Las aventuras del capitán Alastriste consists of an adaptation of
the novel series of the same name by
Arturo Pérez Reverte, known as "Captain Alatriste" in English. The screenplay was authored by
Alberto Macías,
Curro Royo,
Carlos Molinero,
Marisol Farré and
David Muñoz. Produced by
Mediaset España and Beta Film in collaboration with DLO Producciones, the series was shot in the
Korda Studios in
Budapest, Hungary. Episodes were directed by
Enrique Urbizu,
Norberto López Amado,
Salvador Calvo,
Luis Oliveros and
Alberto Ruiz Rojo. It also became the target of fierce criticism already before the airing of the first episode, including criticism by the union of audio visual technicians for the choice of Hungary as shooting location. Pérez-Reverte himself was irritated by some historical implausibilities, the "excessive coloring" of the series instead of the gloomy cinematography imagined by the author as well as by the programming of the episodes after a brief recap of
Gran Hermano VIP, although he defended the performance of Aitor Luna as a "very worthy" Alatriste.
Paolo Vasile, CEO of Mediaset España, was also reportedly unconvinced of the series before its release. Following the dismal ratings in
prime time, the channel decided to extend the running time of
Gran Hermano VIP and thus relegate the series to the
late night slot.The series' finale aired on 1 April 2015, with a 5.4% share and 486,000 viewers. Overall, the series averaged 1,049,000 viewers and a meagre 7.2% audience share. == Episodes ==