Netflix cancels Spanish bunker thriller El refugio atómico after one season
The Álex Pina‑created post‑apocalyptic series will not be renewed after its eight‑episode debut; falling viewership, mixed reviews and high costs.
Key Points
- Netflix cancelled El refugio atómico after its initial eight‑episode run.
- Premiered 19 September and briefly ranked among the platform’s most‑watched titles in Spain and some international markets.
- Viewership fell sharply; critics split—visuals praised, pacing and final episodes criticized.
- High production costs and Netflix ownership make a move to another streamer unlikely; several plotlines remain unresolved.
Netflix has cancelled El refugio atómico, the Spanish post‑apocalyptic thriller created by Álex Pina and Esther Martínez Lobato, after its initial eight‑episode run. The series, which premiered on 19 September, followed a group of multimillionaires confined in a luxury bunker facing the threat of an imminent nuclear conflict.
The show generated strong initial interest and quickly ranked among the platform’s most‑watched titles in Spain and several international markets. However, audience figures fell sharply in the weeks after launch. Critics were divided: many praised the visual design and the dramatic potential of the premise, while others questioned the pacing and the cohesion of the final episodes.
High production costs — driven by elaborate sets, an ensemble cast and a meticulously claustrophobic atmosphere — combined with the uneven reception to weaken the case for renewal under Netflix’s increasingly strict commissioning criteria. Planned storylines exploring the characters’ psychological evolution and the struggle for power inside the refuge will not be continued, leaving several plot threads unresolved.
The first season will remain available on Netflix’s global catalogue. A move to another streaming service is considered unlikely, since Netflix holds full ownership of the property and the scale of the original investment would make a transfer difficult.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources: