Money Heist

Set in Madrid, a mysterious man known as the "Professor" recruits a group of eight people, who choose city names as their aliases for anonymity, to carry out an ambitious plan that involves entering the Royal Mint of Spain, and escaping with €984 million. After taking 67 people hostage inside the Mint, the team plans to remain inside for 11 days to print the money as they deal with elite police forces. In the events following the initial heist, the group members are forced out of hiding and prepare for a second heist, with some additional members, this time aiming to escape with gold from the Bank of Spain and rescuing an old friend and member of the heist, as they again deal with hostages and police forces. == Cast and characters ==

Main Recurring • Roberto García Ruiz as Dimitri Mostovói / Radko Dragić (Oslo; parts 1–2; featured parts 3–4): a veteran Serbian soldier and Helsinki's cousin • Fernando Soto as Ángel Rubio (parts 1–2; featured parts 3–5): a deputy inspector and Raquel's second-in-command • Juan Fernández as Colonel Alfonso Prieto (parts 1–2; featured parts 3–4): a member of the Spanish Intelligence who oversees Raquel's work on the case • Anna Gras as Mercedes Colmenar (parts 1–2): Alison's teacher and one of the hostages in the Mint • Fran Morcillo as Pablo Ruiz (part 1): Alison's schoolmate and one of the hostages in the Mint • Clara Alvarado as Ariadna Cascales (parts 1–2): one of the hostages who works in the Mint and seduces Berlin • Mario de la Rosa as Suárez: the chief of the Grupo Especial de Operaciones • Miquel García Borda as Alberto Vicuña (parts 1–2; featured parts 4-5): Raquel's ex-husband and a forensic examiner • Naia Guz as Paula Vicuña Murillo (parts 1–2; featured parts 3–4): Raquel and Alberto's daughter • José Manuel Poga as César Gandía (parts 4–5; featured part 3): chief of security for the Bank of Spain who escapes from hostage and causes havoc for the group • Antonio Romero as Benito Antoñanzas (parts 3–5): an assistant to Colonel Luis Tamayo, who is persuaded by the Professor to do tasks for him • Diana Gómez as Tatiana (featured parts 3–5): the fifth ex-wife of Berlin who is a professional pianist and thief • Pep Munné as Mario Urbaneja (featured parts 3–5): the governor of the Bank of Spain • Olalla Hernández as Amanda (featured parts 3–5): the Secretary to the governor of the Bank of Spain and hostage who Arturo rapes • Mari Carmen Sánchez as Paquita (featured parts 3–5): a hostage in the Bank of Spain and a nurse who tends to Nairobi while she recovers • Carlos Suárez as Miguel Fernández (featured parts 3–5): a nervous hostage in the Bank of Spain • Ahikar Azcona as Matías Caño (Pamplona; featured parts 3–5): a member of the group who largely guards the hostages in the Bank of Spain • Ramón Agirre as Benjamín Martinez (Logroño; featured parts 4–5): father of Manila who aids the Professor in his plan • Antonio García Ferreras as himself (featured parts 4–5): a journalist • José Manuel Seda as Sagasta (part 5): leader of the army detail inside the bank • Patrick Criado as Rafael (featured part 5): Berlin's son and Professor's nephew • Miguel Ángel Silvestre (featured part 5): René, Tokyo's boyfriend before working with the Professor • Alberto Amarilla as Ramiro (part 5): member of Sagasta's Special Forces • Jennifer Miranda as Arteche (part 5): member of Sagasta's Special Forces • Ajay Jethi as Shakir (featured parts 4–5): the lead Pakistani hacker that was hired by the Professor during the Bank of Spain robbery == Production ==

Conception and writing The series was conceived by screenwriter Álex Pina and director Jesús Colmenar during their years of collaboration since 2008. For their first project, they considered either filming a comedy or developing a heist story for television, with the latter having never been attempted before on Spanish television. Along with former Locked Up colleagues, they developed Money Heist as a passion project to try new things without outside interference. Pina was firm about making it a limited series, feeling that dilution had become a problem for his previous productions. Characters were to be shown from multiple sides to break the viewers' preconceptions of villainy and retain their interest throughout the show. while the finer story beats were developed incrementally to not overwhelm the writers. were chosen at random in the first part, although places with high viewership resonance were also taken into account for the new robbers' code names in part 3. Later scripts would be finished once per week to keep up with filming. Antena 3 announced the ensemble cast in March 2017 and released audition excerpts of most cast actors in the series' aftershow Tercer Grado and on their website. However, developing the Professor's role proved difficult, as the character did not follow archetypal conventions Meanwhile, the casting directors advocated for Álvaro Morte, whom they