'The Lady's Companion' Trailer Is a Candy-Coated Delight
Nadia de Santiago as Elena, Álvaro Mel as Santiago, and Isa Montalbán as Cristina in "The Lady's Companion"
(Photo: Netflix)
One of the best things you may not realize about Netflix is how deep the streamer's library of international original series runs. (Or precisely how many of those series are likely to appeal to Anglophiles.) Though these shows may be in languages other than English, a fair amount of them are precisely the kinds of period dramas that every Masterpiece fan would be salivating over, if only they knew they all existed.
More traditional shows, like The Empress and The Leopard, explore the high drama and sumptuous settings of Habsburg Austria and Italy during the Risorgimento. Less serious offerings, such as the legal dramedy The Law According to Lidia Poët, offer a spirited, feminist take on history through the life of a trailblazing woman. The forthcoming Spanish series The Lady's Companion is set to give viewers a historical take on the romantic comedy genre.
The eight-part series is set in late nineteenth-century Madrid and is a story of matchmaking, manners, and unintended attraction. Twenty-seven-year-old Elena Bianda is one of the city's most successful ladies' chaperones, having helped nearly three dozen young women find suitable husbands through her unique approach to matchmaking. Her methods blend strict morals with genuine concern for her charges' well-being, and her narrative breaks the fourth wall by clues the audience in on all her plans.
But Elena's skills are tested when she is hired to care for the Mencia daughters, a trio of siblings who change her life in surprising ways. (If the trailer is anything to go by, introduce her to a suitor that Elena might just be falling for herself.)
Here's the series synopsis.
Madrid, 1880. Elena Bianda is the most sought-after lady’s companion in the city. Despite her youth, she has already helped more than 20 young women secure proper courtships and engagements. Her success lies in her strict moral guidance for families while remaining attuned to the concerns of the young women she mentors—a delicate balance she has mastered flawlessly. Seeing her protégées walk successfully down the aisle is her life's purpose. Everything changes, however, when she arrives at the Mencía household and finds herself responsible for three sisters.
The Lady's Companion stars Nadia de Santiago (Cable Girls) as Elena, alongside Álvaro Mel (La Fortuna), Isa Montalbán (HollyBlood), and Zoe Bonafonte (The Goldsmith's Secret). The ensemble cast also includes Iratxe Emparán, Tristán Ulloa, Carloto Cotta, Paula Usero, Candela Pradas, María Barranco, Itziar Manero, María Caballero, and Gracia Olayo.
The eight-part drama is created by Gema R. Neira (Cable Girls) and María José Rustarazo (Velvet). Both women are also writers on the series, alongside Salvador S. Serrano, Sara Alquezar, and Ricardo Jornet. Carlos Sedes, and Clauia Pinto split helming duties. This drama is produced by Bambú Producciones, with Neira serving as executive producer and Ramón Campos as producer.
All eight episodes of The Lady's Companion will premiere globally on Netflix on March 28, 2025.
