TV shows we love: Valeria

You’re in your late twenties. You thought your life would have reached a certain point by now but relationships are complicated, creativity isn’t linear and money is tight. It’s the constant internal battle between going after what you love and having a stable job. That is what Valeria is going through in Netflix’s Spanish comedy-drama of the same name, and in reality, it could be the life story of many millennials.

Twenty-eight-year-old Valeria lives in Madrid with her husband, she’s meant to deliver the idea of her new book soon but she has writer’s block and is confused about what she wants in life. She confides often in her three best friends, leaving them lengthy voice notes. Her 15-minute podcasts as they call them. Wild and adventurous Lola is dating a married guy, blindly falling for him but the sex is too good to give up. Carmen is shy and awkward and has a major crush on a guy at work but is too nervous to do anything about it. Nerea still lives with her parents who don’t know she’s gay, stuck in the family business trying to pay off her university loan.

We see them meet up often in Madrid’s cute bars in squares sharing buckets of beer and going to underground parties. They exchange dozens of Whatsapp messages every day, they navigate Tinder and try to find affordable apartments to live in. Relatable?

Season one is young, light and fun to watch. It is the Madrid version of Sex & the City for millennials and people love it. Which is why it is has been renewed for a second season.

There’s a fair share of spice in Valeria. From steady sexting and love scenes to shots of street parties and desperately looking for inspiration on tea bag quotes. Valeria is easy to watch, it’s relevant, it’s funny, it paints a gorgeous picture of Madrid, it goes through the uncomfortable phases of money blocks and life questions. It’s real. That’s why I love it.