knew from their collaboration on the long-running Spanish soap opera El secreto de Puente Viejo, even though his prime-time television experience was limited at that point. Going through the full casting process and approaching the role through external analysis rather than personal experience, Morte described the professor as "a tremendous box of surprises" that "end up shaping this character because he never ceases to generate uncertainty," making it unclear for the audience if the character is good or bad. Alonso saw high observation skills and an unusual understanding of his surroundings in Berlin, resulting in unconventional and unpredictable character behaviour. Similarities between Berlin and Najwa Nimri's character Zulema in Pina's TV series Locked Up were unintentional. The family connection between the Professor and Berlin was not in the original script, but was built into the characters' backstory at the end of part 1 after Morte and Alonso had repeatedly proposed to do so. The producers found the protagonist and narrator, Tokyo, among the hardest characters to develop, as they were originally looking for an older actress to play the character who had nothing to lose before meeting the Professor. For the role opposite to the robbers, Itziar Ituño was cast to play Inspector Raquel Murillo, whom Ituño described as a "strong and powerful woman in a world of men, but also sensitive in her private life". She took inspiration from The Silence of the Lambs character Clarice Starling, an FBI student with a messy family life who develops sympathies for a criminal. The actors learned of the show's renewal by Netflix before the producers contacted them to return. In October 2018, Netflix announced the cast of part 3; the returning main cast included Pedro Alonso, raising speculation about his role in part 3. Among the new cast members were Argentine actor Rodrigo de la Serna, who saw a possible connection between his character's name and the Argentine football legend Martín Palermo, and Locked Up star Najwa Nimri. Cameo appearance scenes of Brazilian football star, and fan of the series, Neymar, as a monk were filmed for part 3, but were excluded from the stream without repercussions to the narrative until judicial charges against him had been dropped in late August 2019. Design was chosen as the heist team's mask design. The show's look and atmosphere were developed by creator Álex Pina, director Jesús Colmenar, and director of photography Migue Amoedo, according to La Vanguardia "the most prolific television trio in recent years". Abdón Alcañiz served as art director. Money Heist had red as "one of the distinguishing features of the series" To achieve "absolute film quality", red tones were tested with different types of fabrics, textures and lighting. For part 3, the Italian retail clothing company Diesel modified the red jumpsuits to better fit the body and launched a clothing line inspired by the series. This choice sparked criticism by the Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation for not requesting the necessary permissions. The robbers' banknotes were printed with permission of the Bank of Spain and had an increased size as an anti-counterfeit measure. The greater financial backing of Netflix for part 3 allowed for the build of over 50 sets across five basic filming locations world-wide. and over 50 paintings were painted for the Bank to emulate the Ateneo de Madrid. Filming headquarters, the principal filming location of part 1 and 2 of Money Heist , the principal filming location of part 3 to 5 of Money Heist Parts 1 and 2 were filmed back-to-back in the greater Madrid region from January until August 2017. The pilot episode was recorded in 26 days, As the show was designed as a limited series, all sets were destroyed once production of part 2 had finished. main filming moved there onto a set three times the size of the set used for parts 1 and 2. A scene where money is dropped from the sky was filmed at Callao Square. The beginning of part 3 was also filmed in Thailand, on the Guna Yala islands in Panama, and in Florence, Italy, Music The series' theme song, "My Life Is Going On", was composed by Manel Santisteban, who also served as composer on Locked Up. Santisteban approached Spanish singer, Cecilia Krull, to write and perform the lyrics, which are about having confidence in one's abilities and the future. The theme song is played behind a title sequence featuring paper models of major settings from the series. The Italian anti-fascist song "Bella ciao" plays multiple times throughout the series and accompanies two emblematic key scenes: at the end of the first part the Professor and Berlin sing it in preparation for the heist, embracing themselves as resistance against the establishment, and in the second part it plays during the thieves' escape from the Mint, as a metaphor for freedom. Regarding the use of the song, Tokyo recounts in one of her narrations, "The life of the Professor revolved around a single idea: Resistance. His grandfather, who had fought against the fascists in Italy, taught him the song, and he taught us." The song was brought to the show by writer Javier Gómez Santander. He had listened to "Bella ciao" at home to cheer him up, as he had grown frustrated for not finding a suitable song for the middle of part 1. He was aware of the song's meaning and history and felt it represented positive values. "Bella ciao" became a summer hit in Europe in 2018, mostly due to the popularity of the series and not the song's grave themes. == Episodes ==

