What Makes Manuel Work
If you loved Manuel, these Spanish-language shows deliver the same intensity, complex characters, and gripping storytelling.
Each recommendation is ranked by real audience data from TMDB — not editorial picks. Shows with 50+ votes and high ratings rise to the top.
About These Rankings
Sorted by popularity among Spanish-language genres. Minimum 50 audience votes required. Data from TMDB, updated every 6 hours.
El Señor de los Cielos
Set in the 1990s, these are the life and times of Amado Carrillo Fuentes, a man who became the head of the Juárez cartel. Nicknamed “El Señor de los Cielos” (Lord of the Skies) because of the large fleet of airplanes he used to transport drugs, he was also known for washing more than $200 million through Colombia to finance his huge fleet. He is described as the most powerful drug trafficker of his time.
La promesa
In 1913 Spain, a woman gets a job at the palace of La Promesa as a reward for saving the marquesses' son - but nobody knows that she has her own plans, which involve avenging her mother's death and finding her missing brother.
Elite
When three working class kids enroll in the most exclusive school in Spain, the clash between the wealthy and the poor students leads to tragedy.
Rebelde
A group of young adults will spend their adolescence at the Elite Way School, where they will learn about love, life and live their passion for music.
Cuéntame cómo pasó
Recounts the experiences of a middle-class family, the Alcántaras, during the last years of the rule of Francisco Franco and the beginning of the Spanish Transition to democracy.
Senora Acero
The adventures of Vicenta Acero, the feared coyote who now leads the dynasty of illicit dealings once under the control of her father.
Sin senos sí hay paraíso
A young woman born in a mafia-controlled town seeks revenge on those who wrongfully harmed and imprisoned her family.
Medusa
Somebody wants to kill CEO Bárbara Hidalgo. Can she find the culprit as her family schemes ruthlessly for control of their Colombian business empire?
Flinderella
Florencia is a singer and orphan, who falls in love with Federico, a businessman. They will be able to overcome all obstacles, but their love will take an unexpected turn.
La rosa de Guadalupe
Stories about people who get into problems who use the help of Virgin Mary and where a rose appears and their problems are solved.
Al Fondo Hay Sitio
One of Lima’s most exclusive residential neighborhoods is turned upside down by the arrival of the Gonzales family, who have come from the countryside to settle into a half-finished house they inherited. Their down-to-earth ways will rub the neighbors the wrong way, especially the Maldinis, who will do everything in their power to get rid of them. As the years go by and new seasons unfold, the story deepens with the arrival of the Montalván family, who will bring even more conflicts and unexpected situations to this unique neighborhood.
El Chavo del Ocho
The mishaps of Chavo, an 8-year-old Mestizo-Latino American orphan boy who lives in a village. Together with Quico, Chilindrina, Ñoño and La Popis, Chavo experiences a series of humorous entanglements.
Money Heist
To carry out the biggest heist in history, a mysterious man called The Professor recruits a band of eight robbers who have a single characteristic: none of them has anything to lose. Five months of seclusion - memorizing every step, every detail, every probability - culminate in eleven days locked up in the National Coinage and Stamp Factory of Spain, surrounded by police forces and with dozens of hostages in their power, to find out whether their suicide wager will lead to everything or nothing.
La fea más bella
Leticia Padilla Solís, “Leti”, is an intelligent but unattractive girl, rather ugly. She graduated with honors in economics, speaks several languages, is fluent in computers, and is a financial genius. Only, because of his physique, she can't find work. Desperate to find a job, “Lety” decides to accept being hired below her level and takes a job as a secretary at Conceptos, a famous video production company, where ugliness is taboo. The production company “Conceptos” was founded by two good friends: Don Humberto Mendiola, and Julián Villaroel. Unfortunately, shortly after, the Villaroels die in an accident and Don Humberto and his wife Teresita take care of the Villaroels' orphaned children: Ariel, Marcia and Ana Leticia and the successful company.
Locked Up
Set up to take the blame for corporate fraud, young Macarena Ferreiro is locked up in a high-security women's prison surrounded by tough, ruthless criminals in this tense, provocative Spanish thriller.
The Trial
A teenager and her father struggle for justice after she is sexually assaulted by the scion of a successful businessman. Not only will the father and daughter have to navigate a failed judicial system, but they must also contend with a wealthy adversary bent on using all his power to protect his son.
Pasión de Gavilanes
The Reyes-Elizondo's idyllic lives are shattered by a murder charge against Eric and León.
Rebelde Way
Four teenagers at an elite school in Buenos Aires are drawn together by their love of music, despite their differing social and economic backgrounds.
Aída
Aída is a Spanish comedy sitcom set in Madrid, that spin off from another sitcom called 7 Vidas. The show first aired on January 16, 2005 and is produced by Globomedia for the Spanish network Telecinco. It currently started its ninth season. The show stars Carmen Machi as the title character, Aída García, a working, single mother with two teenage children, forced to move in with her mother and brother to make ends meet. The show has received favorable criticism from the audience and has been the most viewed show in Spain since 2007. It has also received several awards like the Ondas Award for Best Spanish Sitcom. The Polish re-make of the series began airing in March 2012 on TVP2 channel.
Pablo Escobar: The Drug Lord
Pablo is a man with a natural ability for business. Early in his life, Pablo is introduced to the business of cocaine and the power it yields. A young life of crime lands Pablo in and out of jail as he builds his criminal empire. Pablo expands his power through politics but it is not long before his conflicts as a Congressman and a drug lord collide. Pablo has his enemies executed, but not before the United States activates its own war on the Medellin cartel.