The best TV shows to learn Spanish are the ones you enjoy enough to watch twice. For Mexican Spanish, start with Club de Cuervos or La casa de las flores. For Spain, try Valeria, and for Colombia, Cien años de soledad. All four are on Netflix in the US. Watch with Spanish subtitles first, then try short scenes without them.
This lesson comes from Speak Better Spanish, live one-to-one Spanish coaching for adults with Hannah, Arturo and Jacky. Rated 5.0 on Google. Get a free speaking plan →
We put this list together at Speak Better Spanish, where Hannah, Arturo and Jacky coach adults one to one on Zoom. Updated October 25, 2026. We checked where each show streams in the US on that date, and streaming catalogs change, so check your own account too.
Key Takeaways
- Pick a show you like first. You only learn from a show you keep watching.
- Comedies and family dramas are easier than thrillers, because people talk the way they do at home.
- Match the accent to your plans: Mexican shows if you live in or travel to Mexico, Spain shows if you are headed to Spain.
- Use Spanish audio with Spanish subtitles, not English ones.
- Rewatch one short scene and say the lines out loud. That turns watching into speaking practice.
Best TV shows to learn Spanish at a glance
| Show | Country | Our suggested level | Where to watch in the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Club de Cuervos | Mexico | Intermediate | Netflix |
| La casa de las flores | Mexico | Intermediate | Netflix |
| Luis Miguel: la serie | Mexico | Intermediate | Netflix |
| Como agua para chocolate | Mexico | Intermediate | HBO Max |
| ¿Quién mató a Sara? | Mexico | Upper intermediate | Netflix |
| Familia de medianoche | Mexico | Advanced | Apple TV |
| Harina | Mexico | Advanced | Prime Video |
| Valeria | Spain | Intermediate | Netflix |
| Las chicas del cable | Spain | Intermediate | Netflix |
| Élite | Spain | Upper intermediate | Netflix |
| La casa de papel | Spain | Advanced | Netflix |
| Paquita Salas | Spain | Advanced | Netflix |
| Cien años de soledad | Colombia | Intermediate | Netflix |
| The Unremarkable Juanquini | Colombia | Intermediate | Netflix |
| Betty la fea: la historia continúa | Colombia | Intermediate | Prime Video |
| Casi feliz | Argentina | Advanced | Netflix |
| El Eternauta | Argentina | Advanced | Netflix |
The levels are our own suggestion, based on how fast people talk and how much slang each show uses. No show made for native speakers feels easy at first, and that is normal.
Best shows to learn Mexican Spanish
If you live in Mexico or travel there, start here. When the same slang keeps coming up, look it up. Our guides to no manches vs no mames and híjole, ándale and órale cover words you will hear in almost every Mexican comedy.
Club de Cuervos (Netflix)
A comedy about two siblings fighting over the family soccer club after their father dies. The Spanish is casual and full of everyday Mexican slang, and there is a lot of swearing, so you will hear how people really talk when they are annoyed. Suggested level: intermediate.
La casa de las flores (Netflix)
A dark comedy about a wealthy Mexico City family and its flower shop. The characters exaggerate everything for laughs, which makes tone easy to catch even when you miss a word. Suggested level: intermediate.
Luis Miguel: la serie (Netflix)
The story of the Mexican singer, from child star to sold-out shows. Most scenes are family and business conversations, so you hear Spanish from teenagers, parents and managers. Suggested level: intermediate.
Como agua para chocolate (HBO Max)
The 2024 series based on Laura Esquivel’s novel, set on a ranch in Mexico during the Revolution. Food and family words come up in almost every scene. Suggested level: intermediate.
¿Quién mató a Sara? (Netflix)
A thriller about a man who wants revenge after he is framed for his sister’s death. The plot keeps you watching, but the arguments move fast. Suggested level: upper intermediate.
Familia de medianoche (Apple TV)
A drama about a family that runs a private ambulance at night in Mexico City. Expect quick, urgent dialogue and a fair amount of medical vocabulary. Suggested level: advanced.
Harina (Prime Video)
A police comedy that grew out of a viral sketch: two cops chase a killer who targets influencers. The jokes are fast and packed with slang, so save it for later. Suggested level: advanced.
Best shows to learn Spanish from Spain
Valeria (Netflix)
A young writer and her three friends in Madrid. The conversations are about work, dating and friendship, the kind of Spanish you would hear at a bar in Spain. Suggested level: intermediate.