Season 1: Parts 1 and 2 (2017) Part 1 begins with the aftermath of a failed bank robbery by a woman using the alias "Tokyo" as a man called the "Professor" saves her from being caught by the police. He proposes to include her in a heist of massive proportions. After a brief outline of the plan, the story jumps to the beginning of a multi-day assault on the Royal Mint of Spain in Madrid. The eight robbers are code-named for cities: Tokyo, Moscow, Berlin, Nairobi, Rio, Denver, Helsinki, and Oslo. Dressed in red jumpsuits and masks depicting artist Salvador Dalí, the robbers take 67 hostages as part of their plan to print and escape with €2.4 billion through a self-built escape tunnel. The Professor heads the heist from an external location. Flashbacks throughout the series show the five months of preparation at an abandoned hunting estate in the Toledo countryside; the robbers are not to share personal information nor engage in personal relationships, and are warned that there will be casualties. Throughout parts 1 and 2, the robbers inside the Mint have difficulties sticking to their roles and face uncooperative hostages, violence, isolation, and mutiny. Tokyo narrates events through voice-overs. While Denver pursues a love affair with hostage Mónica Gaztambide, inspector Raquel Murillo of the National Police Corps negotiates with the Professor on the outside and begins an intimate relationship with his alter ego "Salva." The Professor's identity is repeatedly close to being uncovered and Raquel eventually realizes Salva is the Professor, but she is emotionally unable to hand him over to the police. At the end of part 2, after 128 hours, the robbers escape from the Mint with €984 million, but Oslo, Moscow and Berlin are killed. One year after the heist, Raquel finds a series of postcards left by the Professor, who wrote the coordinates for a location in Palawan in the Philippines, where she reunites with him and the story comes to a conclusion. Season 2: Parts 3 and 4 (2019–2020) Part 3 begins three years after the heist on the Royal Mint of Spain, and restarts the story showing the robbers enjoying their lives paired-up in diverse locations. However, when Europol captures Rio with an intercepted phone, the Professor picks up Berlin's old plans to assault the Bank of Spain to force Europol to hand over Rio to prevent his torture. He and Raquel (going by "Lisbon") get the gang, including Mónica (going by "Stockholm"), back together, and enlist three new members: Palermo, Bogotá and Marseille, with Palermo in charge. Flashbacks to the Professor and Berlin outline the planned new heist and their different approaches to love. The disguised robbers sneak into the heavily guarded bank, take hostages and eventually gain access to the gold and state secrets. At the same time, the Professor and Lisbon travel in an RV and then an ambulance while communicating with the robbers and the police. The robbers thwart a police breach of the bank, forcing the police, led by Colonel Luis Tamayo and pregnant inspector Alicia Sierra, to release Rio to the robbers. Nairobi is injured by a police sniper's shot to the chest. With another police assault on the bank coming, and believing Lisbon has been executed by the police, the Professor radios Palermo and declares DEFCON 2. The robbers respond by firing a rocket at the armored police vehicle that is advancing on the bank, turning the robbers from folk heroes to killers in the eyes of the public. Part 3 concludes by showing Lisbon alive and in custody, and Tokyo narrating that the Professor had fallen for a trap. She concludes that because of the Professor's miscalculation, "the war had begun." Part 4 begins with the robbers rushing to save Nairobi's life. While Tokyo stages a coup d'état and takes over command from Palermo, the Professor and Marseille deduce that Lisbon must still be alive and being interrogated by Sierra in the police command post tent outside the bank. They persuade Tamayo's assistant, Antoñanzas, to help them so the Professor can establish a 48-hour truce with the police. As the group manages to save Nairobi's life, the restrained Palermo attempts to reassert command by colluding with Gandía, the restrained chief of security for the Bank of Spain. Gandía escapes, begins