{
 "id": "ep2jm52y0y",
 "slug": "someone-has-to-die",
 "title": "Someone Has To Die",
 "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_international_serials",
   "label": "International serial drama and telenovelas",
   "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials"
  },
  {
   "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_latam",
   "label": "Telenovelas and Latin American/Iberian serials",
   "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_latam"
  },
  {
   "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_latam.spain",
   "label": "Spanish serial dramas",
   "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_latam.spain"
  }
 ],
 "geo": [
  {
   "id": "geo.latam.t2001.culture.performance.screen",
   "label": "Latin America and the Caribbean · 2001 to 2020: Film and television",
   "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.latam.t2001.culture.performance.screen",
   "path": [
    {
     "id": "geo.latam",
     "label": "Latin America and the Caribbean",
     "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.latam"
    },
    {
     "id": "geo.latam.t2001",
     "label": "Latin America and the Caribbean · 2001 to 2020",
     "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.latam.t2001"
    },
    {
     "id": "geo.latam.t2001.culture",
     "label": "Arts and culture",
     "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.latam.t2001.culture"
    },
    {
     "id": "geo.latam.t2001.culture.performance",
     "label": "Screen and stage",
     "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.latam.t2001.culture.performance"
    },
    {
     "id": "geo.latam.t2001.culture.performance.screen",
     "label": "Film and television",
     "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.latam.t2001.culture.performance.screen"
    }
   ]
  }
 ],
 "excerpt": "Someone Has To Die (Alguien tiene que morir) is a 2020 three-episode Netflix thriller miniseries by Manolo Caro, set in 1950s Franco-era Spain, about Gabino Falcón returning from Mexico with ballet dancer Lázaro.",
 "snippet": "Someone Has To Die (Alguien tiene que morir) is a 2020 three-episode Netflix thriller miniseries by Manolo Caro, set in 1950s Franco-era Spain, about Gabino Falcón returning from Mexico with ballet dancer Lázaro.",
 "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_latam.spain",
 "markdown": "# Someone Has To Die\n\n**Someone Has To Die** (*Alguien tiene que morir*) is a three-episode Spanish-language thriller miniseries created, directed, and co-written by the Mexican filmmaker Manolo Caro for Netflix, released globally on October 16, 2020. A co-production between Spain and Mexico, it is set in 1950s Spain under the Franco dictatorship and follows the upheaval caused when a young man returns from Mexico accompanied by a male ballet dancer.<sup>[1](https://about.netflix.com/es/news/someone-has-to-die)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.heavenofhorror.com/reviews/someone-has-to-die-netflix-series/)</sup>\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Original title | *Alguien tiene que morir*; the English title is a direct translation<sup>[2](https://www.heavenofhorror.com/reviews/someone-has-to-die-netflix-series/)</sup> |\n| Format | Limited series, 3 episodes of about 50 minutes each<sup>[3](https://www.madrid.org/filmmadrid/descargas/Rodajes-Series-CM-2020.pdf)</sup> |\n| Release | Netflix, worldwide, October 16, 2020<sup>[3](https://www.madrid.org/filmmadrid/descargas/Rodajes-Series-CM-2020.pdf)</sup> |\n| Creator | Manolo Caro, creator of *La casa de las flores* (*The House of Flowers*); co-writers Fernando Pérez and Monika Revilla<sup>[1](https://about.netflix.com/es/news/someone-has-to-die)</sup> |\n| Setting | Conservative 1950s Spain under Franco, centered on the wealthy Falcón family of Madrid<sup>[4](https://www.lavanguardia.com/series/netflix/20201019/484169046511/alguien-tiene-que-morir-netflix-critica.html?facet=amp)</sup> |\n| Lead cast | Carmen Maura, Cecilia Suárez, Ernesto Alterio, Alejandro Speitzer, Ester Expósito, Carlos Cuevas, Isaac Hernández<sup>[1](https://about.netflix.com/es/news/someone-has-to-die)</sup> |\n| Production | Noc Noc Cinema; Netflix (Spain/Mexico); filmed in Madrid and province, Toledo, and Segovia<sup>[1](https://about.netflix.com/es/news/someone-has-to-die)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://www.madrid.org/filmmadrid/descargas/Rodajes-Series-CM-2020.pdf)</sup> |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and plot\n\nThe story begins when Gabino Falcón (Alejandro Speitzer), the youngest member of a wealthy Madrid family, is summoned home after a decade in Mexico to meet his arranged fiancée, Cayetana Aldama ([Ester Expósito](https://www.edgepedia.org/ester-exposito)). To the family's alarm he arrives with Lázaro (Isaac Hernández), a Mexican ballet dancer with whom he shares a close bond, and those around Gabino begin questioning the nature of their friendship.<sup>[1](https://about.netflix.com/es/news/someone-has-to-die)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/someone_has_to_die/s01)</sup>\n\nThe household into which he returns is oppressive. His grandmother Amparo (Carmen Maura) rules the home through fear; his father Gregorio (Ernesto Alterio) holds a position in the dictatorship's administration and, according to one review, is in charge of incarcerating and torturing homosexuals in his district; his mother Mina ([Cecilia Suárez](https://www.edgepedia.org/cecilia-suarez)) is so cowed that she has lost her natural Mexican accent.