Diving Into 'Money Heist'
Photo: Netflix
Netflix has been changing the world of television since it first began producing original series in 2012, but one of its more recent contributions to the industry is the popularization of international content. From France’s Lupin, to Germany’s Dark, to South Korea’s Squid Game, the streamer has managed to successfully introduce shows to American audiences who until very recently were thought to be completely allergic to anything that required the use of subtitles. Spanish crime series Money Heist is among the biggest of Netflix’s international success stories, having run for five seasons and, with the December 29 release of Berlin, spawned its very own spinoff.
It’s not all that surprising when a beloved show manages to retain viewers season after season — after all, fans want to see cliffhanger finales resolved, storylines tied up, and more generally, to get more time with their favorite characters. But a spinoff represents a different, more difficult kind of test. The success of these shows requires that viewers be so intrigued by the fictional universe established in the original show that they want to see it expanded, even if the expansion doesn’t feature all or any of the characters they’ve come to care about. If Berlin is a hit, it would demonstrate not just the viability of Money Heist as a franchise, but also how far American viewers have come in terms of a willingness to engage with non-English content.
But of course, Netflix isn’t in this to prove a point. For a truly successful debut, the streamer will have to effectively market Berlin to viewers both in and outside the current Money Heist fan base, and even outside Netflix’s subscriber base. We’re taking a look at this international success story’s audience to pinpoint the characteristics that made the show so popular, as well as identify audiences Netflix can win over to ensure the continued success of La Casa de Papel.
What Do Fans Love About Money Heist?
Photo: Netflix
Money Heist is ranked #1 on The Best Spanish TV Shows On Netflix (2K votes), ahead of series like Élite and Grand Hotel. It’s also ranked #1 on The Best Action Shows On Netflix (18K votes), leading incredibly popular shows The Witcher and Peaky Blinders by two and five spots, respectively. These two rankings alone tell us both Money Heist’s greatest strength and its greatest weakness. First, they tell us that the show isn’t pigeonholed as simply a Spanish show, as it’s both the top show in its nation of origin and in its genre. However, the rankings also tell us that, while the show has certainly broken international boundaries, it hasn’t necessarily broken the boundaries of Netflix — both rankings are limited to shows available on Netflix.
The show still has impressive rankings on lists that go beyond any one streamer’s catalog, including a #14 spot on The Greatest TV Shows About Con Artists (4K votes), ahead of Fargo and Inventing Anna, but behind Ozark and Lupin. And most impressive of all, it’s in the Top 20 on our list of The Best TV Thriller Series (45K votes), a highly competitive list that features all-time greats like Breaking Bad and Stranger Things. Still, lower rankings on lists like The Best TV Shows Of The Past 20 Years (2.4 million votes), where Money Heist is ranked #196 out of 306 shows, suggest that Berlin still could stand to expand the franchise’s fanbase.
#1 - The Best Action Shows On Netflix (18K votes)
#1 - The Best Spanish TV Shows On Netflix (2K votes)
#14 - The Greatest TV Shows About Con Artists (4K votes)
#19 - The Best TV Thriller Series (45K votes)
#119 - The TV Shows With The Best Writing (107K votes)
#196 - The Best TV Shows Of The Past 20 Years (2.4 million votes)
Who’s Reaching Money Heist Fans?
The rankings above tell us that, among Netflix’s user base, Money Heist is more than just a great Spanish show — it scratches fans’ itch for thriller content, for shows about heists and scam artists, and for action more generally. Now let’s look at the shows whose fans are more likely to love Money Heist to see where Netflix might find new viewers, as well as activate old ones, to increase the impact of its coming spinoff series
Netflix
In this “Diving Into” segment, we normally avoid covering Affinities with series on the same platform as the show we’re covering, because it’s a little less exciting to point out that two shows on the same streamer tend to share a lot of the same viewers. We made an exception here for two reasons: first, we wanted to point out that Money Heist fans seem to be more open to international content generally, as they’re more likely to love Dark, Squid Game, and Lupin; second, there are relatively fewer Affinities outside of Money Heist’s home platform than we normally see for the shows we cover. That tells us Netflix subscribers are more open to non-English content than subscribers to other streamers, a potential obstacle for Netflix as it seeks to expand the Money Heist fanbase.
These viewers love Money Heist and… Dark, Squid Game, Lupin
Amazon Prime Video
Netflix competitor Amazon Prime Video does have some titles whose fans are more likely to love Money Heist. None of these shows are heist related, however: the period drama Vikings, superhero comic book adaptation The Boys, and alternative history The Man in the High Castle. The one thing these very different shows have in common is that they’re action-packed. Although Money Heist is currently most popular with action fans who subscribe to Netflix, this tells us it has the potential to connect with those who love violence and explosions and subscribe to other streaming platforms.
These viewers love Money Heist and… Vikings, The Boys, The Man in the High Castle
USA Network
An increasingly rare feat in the world of TV today, Money Heist appears to appeal to both fans of streaming content and staples of linear TV shows, like those broadcast on USA Network. True, Suits, Mr. Robot, and Queen of the South are all available to stream today, but all three of these shows share fans with Money Heist ,which suggests Netflix might find success reaching out to TV viewers beyond the realm of digital streaming. Before Netflix does so, however, it might check its own data to make sure viewers of Money Heist aren’t checking out these series in big numbers on its own platform — all three shows have at some point recently been available to stream on Netflix.
These viewers love Money Heist and… Suits, Mr. Robot, Queen of the South