communications with the police from within a panic room inside the bank, and participates in a violent cat-and-mouse game with the gang. Palermo reverses course, regains the trust of the group, and rejoins them. Gandía shoots Nairobi in the head, killing her instantly, but the gang later recapture him. As the police prepare another assault on the bank, the Professor exposes to the public the unlawful torture of Rio and Lisbon's detention and interrogation. Sierra is fired and begins pursuing the Professor on her own. The Professor enlists external help to free Lisbon after she is transferred from the command post tent to the Supreme Court building. Part 4 concludes with Lisbon rejoining the gang inside the bank, and with Sierra finding the Professor's hideout, then holding him at gunpoint. Season 3: Part 5 Volumes 1 and 2 (2021) Part 5 Volume 1 begins with Sierra finding the Professor and knocking him out, then tying him up and interrogating him. After Lisbon enters the bank, the gang prepares for an attack by troops of the Spanish army. The gang captures Gandia, then frees him rather than killing him. Gandia wants to exact revenge on the gang, so Tamayo has him join the assault by the soldiers. After finding out the Professor has been caught but that Sierra has not notified the police, Lisbon tells the gang they will not give up. Benjamin and Marseille find the Professor, and Sierra knocks them out and ties them up. When Sierra struggles to deliver her baby, she frees the Professor, Marseille, and Benjamin so they can help. Sierra gives birth to a daughter, whom she names Victoria. Arturo Roman, a hostage in both the Royal Mint and the Bank of Spain, had an affair with Stockholm before the first heist, and Arturo's reminders anger Denver. When Arturo, the governor of the bank, and other hostages start a rebellion, Stockholm shoots Arturo, who is released so he can receive medical care. In a flashback, Berlin convinces his son Rafael to help him steal 12 kilograms of gold with Tatiana, Bogota, and Marseille. In the present, the gang starts fighting the soldiers, with Helsinki sustaining a severe injury. Stockholm feels guilt over shooting Arturo, who is her son's birth father, and takes morphine while nursing Helsinki, which leaves her unable to aid in the gang's defense against the attacking soldiers. Part 5 Volume 1 concludes with Tokyo sacrificing herself to defeat Gandia and the soldiers. In Part 5 Volume 2, Sierra runs away and the Professor and Marseille chase after her. Initially enemies, the Professor and Sierra soon become allies as they face their common enemy – the police. When they go back to the stormwater tank, they see the gold has already been delivered to them by the gang. However, the police find the stormwater tank and arrests the Professor, Sierra, Benjamin and Marseille. They escape, but find the gold missing. It is revealed that the gold is stolen by Rafael and Tatiana because she broke up with Berlin in the past to be with Rafael. In the present, Tatiana and Rafael bury the gold. Palermo and the Professor discover that it is their doing, but at this time, the army captured the gang. The Professor gives Sierra a note for Rafael, and convinces her to find the gold as that is their only hope while he drives to the bank. When he enters the bank, Tamayo taunts him and interrogates each gang member separately. Denver goes first, but does not reveal anything and is escorted to the police tent. The gang reveals to the public the gold has already been removed from the bank, leading to public panic and an economic meltdown, putting Spain in danger of bankruptcy. Sierra is able to locate the stolen gold. Outside the bank, the gold has arrived in trucks, but the Professor says it is gold-coated brass. The gang members are killed on Tamayo's orders, shocking Denver in the tent. They are taken out of the bank in body bags, and it is revealed they are alive as the Professor convinced Tamayo to stop the chase; the return of the "gold" has stabilized the country's economy. 24 hours after the heist, the gang reunite at an air base. Everyone receives new passports as Rafael and Tatiana return the gold to the gang with a promise that they will receive a share. The gang leaves the air base, having successfully robbed the Bank of Spain. == Themes and analysis ==

