{ "id": "ep4zjvssrk", "slug": "snakes-and-ladders-2025-tv-series", "title": "Snakes and Ladders (2025 TV series)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted", "label": "Unscripted, reality, and web-native series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native", "label": "Web-native and streaming-original series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.comedy_general_webseries", "label": "Comedy, drama, and general-genre web series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.comedy_general_webseries" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.latam.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Latin America and the Caribbean · 2021 and later: Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.latam.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series", "path": [ { "id": "geo.latam", "label": "Latin America and the Caribbean", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.latam" }, { "id": "geo.latam.t2021", "label": "Latin America and the Caribbean · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.latam.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.latam.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.latam.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.latam.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.latam.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.latam.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.latam.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.latam.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.latam.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Snakes and Ladders (Serpientes y escaleras) is a 2025 Mexican Netflix dark comedy by Manolo Caro, starring Cecilia Suárez as teacher Dora seeking a headmastership; eight episodes released May 14, 2025, distinct from the 2024 Tamil Prime Video series.", "snippet": "Snakes and Ladders (Serpientes y escaleras) is a 2025 Mexican Netflix dark comedy by Manolo Caro, starring Cecilia Suárez as teacher Dora seeking a headmastership; eight episodes released May 14, 2025, distinct from the 2024 Tamil Prime Video series.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.comedy_general_webseries", "markdown": "# Snakes and Ladders (2025 TV series)\n\n**Snakes and Ladders** (*Serpientes y escaleras*) is a Mexican dark comedy television series created and directed by Manolo Caro for Netflix, in which an ambitious but overlooked school prefect at an elite elementary school climbs a ladder of lies and corruption to become head of the school[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/snakes_and_ladders_2025). Its eight episodes were all released on May 14, 2025[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/snakes_and_ladders_2025/s01). The series reunites Caro with [Cecilia Suárez](https://www.edgepedia.org/cecilia-suarez), his frequent collaborator from *The House of Flowers* and *Someone Has to Die*, who plays the teacher Dora[3](https://latestnetflix.com/series/255810).\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Original title | *Serpientes y escaleras* (Spanish-language series)[4](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/serpientes-y-escaleras) |\n| Premiere | May 14, 2025, all 8 episodes of season 1 on Netflix[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/snakes_and_ladders_2025/s01) |\n| Creator/director | Manolo Caro, who also created *The House of Flowers*[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/snakes_and_ladders_2025) • [5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSQG1zNG4po) |\n| Lead cast | Cecilia Suárez (Dora López-Negrete), Juan Pablo Medina (Olmo), Martiño Rivas (Vicente), Marimar Vega (Tamara), Benny Emmanuel (Toño)[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32500304/fullcredits/) |\n| Setting | An elite elementary school in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico[7](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/snakes-and-ladders) • [8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32500304) |\n| Rating | TV-MA; Common Sense Media rates it 16+ for sex, strong language, and violence[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/snakes_and_ladders_2025) • [7](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/snakes-and-ladders) |\n| Audience score | 6.3/10 on IMDb from about 850 ratings[9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32500304/ratings/) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and story\n\nThe series is set in an elite elementary school in [Guadalajara](https://www.edgepedia.org/guadalajara). Dora (Cecilia Suárez), a principled but overlooked school prefect, dreams of becoming headmistress. When a fight between two students, and between their powerful parents, throws the school into scandal, Dora seizes the opportunity to climb the political ladder[7](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/snakes-and-ladders). As she is pulled into backdoor deals and moral compromises, she faces scheming administrators, controlling families such as Vicente (Martiño Rivas) and Tamara (Marimar Vega), and her own son Toño (Benny Emmanuel), who has a secret of his own[7](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/snakes-and-ladders). Netflix's trailer description frames the goal as becoming principal of a prestigious school in Jalisco, with Dora maneuvering a dispute between two of the state's most powerful families to her advantage, even if it means bending her ethics[5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSQG1zNG4po).\n\nThe eight episodes, each titled as a paired theme, run from \"Morals and Ethics\" through \"Alliances and Retaliation\", \"Action and Passion\", \"Anti and Sadness\", \"Family and Tradition\", \"Failure and Triumph\", and \"Secrets and Discretion\" to the finale \"Heaven and Hell\"[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/snakes_and_ladders_2025/s01). Alongside Dora's campaign, the season follows Toño's coming-of-age arc, including a closeted queer relationship marked by secrecy and betrayal, and the student Juana's manipulative tactics, showing how children absorb and replicate adult power dynamics[7](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/snakes-and-ladders).\n\n## Cast and production\n\nCecilia Suárez leads the cast as Dora López-Negrete, appearing in all eight episodes. Juan Pablo Medina plays Olmo, Marimar Vega plays Tamara Sahagún, Michelle Rodríguez plays Martha Sánchez, Loreto Peralta plays Juana Muriel, and Germán Bracco plays Nicolás; Gerardo Trejoluna appears as Fernando Colmenar \"El Gober\" in four episodes[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32500304/fullcredits/). The wider credited cast includes Alfredo Gatica, Luis Felipe Tovar, and Margarita Gralia[10](https://www.roku.com/whats-on/tv-shows/snakes-and-ladders?id=21ac5801fd2aae045bbf974f5a3d2e98).