Subteran

Subteran (2025) offers an intriguing premise, following a mother working in IT who is thrust into the dangerous world of crime after her life is turned upside down by Bucharest's criminal underworld. As she goes undercover to fight the criminals who have impacted her life, the series weaves a tale of suspense, action, and personal transformation. Created by Steve Bailie, the show has a strong foundation, but its execution leaves room for improvement.

Ana Ularu, who leads the series, delivers a solid performance as the determined mother. Her portrayal captures the vulnerability and strength of a character forced into extraordinary circumstances, and she provides emotional depth to a role that could otherwise have felt more one-dimensional. The supporting cast, including Cezar Grumazescu and Florin Piersic Jr., also bring their characters to life with conviction, though their roles often lack the same depth as Ularu's.

While the concept of the show is compelling, with a strong central character fighting to protect her family, the pacing of the series occasionally falters. The balance between action and character development feels uneven, with some episodes focusing too heavily on plot progression at the expense of emotional engagement. The show could benefit from a deeper exploration of the protagonist's internal struggles and motivations, rather than relying solely on external conflicts.

The visual style of Subteran is effective in conveying the gritty, dangerous world of Bucharest's criminal landscape. The cinematography captures the urban environment with stark realism, and the action sequences are decently executed, though they sometimes feel a bit generic. The series doesn't always fully capitalize on the tension that its premise promises, and the plot's predictability dampens the overall impact.

Subteran has potential, but it doesn't fully realize it in its early stages. The premise is engaging, and there are strong performances, but the series struggles to find its emotional depth and pacing. If the show can build on its solid foundation and develop its characters more fully, it could become a more compelling watch in future seasons.

Rating: 6/10. A promising crime drama with a strong premise, but its uneven pacing and lack of emotional depth hold it back from reaching its full potential.

I am no specialist at all, but I am guessing they had a small budget, as usual :), and they did what they could.

First things first, the title and story look so cool, the implementation and the acting is not :(.

Sure I have to compare it to "Umbre" which let's be honest the first two episodes were not quite the best, but after it got traction it was wow.

Some of the actors from "Umbre" actually play small roles here, too small for their size. :).

I don't understand one thing, some of the actors try to be as real as possible, by cursing and acting street like, in contrast the other guys are so polite and play cheap theater.

I respect that they have tried, and I wish they will continue and improve 10X, but season 1's scenario is very faulty unfortunately, and goofy. Things like how stupid the bad guys can be to dress tattooed guys in policemen, or to break into the police station so easily and get away.

I hate this holywoodish style where thieves have superhero intelligence and power over policemen (it's very unreal) (compare it with "Umbre" and by the way I am not a police man :) nor that I care about them) The acting: bad :(.

Ana could have done much better, she is a good actress.

"Florin Piersica JR"...well way bad, doe not even compare with any bad boss I have seen in "Umbre" and sorry for the repettive comparison, I am sure the budgets were different but I still feel that even with less money you can do genius work, and romanians can do that. :) Madalina and Andreea played in "Umbre" and wow how they played and here they were given almost nothing to play...maybe the intend was to rise new stars like Irina and Cosmin, which were not bad. ;) Overall I give it a 5 to encourage more of this content, maybe with a better more complicated plot and a 10X better implementation :)).

Disappointing and Misplaced, Judging by the premise and the genre, I thought this show had potential. However, right from the first episode, it becomes clear what kind of series this really is. It feels more like a telenovela than the drama-packed crime triller you'd expect from Netflix. Honestly, I hope this doesn't become a trend for the platform. Throughout the entire watch, you get the impression that this series belongs on a lesser-known local TV channel - one of those shows that's there just to fill airtime. It leans heavily toward drama, and while the dramatic elements are very present, they overshadow everything else. I ended up fast-forwarding through parts of it, and to be honest, I wasn't impressed. Definitely not worth the hype or the platform it's on.

As far as crime series go this one checks all the boxes. Crime lord. Corruption everywhere. Not knowing who to trust. Undercover police. People getting caught up in the mess. Money. Drugs.

The mix is....... fine enough if you don't overthink it. Yes, entire thing was clearly done on a budget. Yes, stuff is resolved via handwavium. Yes, acting can be a bit clunky at times.

It's not a particularly bad series if you are looking for non-English speaking shows, it's just not that great in the end.

It's worth a watch if you have time to kill and nothing better lined up but you'll likely forget it once it's done.

Subteran offers a straightforward and somewhat predictable plot, aiming for broad international appeal. However, this simplicity may leave some viewers wanting more depth. The Romanian cast, though well-known, often seems mismatched with the script, which might have been translated from English, resulting in unnatural dialogue. This detracts from the overall authenticity, especially when characters speak in ways that don't fit their roles. While the intent to attract international platforms like Netflix is clear, the execution falls a bit short, making it feel somewhat overrated. Nonetheless, it's a step towards increasing Romanian visibility in global media.