Picture: Netflix
It’s been a few months since the new Spanish medical drama series Breathless (titled Respira for Spanish speakers) hit Netflix, and word is finally trickling out that it’s been renewed for a second season.
As a recap, the new Spanish-language medical drama is set in a bustling public hospital in Valencia that’s under great strain from pressures bubbling up internally and externally. The series comes from Carlos Montero, who has collaborated with Netflix on a slew of projects since 2018, working on Elite, Apaches, Feria, In Love All Over Again, and In Family I Trust.
The show is inspired by other heavyweights in the genre, although it is authentic to Spain, with local politics at the center of the story. The creator explains, “Respira drinks from Grey’s Anatomy, ER, Hospital Central… I’m a big fan of these shows. But I think it differs in the social and political aspects.”
Has Netflix Renewed Breathless?
Plans for future seasons were announced early on, and in mid-October 2024, we got word that production for a new season would be starting later that month. Netflix declined to comment then and said we’d be alerted when they were ready to announce.
Now, a few months later, local Spanish media has also confirmed that season 2 is on the way, with another eight episodes planned for the series. Netflix confirmed the renewal itself on December 11th with a video taken on set.
Filming is taking place in Madrid and will continue in Valencia. The new episodes will be directed by David Pinillos, Marta Font, and Abril Zamora and be written by Carlos Montero, Carlos Ruano, Guillermo Escribano, Adela Gutiérrez, and Nach Solís.
As mentioned, the show was designed to be multiple seasons. Earlier this year, we were invited to Tres Cantos for a set tour where Montero and VP of Content for Spain, Portugal, and the Nordics, Diego Ávalos, said that development had already started on season 2. The show was consistently referred to as a strong bet for Netflix Spain, with executives expressing confidence that the show would connect.
Ávalos confirmed that Montero was “already halfway through writing season two” in June, adding, “We’re way ahead of where we want to be because we believe so much in the series.”
Picture: Netflix
The show ultimately remained in the Netflix global top 10s for five weeks, picking up 16.2 million views (103.50 million viewing hours).
If we stack up the premiere of Breathless vs other Spanish-language show debuts from around the world (including Berlin, which was a spin-off with a built-in audience), we can see the show tracks towards the lower end of the middle of the pack. This isn’t encouraging, suggesting the show hasn’t broken through globally as it should’ve. Of course, there is data we can’t see such as how many starters there are and how many people got to the end. Naturally too, we don’t know the budget of the show which all gets taken into account.
If we turn to FlixPatrol, we can see where the show performs best on Netflix courtesy of daily top 10s tracking over 90 countries. Naturally, the show performs best in Spanish-speaking countries, although the show has also broken out across Europe. Another strong sign that the show will be renewed is the performance in Spain itself. As of the time of writing (three weeks after release), the show remains the third most-watched TV title, and as we’ve covered before, international shows that appear in their home countries’ top 10s for over 30 days are almost a surefire renewal.
What to Expect From Breathless Season 2
The show definitely has some unresolved storylines, given that season 1 concluded with some rather big cliffhangers for most of the main cast.
In addition, Netflix also provided an expanded synopsis for the upcoming second season:
“Joaquín Sorolla is now a privately run hospital, challenging the convictions and dynamics of its doctors. Beyond getting her own way, Patricia continues to battle with her cancer and to tighten an irresistible rope with Néstor. Jesica seeks to regain the confidence that characterizes her, but cannot decide between Lluís and Biel. Pilar will continue to deal with her son’s addictions, although Quique will find in her an unexpected ally when the new management of the center leads him to make a questionable decision. Added to all this is the arrival of a prestigious oncologist, Sophie, determined to turn the Joaquín Sorolla upside down.”
By the end, Jessica Donoso’s fate is perhaps the biggest of those cliffhangers. Should she survive, her recovery will likely take center stage next season alongside her continued love triangle with Biel and Lluis. One of the other main characters with medical woes of their own is Patricia Segura, who was diagnosed with cancer by the end of season 1.
The disappearance of May and Rocío’s daughter at the end of Season 1 is another major unresolved plotline heading into Season 2. Then you’ve got the hospital itself and how leadership continues to navigate the uphill battles it faces. Lluis is at the forefront of this, managing the financial struggles while facing increasing scrutiny.
Are you looking forward to Breathless returning for a second season? Let us know in the comments below.