<sup>[4](https://www.lavanguardia.com/series/netflix/20201019/484169046511/alguien-tiene-que-morir-netflix-critica.html?facet=amp)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[6](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/english/2020/Nov/01/someone-has-to-die-netflix-reviewengaging-investments-middling-returns-21076.html)</sup> The suspicion that falls on Gabino and Lázaro lets the series address the racism and classism of a society that considered itself privileged, as well as the homophobia of an era in which homosexuality was a crime punishable by imprisonment or worse, and in which society often condemned the accused before the authorities acted.<sup>[4](https://www.lavanguardia.com/series/netflix/20201019/484169046511/alguien-tiene-que-morir-netflix-critica.html?facet=amp)</sup>\n\nThe three episodes are titled after the stages of a pigeon shoot: \"Soltar la presa\" (Release the Prey), \"Tomar puntería\" (Take Aim), and \"Apretar el gatillo\" (Pull the Trigger). In the first, Gabino discovers he is expected to marry Cayetana; in the second, Cayetana fuels rumors about Gabino and Lázaro's alleged relationship while Mina tries to help them escape; in the third, Amparo and Gregorio take extreme measures to quell the scandal, and long-hidden truths turn the Falcón family members against each other.<sup>[7](https://www.sensacine.com/noticias/series/noticia-18585034/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/someone_has_to_die/s01)</sup>\n\n## Production\n\nThe project grew out of Caro's relationship with Netflix. After the international success of *La casa de las flores*, which premiered in 2018, Netflix signed him to a multi-year overall deal in May 2019, making him the second showrunner from Spain or Latin America, after *Money Heist*'s Alex Pina, to sign such a pact; *Alguien tiene que morir* was the first project under the agreement.<sup>[8](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/netflix-strikes-overall-deal-house-130003076.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[9](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/netflix-spanish-original-someone-die-133002446.html)</sup>\n\n**Format as an accident.** Caro said the three-episode shape was not planned. He had written the story as a feature film and saw no way to stretch it into eight or ten episodes; inspired by the three-part British miniseries *A Very English Scandal*, he realized he could fragment the screenplay into three movements.<sup>[7](https://www.sensacine.com/noticias/series/noticia-18585034/)</sup> He described the result as \"the dark cousin of *La casa de las flores*\", his first project in Spain and his first outside comedy.<sup>[7](https://www.sensacine.com/noticias/series/noticia-18585034/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[1](https://about.netflix.com/es/news/someone-has-to-die)</sup>\n\nThe cast was about 90 percent Spanish, and Caro worked with a team of historians alongside his co-writers.<sup>[10](https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/espectaculos/television/manolo-caro-deja-las-flores-por-un-rato-para-ubicarse-en-la-espana-de-los-50/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[11](https://www.formulatv.com/videos/carmen-maura-manolo-caro-alguien-tiene-que-morir-22518/)</sup> Filming took place in Madrid and its province, including [Alcobendas](https://www.edgepedia.org/alcobendas), El Escorial, Hoyo de Manzanares, and Galapagar, as well as Toledo and Segovia.<sup>[3](https://www.madrid.org/filmmadrid/descargas/Rodajes-Series-CM-2020.pdf)</sup>\n\n## Reception\n\nThe series reached number one on Netflix's most-viewed list shortly after release.<sup>[7](https://www.sensacine.com/noticias/series/noticia-18585034/)</sup> Critical response was mixed. Reviewers consistently praised the cast and the series' themes: the Cinema Express review called it an \"absorbingly disturbing watch\" for its unflinching depiction of the persecution of the LGBTQ+ community and of violence against political prisoners, and FormulaTV found that the first two episodes convey affliction, fear, and oppression effectively.<sup>[6](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/english/2020/Nov/01/someone-has-to-die-netflix-reviewengaging-investments-middling-returns-21076.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[12](https://www.formulatv.com/noticias/critica-alguien-tiene-que-morir-104192/)</sup>\n\nThe most common criticism was the ending. Cinema Express wrote that the resolutions felt convenient and that abandoning a slow-burn narrative for a rushed approach weakened the finale; The Review Geek argued the series needed another couple of episodes to let the drama breathe; and Spanish outlets were cooler still, with HobbyConsolas judging it more a social-denunciation drama than a thriller and finding its historical reconstruction weak, and Los Interrogantes calling it a family drama poorly handled despite a cast of proven talent.<sup>[6](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/english/2020/Nov/01/someone-has-to-die-netflix-reviewengaging-investments-middling-returns-21076.