# Arde Madrid (2018)

> A Francoist instructor is sent to spy on Ava Gardner while posing as the wife of her hustler driver in 1961 Madrid.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/71048

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 8
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, drama, history
- Created by: Paco León, Anna R. Costa
- Network: Movistar Plus
- Cast: Inma Cuesta, Paco León, Debi Mazar, Anna Castillo, Julián Villagrán, Ken Appledorn, Osmar Núñez, Fabiana García Lago
- TMDB rating: 7.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7684260/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: breezy, sardonic, wistful, playful

## Synopsis

Arde Madrid (2018) is a Spanish period comedy-drama miniseries created by Paco León and Anna R. Costa for Movistar Plus. Set in 1961 Madrid under the Franco dictatorship, it follows Ana Mari (Inma Cuesta), a rigid instructor from the Sección Femenina who is ordered to take a job as a maid in Ava Gardner's house and report on the American actress. She must pose as the wife of Manolo (Paco León), a hustler who has become Gardner's driver, and the two improvise their way through a household that becomes a stage for lies and small betrayals. Supporting turns from Anna Castillo as Pilar and Debi Mazar as Ava Gardner anchor the cast. Across eight half-hour episodes in a single continuing story, the series builds its comedy from awkward disguises, the collision of Francoist propaganda with Hollywood glamour, and the ordinary survival tactics of a city under surveillance. Its tone is breezy and sardonic, with a wistful undercurrent about a country caught between repression and a longing for the outside world. Fans of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and The Americans will find kinship in its blend of period charm and political tension.

## Shows like Arde Madrid

- [The Lady's Companion (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/187128)
- [Little Faith (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/144939)
- [Velvet (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/54627)
- [The Patients of Dr. García (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/143305)
- [Her Majesty (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/162555)
- [Land of Women (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/130259)
- [The Time in Between (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/56356)
- [A Different View (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/68153)
- [Between Lands (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/151009)
- [Bellas artes (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/106237)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt