Élite is a Spanish thriller teen drama on Netflix created by Carlos Montero and Darío Madrona. Set in a fictional elite high school Las Encinas, the series revolves around three working-class and scholarship students who newly join the school and their wealthy classmates. The series debuted on Netflix on October 5th, 2018, and consists of four seasons, with fifth and sixth ones in the pipeline. Élite features an ensemble cast, many of which have been part of other Netflix projects in the past.
The series received positive critic reviews appreciating the writing, acting, and themes covered.
Élite follows the students of Las Encinas academy, an exclusive secondary school for the wealthy and affluent. Samuel, Nadia, and Christian are offered scholarships to attend the school after their previous school collapsed due to faulty construction.
Their entrance to the exclusive school changes the status quo, leading to difficulty in adjusting to the new and existing students, as well as several conflicts. What follows is murder, strife, and a lot of drama.
Primarily, Élite focuses on the typical tropes of teen drama shows. However, the Spanish series takes a step further by covering progressive issues, including diverse sexual themes. From STDs and sexual orientation to social anxiety, acceptance, and sexual assault, the show focuses on topics that are not suitable for non-nature or younger audiences. Thus, it has an 18+ rating on Netflix.
Élite has an ensemble cast. Since each season follows the tensions or crimes involving new characters, there are plenty of cast additions. Given below is the extensive list of cast members of the show’s season 1-4.
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Samuel, Nadia, and Christian are teenagers from working-class families. After their school building collapses, the trio is offered a scholarship from the company responsible for the collapse to attend the elite Las Encinas school. Although initially ostracized by existing students, the trio finds their lives intertwined with the drama in the school and among their peers.
Samuel and his brother get involved with Marina, while Nadia finds herself in a love triangle between Guzman and Lucrecia, and Christian becomes part of the sexual dynamics between Polo and Carla. The season goes back and forth in timelines to showcase the character decisions and relationships that eventually led to Marina’s death.
Season 2 picks up after the revelation of Marina’s killer (to the audience, Polo’s family, Carla, and Ander). Samuel, doubting Carla is hiding something, starts a relationship with her to find the truth. Meanwhile, three new students: Valerio, Rebeka, and Cayetana, join the academy, each with their own secrets.
Later in the season, Polo tries to commit suicide due to a guilty conscience, while Ander struggles with his mental health because of concealing Polo’s truth. The season once again goes back and forth in timelines to build up to Samuel’s disappearance.
After Polo’s release following the arrest and Carla’s confession in season 2 and other events in the previous season, Polo and Cayetana are ostracized by their peers. As the season starts, students enter their final year, and the Samuel-Guzman duo tries to bring Polo to justice for his crimes. Meanwhile, Lucrecia and Nadia fight for a scholarship to Columbia University, eventually forming a friendship. In the meantime, Ander’s leukemia diagnosis and treatment result in friction between him and his loved ones.
Season 3 adopts the same narrative style from the previous seasons to build up to Polo’s death and investigation. Eventually, Polo’s death is written off as suicide due to guilt over Marina’s murder. Two months later, Samuel, Guzman, Ander, and Rebeka enter the school to repeat their final year along with Omar, who is now a full-time student.
Season 4 sees the arrival of a new principal, who is determined to bring Las Encinas back to the track, and his three children: Ari, Mencia, and Patrick. Once again, the new season picks up at a new term, and the three new students will jeopardize the school’s status quo for their own means.
ALSO READ: Elite Season 4 Has Landed and New Characters & Episodes Explained
Netflix renewed Élite for season 5 in January 2020, when it renewed the series for a fourth season. Filming for the new season started in February 2021 and concluded months later in June. We can expect Élite season 5 to premiere on April 8th, as confirmed by the teaser released by Netflix on its YouTube channel.
In February 2021, Netflix announced via a tweet the addition of two new cast members: Argentinian actress Valentina Zenere and Brazilian actor André Lamoglia. Zenere will play the role of Sofia, while Lamoglia will play Gonzalo, two new students. Moreover, Joining them we have Adam Nourou as Eric and Isabel Garrido as an undisclosed character. Unfortunately, we don’t yet know if they will be in the same year as the other characters of the show.
Other cast changes include the exit of characters Guzman and Ander, who set off for traveling at the end of season 4. However, we can expect their comeback depending on the storyline of season 5.
