical distinction of the Spanish nobility that carries immense social prestige. He views romantic love as a scam for the poor, focusing exclusively on marrying his daughter into a wealthier aristocratic family.
Conchi, played by Jiménez, lives in a peripheral neighborhood and adopts the alias Sofía Carrington to infiltrate Leandro’s life. While she approaches the noble under the false pretense of purchasing his home, her real goal is to exploit him to elevate her own lifestyle. Leandro is completely broke while waiting for a royal call that will never come, and Conchi sneaks back to the luxury hotel where she pretends to live, changing her clothes and demeanor before taking the subway home.
Production Used Palacio De La Trinidad in Madrid
Production utilized the Palacio de la Trinidad on Avenida de América in Madrid for the aristocratic residence, a site previously used by Netflix for the fiction series Salvador and which historically belonged to the long-forgotten marchesa María de los Ángeles Gutiérrez Suárez. Juan Cavestany and Álvaro Fernández Armero created the six-episode series, with each installment running for little less than 30 minutes and arriving on the platform on Friday, October 23.
Blending Spanish Picaresque with Screwball Comedy
The series marks Antonio de la Torre’s first foray into television acting, as noted by El Televisero. Creators Cavestany and Fernández Armero abandon the extreme humor of their previous work on Vergüenza to embrace a lighter, traditional picaresque tone reminiscent of filmmaker Luis García Berlanga. Each episode runs for approximately 30 minutes, relying on fast-paced confusions, absurd cover stories, and sharp contrasts between the upper crust of society and the working class.
Critics highlight the dynamic chemistry between the two lead actors. El Televisero compared their interactions to 1950s Hollywood screwball comedy, noting that the show thrives during its satirical moments while softening slightly when it attempts to humanize the struggling pair.
All 6 episodes of the Spanish comedy series FADING GRANDEUR / GRANDE DE ESPAÑA, starring Antonio de la Torre, Alexandra Jiménez, Enric Benavent, and Fernando Andina, are on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/DV3w7kz9Wf
Reviewers Praise the Satirical Approach of the Comedy
Reviewers award the production a score of 75, describing it as a simple, accessible comedy that excels in its satirical approach. The series functions best when it mocks its characters and their contradictions, maintaining a looser touch when shifting toward greater humanity and showcasing memorable sketches involving stolen wallets and the Golden Fleece.
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