Pictures: Gema R. Neira taken by Eric Charbonneau (Getty Images for AppleTV+) & Netflix
As Netflix celebrates its fifth anniversary of opening up its impressive Tres Cantos production hub and almost ten years of being in Spain itself, they invited a group of journalists to tour a few of the sets of their upcoming lineup. One such show is Manual para señoritas, or as we can reveal, its English title: The Lady’s Companion.
The new period series, due out in 2025, is described as a comedy with a twist but keeping the same signature period drama style that has worked so well for Netflix in the past. One of its creators is Gema R. Neira, who has been in the Netflix stablehouse for what is coming up on a decade, creating many hits for the streamer (and elsewhere). Her first major Netflix project came in 2017 with the release of Cable Girls, which ran for five seasons. Subsequent projects included High Seas, Jaguar, and most recently, The Asunta Case.
The project was first unveiled to be in production earlier this year, with the series set in Madrid in 1871. The series chooses an unlikely focus for period dramas. Whereas most choose to focus on royalty, this show is based on more background figures from the time period with the creators discovering them when reading old books.
Elena Bianda (played by Nadia de Santiago) is the story’s main character. She’s a 27-year-old lady in waiting who has successfully trained other ladies to land in courtship. Her skill set is tested when she arrives at a new home to care for three sisters.
The cast assembled for the series includes Álvaro Mel, Isa Montalbán, Iratxe Emparan, Zoe Bonafonte, Tristán Ulloa, Itziar Manero, Paula Usero, Gracias Olayo and María Barranco.
Pictures courtesy of Netflix
Taking full advantage of stage 4, one of the ten sound stages Netflix has now at the Tres Cantos complex, we got to see how they constructed the lavish two-story Mencia household. The house is based on a building from Barcelona featuring rich artwork and sculptures, authentic furniture for the period, and wide open space reflective of high society during the 18th century, albeit with some modern aesthetics.
The set took three months to design and several more months to erect, but it isn’t a fixed structure. Indeed, many walls, all uniquely colored and decorated, can be shifted to create multiple new rooms for the main house and different houses. Gema noted that the main stage can be converted into three different homes, which are needed throughout the series.
According to the creator, close to 60% of the series was filmed in this sound stage, with the rest shot on location in Barcelona and Madrid.
Sustainability was mentioned throughout the tour. The team custom-created many pieces seen throughout the set, but some items were also sourced from antique stores or suppliers, reimagining them with new upholstery and designs.
Each of the rooms is decorated meticulously, and at the end of the tour, the rooms of sisters Carlota and Sara are visited. One of the sisters aspires to be a doctor, so you can see items scattered related to her medical interests (including a skeleton who will reportedly have multiple changes of outfits throughout the series – keep an eye out for that!) and the other being more interested in supernatural and esoteric themes and decorated accordingly.
Much like Breathless (Spanish title: Respira), the upcoming Spanish hospital drama we covered yesterday, Netflix has high hopes for the recently wrapped series with season 2 plans with executives present during the tour citing the series as one of their “big bets” and the creator is already planning storylines for a season 2.
Will you check out The Lady’s Companion when it drops in 2025? Let us know in the comments.