\n\n**Behind the camera.** Manolo Caro created the series and shares writing credit with Alexandro Aldrete, Ángela Armero, and Estíbaliz Burgaleta[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32500304/fullcredits/). Producers include Maria Jose Cordova, Triana Garcia Simon, Rafael Ley, and Caro himself; Lucas Vidal composed the music, Ana Ibarra was production designer, and the show was made by the production companies Woo Films and Noc Noc Cinema[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32500304/fullcredits/) • [8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32500304). Filming took place in Guadalajara, Jalisco[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32500304). Episodes run roughly 35 to 37 minutes[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32500304) • [4](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/serpientes-y-escaleras).\n\n## Reception\n\nProfessional reception was mixed. Rotten Tomatoes listed four critic reviews for season 1 without an aggregate score[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/snakes_and_ladders_2025/s01). Chris Joyce of Movies and Munchies gave 3.5/5, praising the off-kilter comedy and character growth while noting several storylines of varying attention; Charles Hartford of But Why Tho? gave 2/10, writing that the series \"fails far more than it succeeds\"; and Weiting Liu of Common Sense Media found little beneath the glossy surface, calling it \"drama for the sake of drama\"[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/snakes_and_ladders_2025/s01). Decider's Joel Keller described the premiere as packed with plot in a fun, campy way[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/snakes_and_ladders_2025/s01), and Dexerto's roundup of early reviews called the show an explicit telenovela version of workplace comedies like *Abbott Elementary*[11](https://www.dexerto.com/tv-movies/snakes-and-ladders-netflix-plot-cast-reviews-3195811/).\n\nAudience response on IMDb was moderate overall but rose across the season: the weighted rating stood at 6.3/10 from about 850 votes, while per-episode ratings climbed steadily from 7.2 for episode 1 to 8.0 for the finale[9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32500304/ratings/). The countries with the most ratings were Mexico, the United States, Spain, Argentina, and Colombia[9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32500304/ratings/). Common Sense Media highlighted the show's all-Latino cast and its centering of women in roles of authority and ambition, while cautioning that its characters are morally questionable and that bribery and manipulation are presented as tools for getting ahead[7](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/snakes-and-ladders). GLAAD's 2024–2025 *Where We Are on TV* report listed *Snakes and Ladders* among Netflix's inclusive shows[12](https://assets.glaad.org/m/b93f9f3873eff34/original/GLAAD-2024-25-Where-We-Are-on-TV.pdf).\n\n## Other series of the same name\n\nThe title is shared with an unrelated Tamil-language thriller series, *Snakes & Ladders*, created by Kamala Alchemis and Dhivakar Kamal, directed by Bharath Muralidharan, Ashok Veerappan, and Kamala Alchemis, and produced under [Karthik Subbaraj](https://www.edgepedia.org/karthik-subbaraj)'s Stone Bench Productions. That nine-episode series, about four school friends in the fictional hill town of Rettamugadu who try to cover up an accidental death, premiered on Prime Video on October 18, 2024[13](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/tamil/news/2024/Oct/07/karthik-subbarajs-snakes-and-ladders-gets-premiere-date). The two shows differ in language, platform, cast, and story, and the 2024 series predates the Netflix comedy by roughly seven months.\n\n## References\n\n1. [Snakes and Ladders (2025) – Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/snakes_and_ladders_2025)\n2. [Snakes and Ladders: Season 1 – Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/snakes_and_ladders_2025/s01)\n3. [Snakes and Ladders (2025) – Latest Netflix](https://latestnetflix.com/series/255810)\n4. [Snakes and Ladders (2025) – JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/serpientes-y-escaleras)\n5. [Snakes and Ladders \\| Official Trailer \\| Netflix – YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSQG1zNG4po)\n6. [Snakes and Ladders (TV Series 2025– ) Full cast & crew – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32500304/fullcredits/)\n7. [Parents' Guide to Snakes and Ladders – Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/snakes-and-ladders)\n8. [Snakes and Ladders (TV Series 2025– ) – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32500304)\n9. [Snakes and Ladders – Ratings – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32500304/ratings/)\n10. [How to watch and stream Snakes and Ladders (2025) – Roku](https://www.roku.com/whats-on/tv-shows/snakes-and-ladders?id=21ac5801fd2aae045bbf974f5a3d2e98)\n11. [Snakes and Ladders is the new Netflix show you need to binge this weekend – Dexerto](https://www.dexerto.com/tv-movies/snakes-and-ladders-netflix-plot-cast-reviews-3195811/)\n12. [GLAAD 2024–2025 Where We Are on TV](https://assets.glaad.org/m/b93f9f3873eff34/original/GLAAD-2024-25-Where-We-Are-on-TV.pdf)\n13. [Karthik Subbaraj's Snakes and Ladders gets premiere date – Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/tamil/news/2024/Oct/07/karthik-subbarajs-snakes-and-ladders-gets-premiere-date)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Web-native and streaming-original series › Comedy, drama, and general-genre web series*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/snakes-and-ladders-2025-tv-series", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/snakes-and-ladders-2025-tv-series.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Snakes and Ladders (2025 TV series)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/snakes-and-ladders-2025-tv-series. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Snakes and Ladders (2025 TV series)](https://www.edgepedia.org/snakes-and-ladders-2025-tv-series)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/snakes-and-ladders-2025-tv-series](https://www.edgepedia.org/snakes-and-ladders-2025-tv-series). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Snakes and Ladders (2025 TV series)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/snakes-and-ladders-2025-tv-series. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Snakes and Ladders is a 2025 Mexican Netflix dark comedy by Manolo Caro, starring Cecilia Suárez as teacher Dora seeking a headmastership; eight episodes released May 14, 2025, distinct from the 2024 Tamil Prime Video series." }