Las chicas del cable (Netflix)
Four women working at a Madrid telephone company in the 1920s. The period setting means more careful speech than most modern shows. Suggested level: intermediate.
Élite (Netflix)
A teen thriller set at an expensive private school. The slang and the shouting matches make it harder than it looks. Suggested level: upper intermediate.
La casa de papel (Netflix)
Known in English as Money Heist. The dialogue is fast and emotional, and it is all Spain Spanish, with vosotros everywhere. Suggested level: advanced.
Paquita Salas (Netflix)
A comedy about a Madrid talent agent who is stuck in the past. Very fast jokes and a lot of Spain slang. Suggested level: advanced.
Best shows to learn Colombian Spanish
Cien años de soledad (Netflix)
The 2024 adaptation of Gabriel García Márquez’s novel, made in Colombia and filmed in Spanish. The narration helps you follow what is happening. Suggested level: intermediate.
The Unremarkable Juanquini (Netflix)
A comedy about a hopeless magician who makes a wanted criminal disappear by accident and then has to deal with the fallout. Suggested level: intermediate.
Betty la fea: la historia continúa (Prime Video)
The sequel to the famous Colombian telenovela, with the original cast. If you ever watched Ugly Betty, you already know the setup, and that helps a lot. Suggested level: intermediate.
Best shows to learn Argentine Spanish
Casi feliz (Netflix)
A comedy about a radio host in Buenos Aires. Everyone says vos instead of tú, so it is good practice once you want to understand Argentine Spanish. Suggested level: advanced.
El Eternauta (Netflix)
Science fiction in Buenos Aires after a deadly snowfall. Argentine accent and vos all the way through. Suggested level: advanced.
Which Spanish show should you start with?
If you are still a beginner, pick one of the intermediate shows you would enjoy anyway, like Valeria, Las chicas del cable or Cien años de soledad, and watch one scene at a time with Spanish subtitles. Once you can follow most of an episode that way, move to Club de Cuervos, La casa de las flores and Luis Miguel. Leave La casa de papel, Paquita Salas, Harina and the Argentine shows for when subtitles feel like a backup, not a crutch.
If you understand a lot on screen but go blank when someone talks to you, that is a different problem. Read why you can’t understand native speakers and our passive listening guide.
How to learn Spanish with TV shows
- Start with Spanish audio and Spanish subtitles. As you improve, turn the subtitles off for short scenes.
- The first time, enjoy the story. The second time, focus on listening and pause when you need to. If you want a third pass, pick a 10 to 15 minute scene and shadow the dialogue, repeating each line right after the actor.
- When you hear a new phrase, pause, say it out loud, write it down and replay the line. Try guessing what a character will say next.
- Two or three sessions a week is enough: one new episode, one rewatch for listening, one short shadowing session. On busy days, play the audio during a walk or your commute.
- If you understand 80 to 90 percent with subtitles, try removing them. If you understand less than half, switch to a comedy.
- Write down 5 to 10 useful phrases after each session and use each one in a sentence of your own the same day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Club de Cuervos is a good first pick. It is a comedy, the Spanish is casual and current, and it is on Netflix in the US. La casa de las flores is a close second if you like dark humor. Both use a lot of slang, so watch with Spanish subtitles.
Spanish subtitles. English subtitles let you follow the story while your brain skips the Spanish. Spanish subtitles connect the sound to the words, so you start to recognize phrases you already know on paper. Switch them off for short scenes once you understand most of what you read.
TV builds your listening and gives you real phrases, but speaking is a separate skill. To say what you understand, you need to practice out loud. Shadow short scenes, then use the phrases in real conversation, even a short one each week.
You can start at any level with Spanish subtitles and short scenes, but most shows feel comfortable from intermediate up. Comedies and family dramas are the easiest. Thrillers, slang-heavy comedies and Argentine shows are better once you follow most of an episode.
Most Netflix shows are made for native speakers, so even the easier ones feel fast at first. Valeria, Las chicas del cable and Cien años de soledad are good places to start. Use Spanish subtitles and rewatch the same short scene until it feels easy.
Press play, then talk
Pick one show from this list that you would watch even if it were in English. Watch it with Spanish subtitles, rewatch your favorite scenes and steal the phrases you like. Comedies first, thrillers later.
Shows train your ear, and conversation trains everything else. If you can follow an episode of Club de Cuervos but freeze when someone asks you a question, book a free Spanish Roadmap Session and we will work out what to practice first. Or see how our real-life Mexican Spanish coaching works.
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