Riot Police

A fictionalised look into the human tragedy of riot police and police brutality in Spain.

Riot Police (2020) is a Spanish national-television crime drama miniseries created by Rodrigo Sorogoyen and Isabel Peña for Movistar Plus. Set in present-day Madrid, it follows a riot police unit whose members are pulled between orders, personal loyalties and the violence they carry out on the street. Laia Urquijo and Diego López Rodero anchor the ensemble, with the officers around them shaping the unit's daily pressures. The engine is less a single case than the grinding pressure of each deployment, as protests escalate and the unit must answer for what it does. Across six hour-long episodes the series builds a stark, handheld realism, with a bleak and tense atmosphere that refuses easy heroism. Its emotional register is sombre and morally uneasy, concerned with the human damage done to officers as well as to the people they confront. Viewers who appreciate The Wire, Gomorra and Fariña will find resonance in its institutional grit and unflinching urban portrait. A limited series in one continuous arc, it rewards full attention.

Critics broadly agree that the series is a grim, human-centred portrait of riot police and the toll of street violence, carried by strong lead performances.

• The Wiregritty police procedural realism, institutional brutality, handheld urban tension
• Fariñasocial realism, working-class institutional pressure, Spanish-language urban drama
• Gomorratense urban crime realism, moral unrest within state force

Created by

Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Isabel Peña

Release Date

2020-10-16

Episode runtime

52 min

Rating

8.1 / 10 (167)

What is Riot Police about?

A fictionalised miniseries following Madrid riot police and the human toll of brutality inside the force.

What is Riot Police like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Riot Police as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is Riot Police violent?

Yes. Ember rates the violence in Riot Police as brutal.

What did critics think of Riot Police?

Critics broadly agree that the series is a grim, human-centred portrait of riot police and the toll of street violence, carried by strong lead performances.

Which shows are like Riot Police?

Shows with a similar feel include The Wire, Fariña, and Gomorra.

How long is Riot Police?

Riot Police: 1 season, 6 episodes.

Is Riot Police still running?

No, Riot Police has ended.