The series was noted for its subversions of the heist genre. While heist films are usually told with a rational male Anglo-centric focus, the series reframes the heist story by giving it a strong Spanish identity and telling it from a female perspective through Tokyo. The producers regarded the cultural identity as an important part of the personality of the series, as it made the story more relatable for viewers. They also avoided adapting the series to international tastes, for which the series received comparisons to telenovelas. and black comedy, With the series being set after the 2008 financial crisis, which resulted in severe austerity measures in Spain, including The Globe and Mail, who saw the series as "subversive in that it's about a heist for the people. It's revenge against a government." and the New Statesman said the rich were no longer stolen from but undermined at their roots. The characters were designed as multi-dimensional and complementary antagonists and antiheroes whose moralities are ever-changing. Najwa Nimri, playing inspector Sierra in part 3, said that "the complex thing about a villain is giving him humanity. That's where everyone gets alarmed when you have to prove that a villain also has a heart". She added that the amount of information and technology that surrounds us is allowing us to verify that "everyone has a dark side." Critics further examined feminist themes and a rejection of machismo La Vanguardia challenged any female-empowering claims in the series, as Úrsula Corberó (Tokyo) was often shown scantily clad, and Esquire criticized how characters' relationship problems in part 3 were often portrayed to be the women's fault. whilst Esther Acebo (Mónica) described any feminist subtext in the show as not being vindicative. == Broadcast and release ==

Original broadcast }} Part 1 aired on free-to-air Spanish TV channel Antena 3 in the Wednesday 10:40 p.m. time slot from 2 May 2017 till 27 June 2017. with the originally planned 18 to 21 episodes cut down to 15. As the series was developed with Spanish prime-time television in mind, the show had the best premiere of a Spanish series since April 2015, The show received good reviews and remained a leader in the commercial target group for the first half of part 1, but the viewership eventually slipped to lower figures than expected by the Antena 3 executives. Netflix acquisition Part 1 was made available on Netflix Spain on 1 July 2017, like other series belonging to Antena 3's parent media group Atresmedia. In December 2017, Netflix acquired the exclusive global streaming rights for the series. Without a dedicated Netflix marketing campaign, This prompted Netflix to sign a global exclusive overall deal with Pina shortly afterwards. Diego Ávalos, director of original content for Netflix in Europe, noted that the series was atypical in being watched across many different profile groups. Common explanations for the drastic differences in viewership between Antena 3 and Netflix were changed consumption habits of series viewers Following the show's success on the streaming platform, Netflix approached Pina and Atresmedia to produce new chapters for the originally self-contained story. The writers withdrew themselves for more than two months to decide on a direction, Netflix officially renewed the series for the third part with a considerably increased budget on 18 April 2018, Part 3, consisting of eight episodes, was released on 19 July 2019; thereby making it one of the most-watched productions on Netflix of all time, regardless of language. The viewership of part 3 increased, when Netflix reported that part 3 was viewed 44 million households during its first month and became the most popular show on Netflix during the third quarter. Netflix had an estimated 148 million subscribers world-wide in mid-2019. In October 2019, Netflix ranked Money Heist as their third-most-watched TV series for the past twelve months, and named it as the most-watched series across several European markets in 2019, including France, Spain and Italy, though not the UK. Twitter ranked the show fourth in its "Top TV shows worldwide" of 2019. Filming of an initially unannounced fourth part of eight episodes ended in August 2019. Álex Pina and writer Javier Gómez Santander stated that unlike part 3, where the intention was to re-attract the audience with high-energy drama after the move to Netflix, the story of part 4 would unfold slower and be more character-driven. At another occasion, Pina and executive producer Esther Martínez Lobato teased part 4 as the "most traumatic [part] of all" because "this much tension has to explode somewhere". Alba Flores (Nairobi) said the scriptwriters had previously made many concessions to fans in part 3, but would go against audience wishes in part 4 and that "anyone who loves Nairobi will suffer". Part 4 was released on 3 April 2020; a documentary involving the producers and the cast premiered on Netflix the same day, titled Money Heist: The Phenomenon. Part 4 broke numerous viewership records for a non-English Netflix series, attracting 65 million of households during its first four weeks, and went to become the most watched non-English series at the time. In November 2019, La Vanguardia quoted director Jesús Colmenar's statement "That there is going to be a fifth [part] can be said", and that the new part would be filmed after Vancouver Media's new project Sky Rojo. Colmenar also stated that there have been discussions with Netflix about creating a spin-off of the series, On 31 July 2020, Netflix renewed the show for a fifth and final part. On 24 May 2021, it was announced that the fifth part of the show would be released in two five-episode volumes on 3 September and 3 December, respectively. Similar to Money Heist: The Phenomenon, a two-part documentary involving the producers and cast premiered on Netflix the same day, titled Money Heist: From Tokyo to Berlin. == Reception ==

