Drug Squad: Costa del Sol

Imagine a TV Series, filmed in 2019, that depicts a handful of Spanish Police officers tracking drug traffickers in southern Spain, circa 1975... Torremolinos, to be precise. One series, 13 one-hour episodes. It must have taken a massive effort to get all the (even) smallest details correct.

The disco dancers were in outfits from back then, the mens clothing had the big ol' wide collars and the cars... were accurate, even down to their 'MA' (Malaga) license plates.

Standout (to me) was the gorgeous 'Sara Salamo' (La Buhita - The Owl), who has to be one of the most beautiful Women in Spain - and she can act too.

Of course there is much mayhem, dealers in "hashish" and a lot of fights, shootings and smoking. The ending is sufficiently on tenterhooks to imagine a Series Two - let's see.

The event has been dubbed in English, so no need for subs, and I rate it 9/10.

It can be a slightly slow burn in the beginning, but by the time you're half way through the series you're engrossed in the characters and narrative, with a deepening appreciation for the acting and script.

This show is fantastic, set in 1970s Spain as it adjusts to post Franco dictatorship. The drugs trade is booming in Torremolinos and four police officers are thrown together and become the areas first drugs squad. The characters are excellent, the script and plot is great, the attention to the 70s setting is faultless, and after a slow start, it just gets better and better. It is such a shame that Netflix cancelled the second series, as there are so many loose ends to tie up at the end of season one. Watch in Spanish with English subs for the best vibe.

Season 1: great - that's cult! The choice of actors matches the slanting roles they play. The stupid shooting around for every 20 grams of hash doesn't diminish the fun of the whole story. The retro intro to each episode alone has earned 9 stars.

I really wanted this to be good, but the "Málaga accent" was way off, it's riddled with cliches and I was reminded of how bad some shows from the 80's could be. I didn't think it was possible to make a show like this in 2019. I only saw half of the first episode and that was plenty for me. Too bad.