Season 5 of Élite will likely pick up from where the previous season ended. With Armando dead, Ari is out of danger. We can expect Mencía and Rebeka’s relationship to go forward, and the same goes for Ari and Samuel since Guzman is out of the picture. Moreover, we can also expect new love interests for Omar, Cayetana, and Patrick (perhaps from the new cast members). Finally, as is the case with previous seasons, we can definitely hope for another major mystery to be unfolded.
Élite seasons premiere on Netflix with a gap of one year. However, eager fans always want more of their favorite characters. Thus, Netflix released a collection of short episodes called Élite Short Stories. Each episode is about 5-10 minutes long and follows a specific character during their summer holiday before the new school year starts.
The first batch of Short Stories premiered in June 2021 with four stories, each with three short episodes. Moreover, this miniature mini-series was set between season 3 and season 4, working as a prelude that expands the Élite universe. Élite Short Stories: Guzmán, Caye & Rebe, Élite Short Stories: Nadia & Guzmán, Élite Short Stories: Omar, Ander & Alexis, and Élite Short Stories: Carla & Samuel were the first four stories.
Following season 4’s finale, Netflix released three more Short Stories set between seasons 4 and 5, acting as a prelude to season 5. After initial announcement, finally, the new batch arrived in December 2021. Élite Short Stories: Phillipe, Caye & Felipe, Élite Short Stories: Samuel & Omar, and Élite Short Stories: Patrick were the new stories.
ALSO READ: Elite: Short Stories 2 on Netflix – Release Date, Trailer, Cast, and More
Élite is a Spanish series. Thus, you can watch the series in Spanish with English subtitles. However, you can also watch the English audio version on Netflix. The streamer also has English audio descriptions for this series, catering to those with visual impairments.
Given below are a few shows like Élite that you can binge on after you burn through the Spanish series:
Based on real events, the show Baby is an Italian teen drama that follows two girls who get involved in a prostitution ring, leading a second life as sex workers. Like Élite, this series too deals with several mature themes. Baby is currently streaming on Netflix.
If you like the thriller and mystery side of Élite, then Who Killed Sara is a great option. Primarily, the Netflix series follows Álex Guzmán, who is on a mission to find his sister’s killer after being wrongfully convicted for her death.
Dare Me is another teen drama thriller series that has its lens focused on the cutthroat nature of the American Cheerleading industry. It follows the cheer team at Sutton Grove High School and their new coach Colette French.
Élite received several nominations, including one for Best Drama Series at the 2019 Premios Feroz Awards. The series also bagged nominations for Outstanding Scripted Television Series (Spanish-Language) at GLAAD Media Awards in 2019, 2020, and 2021. It also received several Fotogramas de Plata nominations under the Best Actor and Best Drama Series categories. So far, Élite has won the Iris Jury Award for music composition in 2021 and also the Outstanding Scripted Television Series (Spanish-Language) at GLAAD Media Awards in 2019.
| Genre | Thriller, Teen Drama |
| Release Date | 5 October 2018 |
| Certificate | (18+ Per Netflix) |
| Cast | María Pedraza, Itzan Escamilla, Miguel Bernardeau, Miguel Herrán, Jaime Lorente, Álvaro Rico, Arón Piper, Mina El Hammani, Ester Expósito, Omar Ayuso, Danna Paola, Jorge López, Claudia Salas, Georgina Amorós, Sergio Momo, Leïti Sène, Jorge Clemente, Carla Díaz, Martina Cariddi, Manu Ríos, Pol Granch, Andrés Velencoso, Diego Martín, Àlex Monner, Celia Sastre, Rachel Lascar, Iván Pellicer, Junior Mbengani, Xóan Fórneas |
| Director(s) | Ramón Salazar, Dani de la Orden, Sílvia Quer, Jorge Torregrossa, Eduardo Chapero-Jackson, Ginesta Guindal |
| IMDb Ratings | 7.5/10 |
| Country of Origin | Spain |
| Countries Where Available | Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and the United States |
| No. of Seasons | 4 (upcoming 5 and 6) |
| Total Episodes | 32 + 7 Short Stories |
| Episode Length | ~59 minutes; 10-15 minutes (short stories) |
| Current Season | Season 5 |
| Filming Location | Madrid region |
| Soundtrack | Spotify Playlist |