Critical reception The series' beginning on Antena 3 was received well by Spanish media. While considering the pilot's voice-over narration unnecessary and the sound editing and dialogs lacking, Natalia Marcos of El País enjoyed the show's ensemble cast and the ambition, saying "It is daring, brazen and entertaining, at least when it starts. Now we want more, which is not little." At the end of the series' original run, Nayín Costas of El Confidencial commended the series for its "high quality closure" that may make the finale "one of the best episodes of the Spanish season", but regretted that it aimed to satisfy viewers with a predictable happy ending rather than risk to "do something different, original, ambitious", and that the show was unable to follow in the footsteps of Pina's Locked Up. After the show's move to Netflix for its international release, Adrian Hennigan of the Israeli Haaretz said the series was "more of a twisty thriller than soapy telenovela, driven by its ingenious plot, engaging characters, tense flash points, pulsating score and occasional moments of humor", but taunted the English title "Money Heist" as bland. Jennifer Keishin Armstrong of the BBC saw the series' true appeal in the interpersonal dramas emerging through the heist between "the beautiful robbers, their beautiful hostages, and the beautiful authorities trying to negotiate with them." Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gave part 3 an approval rating of 100% based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "An audacious plan told in a non-linear fashion keeps the third installment moving as Money Heist refocuses on the relations between its beloved characters." While lauding the technical achievements, Javier Zurro of El Español described the third part as "first-class entertainment" that was unable to transcend its roots and lacked novelty. He felt unaffected by the internal drama between the characters and specifically, disliked Tokyo's narration for its hollowness. Euan Ferguson of The Guardian recommended watching part 3, as "it's still a glorious Peaky Blinders, just with tapas and subtitles," while Pere Solà Gimferrer of La Vanguardia found that the number of plot holes in part 3 could only be endured with constant suspension of disbelief. Public response in Patras, Greece, in 2019. , Germany. After the move to Netflix, the series remained the most-followed series on Netflix for six consecutive weeks and became one of the most popular series on IMDb. sports presentations, and in porn. Although the show's first two parts were popular, the domestic market in Spain failed to convince Antena 3 to continue the series and it was shelved until international response escalated to the point where the cast and crew were called back for another two seasons. There have also been negative responses to the influence of the show. In numerous incidents, real heist men wore the show's red costumes and Dalì masks in their attacks or copied the fictional robbers' infiltration plans. The robbers' costumes were banned at the 2019 Limassol Carnival Festival as a security measure as a result. The series was used in an attack on YouTube, when hackers removed the most-played song in the platform's history, "Despacito", and left an image of the show instead. Spanish newspaper El Mundo saw the public response as a reflection of the "climate of global disenchantment" where the robbers represent the "perfect antiheroes", The series is one of two Spanish-language TV series to be featured in TV Time's top 50 most followed TV shows ever, currently being the fifth most followed series on the platform. == Awards and nominations ==

South Korean adaptation In November 2020, Netflix announced that it would create a South Korean adaptation of the show. The 12-part production, titled Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area, would be a collaboration between BH Entertainment and Contents Zium, with Kim Hong-sun set to direct. On 29 April 2022, Netflix revealed that Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area: Part 1 would be released on 24 June 2022 and Part 2 would be released on 9 December 2022. which was released on 29 December 2023. The series is created by Álex Pina and Esther Martínez Lobato, who "loved the idea of introducing a new gang around Berlin in a completely different emotional state". The first season will consist of eight episodes to be written by Pina, Lobato, David Oliva, and David Berrocal. == Notes ==