Spanish-German procedural series Weiss & Morales
Banijay Iberia-owned Portocabo is working on a second season of Weiss & Morales, the procedural drama from Spain’s RTVE and ZDF in Germany that incorporates climate themes in the storyline.
Weiss & Morales is a 4×90’ crime show that premiered in Spain in May and was released on Netflix and ZDF in Germany in October to strong viewing figures. Set in the Canary Islands, it follows a Spanish Civil Guard sergeant and a German BKA agent who are forced to work together to solve crimes.
The production model has been hailed as a potential blueprint for more affordable European coproduced scripted series that don’t compromise on quality. It is also one of the first such dramas to incorporate themes relating to climate breakdown and solutions to the crisis across the series.
The series attracted three million viewers per episode when it aired on ZDF, achieving a slot rating of 17%. It remained in the top 10 on Netflix for the first four weeks of its premiere on the streamer.
The drama also performed well on RTVE, despite there not being a consistent slot for drama on the Spanish public broadcaster, according to Nina Hernandez, head of content at Portocabo.
The company is currently in negotiations about the second season with a number of commissioners.
Climate-focused screen industry organisation Climate Spring helped Portocabo develop the scripts for season one.
“We are planning to continue searching for places in which we can commit to climate stories that are relevant and natural to the crime situations,” said Hernandez about season two.
It is the second crime drama series that Climate Spring has consulted on which has been recommissioned for a second season. The development organisation also provided climate-related editorial advice on ITV thriller After the Flood, which was recommissioned for a second run this year.
Fernandez and Climate Spring founder Lucy Stone shared their tips on getting climate-themed stories commissioned at Content London last week, in a session titled The Big Picture: How to Get Your Climate Idea Past a Commissioner.
