Spain produced one of the biggest Netflix hits of all time (the five-season La Casa de Papel, aka Money Heist), a fact that’s worth bearing in mind when any new Spanish-language content debuts on the streaming service. Of course, additional titles along these lines, like Netflix’s just-released Welcome to Eden, might not turn into a Money Heist-style cultural powerhouse. But these new releases, nevertheless, feed a pretty massive appetite around the world from viewers craving Spanish-language TV series.
Such series, along with Korean TV shows, are pretty much the only titles that appear on Netflix’s Top 10 non-English TV series chart from one week to the next. Fun fact: Money Heist is so huge that it’s getting a Korean remake that debuts on Netflix on June 24.
What is Welcome to Eden about?
Meanwhile, here’s what you need to know about Welcome to Eden, the newest addition to that pile of international content.
It debuted on Netflix worldwide on Friday, May 6. Viewers, we should add, might find that they recognize some of the faces here. That’s thanks to the fact that the cast includes celebrities like Spanish pop stars Belinda and Ana Mena.
From Netflix’s official summary for the series: “Are you happy? With this question, Zoa and four young, attractive, and social media-active boys and girls are invited to the most exclusive party in history, set on a secret island and organized by the brand of a new drink. What starts as an exciting adventure will soon turn into the trip of their lives. But paradise is not really what it seems … Welcome to Eden.”
That question (“Are you happy?”) is a text that’s sent out to try and lure influencers to an alcohol-soaked party on a remote island. There, a propulsive electronic music soundtrack, tons of dancing, and implied sex combine for an unforgettable free-for-all. The twist? Organizers have chosen a handful of attendees ahead of time, designating them as unable to leave the party.
New Netflix series from Spain
In all, there are eight episodes in this first season that Netflix released on Friday. So far, the show has also managed to pull in a few positive early reviews. That’s even though a critical mass of reviewers hasn’t really weighed in yet. From Ready Steady Cut, for example, there’s this takeaway: “Welcome to Eden enjoys the scenario-based drama while coating it with teen tropes and a sniff of sci-fi to keep the audience intrigued.”
And a similarly-positive note, from Decider. “Welcome To Eden gives its viewers just enough information in its first episode to generate a lot of questions, which means it’s doing its job.”
Tuesday, May 10, meanwhile, affords the first chance to see whether Welcome to Eden has broken through on a global basis or not. The next publication of Netflix’s weekly global Top 10 lists comes tomorrow, and we’ll see whether this title lands on Netflix’s Top 10 non-English language show ranking or not. Because on a consistent weekly basis, as noted above, that list always includes several Spanish-language titles as part of the mix.
In the US alone, we should add, the show is currently #2 (as of May 9) on the ranking of Top 10 series that’s maintained daily within Netflix’s app.
(UPDATE: Sure enough, with the release of Netflix’s latest global Top 10 charts on May 10, Welcome to Eden rocketed almost to the very top of one of the four rankings. For the 7-day period that ended May 8? The show is the #2 title on Netflix’s list of the Top 10 non-English TV shows. In that time, the show garnered 25.8 million hours of viewing time. Since the cutoff was May 8, that’s pretty impressive. Given that the show only had three days to rack up those views).
More Netflix coverage: For more Netflix news, check out our coverage of the latest new Netflix movies and series to watch.
