Why Disney+ Is Betting on a Daily Series From Spain, ‘Return to Las Sabinas’

The Walt Disney Co.’s streamer is gearing up to launch a very different type of streaming content with Regreso a Las Sabinas (Return to Las Sabinas), a 70-episode daily series from Spain that kicks off with the first five episodes on Oct. 11. The remaining episodes will be released one a day Monday to Friday starting on Oct. 14.

Sofia Fábregas, vp of original production at Disney+, Walt Disney Co. Spain, discussed the experiment of bringing such an ambitious melodrama production to the streaming world in during an event in Madrid on Tuesday. After all, the Disney+ show is the first daily streaming series made in Spain.

The need for streamers to keep viewers engaged by offering fresh content regularly could well explain the series. But the show also took two and a half years to make, and more episodes means more money spent. So Fábregas and her team’s decision came down to core values. Going for the series was all about serving audiences and their needs with the quality promise that Disney stands for, she said.

“Disney and its brand are about quality and premium content,” Fábregas said during a spotlight session at the Iberseries & Platino Industria conference and market in Madrid, appearing with Jordi Frades, director of the series and managing director of Spanish production company Diagonal TV (Isabel, The Bookshop, The Patients of Dr. Garcia), which is owned by European production giant Banijay. And bringing a format that has long worked well on traditional TV, such as long-running daily soap operas and telenovelas, to the streaming world can fit that bill.

“If it’s a daily melodrama, and if it’s a premium series, ultimately, the brand value is there,” she concluded.

The series was created by Eulàlia Carrillo and stars Celia Freijeiro, Andrés Velencoso, Olivia Molina, Natalia Sánchez, Nancho Novo, and María Casali

“Gracia and Paloma return to Las Sabinas to look after their father, Emilio,” according to a synopsis. “Gracia reunites with her childhood sweetheart, Miguel, who is now engaged to Esther. Miguel’s brother, Tano, who was also in love with Gracia, decides to make his move when he sees her again. Paloma takes over the family’s land and clashes with landowner Paca Utrera, who has a nefarious plan for the village. Emilio must win back his daughters’ affection, but a terrible secret he shares with Paca stands in the way. Miguel and Tano’s mother, Silvia, is eager for Gracia to leave Manterana.”

Meanwhile, Frades highlighted the pressure of having to deliver a high-quality series to a beloved entertainment brand. “I couldn’t sleep the night before production started,” he said, drawing laughs. But he also emphasized that he and his team were ready for the challenge and knew that the bar was high. “We knew we had to deliver for Disney, and this is the result,” he shared.

Fábregas said that collaborating with experienced companies like Diagonal that are doing the kind of quality work that Disney looks for is key to successful partnerships.

And highlighting universal themes featured in the series, including “hate and love,” she highlighted that it will be available across the streamer’s territories around the world.

The audience of Tuesday’s panel, part of Iberseries & Platino Industria in the Spanish capital, which is focused on Spanish- and Portuguese-language content, was also treated to a brief sneak preview of the show, which was well received.

Sofia Fábregas, vp, original production at Disney+, Walt Disney Co., Spain.

Courtesy of Iberseries & Platino Industria