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[13](https://www.thereviewgeek.com/someonehastodie-s1review/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[14](https://www.hobbyconsolas.com/reviews/critica-alguien-tiene-morir-miniserie-netflix-736483)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[15](https://losinterrogantes.com/cine/criticas/serie-alguien-tiene-que-morir-netflix)</sup> La Vanguardia took a middle view, describing the series as flawed but not a disaster, with appreciable elements that make it a good companion for a weekend afternoon.<sup>[4](https://www.lavanguardia.com/series/netflix/20201019/484169046511/alguien-tiene-que-morir-netflix-critica.html?facet=amp)</sup>\n\n## Place in Caro's career and Netflix's Spanish slate\n\nThe miniseries marked Caro's move from comedy into drama and thriller, and it formed part of Netflix's broader expansion of Spanish-language originals in the period that also included *Money Heist* and *Élite*. Caro later said the project mattered as part of a generation of creators \"that makes the Spanish language travel around the world\".<sup>[9](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/netflix-spanish-original-someone-die-133002446.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[16](https://time.com/6075019/the-house-of-flowers-telenovela/)</sup>\n\n## References\n\n1. [ALGUIEN TIENE QUE MORIR, About Netflix (official press release)](https://about.netflix.com/es/news/someone-has-to-die)\n2. [Someone Has to Die – Netflix Review, Heaven of Horror](https://www.heavenofhorror.com/reviews/someone-has-to-die-netflix-series/)\n3. [Series 2020, Film Madrid Commission (Community of Madrid)](https://www.madrid.org/filmmadrid/descargas/Rodajes-Series-CM-2020.pdf)\n4. ['Alguien tiene que morir' de Netflix es fallida sin ser un desastre, La Vanguardia](https://www.lavanguardia.com/series/netflix/20201019/484169046511/alguien-tiene-que-morir-netflix-critica.html?facet=amp)\n5. [Someone Has to Die: Limited Series, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/someone_has_to_die/s01)\n6. [Someone Has to Die Review: Engaging investments, middling returns, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/english/2020/Nov/01/someone-has-to-die-netflix-reviewengaging-investments-middling-returns-21076.html)\n7. ['Alguien tiene que morir' (Netflix): El salto de película a miniserie, SensaCine](https://www.sensacine.com/noticias/series/noticia-18585034/)\n8. [Netflix Strikes Overall Deal With 'The House Of Flowers' Creator Manolo Caro, Yahoo Entertainment/Deadline](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/netflix-strikes-overall-deal-house-130003076.html)\n9. [How Netflix's New Spanish Original 'Someone Has to Die' Pushes Industry Envelopes, Yahoo Entertainment/Variety](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/netflix-spanish-original-someone-die-133002446.html)\n10. [Manolo Caro ubica su nueva serie en la España de los 50, El Universal](https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/espectaculos/television/manolo-caro-deja-las-flores-por-un-rato-para-ubicarse-en-la-espana-de-los-50/)\n11. [Carmen Maura y Manolo Caro sobre 'Alguien tiene que morir', FormulaTV](https://www.formulatv.com/videos/carmen-maura-manolo-caro-alguien-tiene-que-morir-22518/)\n12. ['Alguien tiene que morir', una tragedia del pasado para reflexionar sobre el presente, FormulaTV](https://www.formulatv.com/noticias/critica-alguien-tiene-que-morir-104192/)\n13. [Someone Has To Die – Full Season 1 Review, The Review Geek](https://www.thereviewgeek.com/someonehastodie-s1review/)\n14. [Crítica de Alguien tiene que morir, HobbyConsolas](https://www.hobbyconsolas.com/reviews/critica-alguien-tiene-morir-miniserie-netflix-736483)\n15. [Alguien tiene que morir de Netflix: Crítica de la serie, Los Interrogantes](https://losinterrogantes.com/cine/criticas/serie-alguien-tiene-que-morir-netflix)\n16. [The House of Flowers Is Proof That Telenovelas Are Changing, TIME](https://time.com/6075019/the-house-of-flowers-telenovela/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › Telenovelas and Latin American/Iberian serials › Spanish serial dramas*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: 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/someone-has-to-die",
 "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/someone-has-to-die.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": "\"Someone Has To Die\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/someone-has-to-die. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.",
 "credit_md": "\"[Someone Has To Die](https://www.edgepedia.org/someone-has-to-die)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/someone-has-to-die](https://www.edgepedia.org/someone-has-to-die). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).",
 "credit_html": "\"<a href=\"https://www.edgepedia.org/someone-has-to-die\">Someone Has To Die</a>\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), <a href=\"https://www.edgepedia.org/someone-has-to-die\">https://www.edgepedia.org/someone-has-to-die</a>. <a href=\"https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\">Edgepedia Community License 1.0</a>.",
 "speakable": "Someone Has To Die is a 2020 three-episode Netflix thriller miniseries by Manolo Caro, set in 1950s Franco-era Spain, about Gabino Falcón returning from Mexico with ballet dancer Lázaro."
}