Berlin is the Money Heist spin-off you've been waiting for but it's not in Berlin

One of my favourite bits of Netflix's Tudum 2023 showcase was the trailer for Berlin, the second spin-off from the superbly stylish and enjoyably silly crime thriller Money Heist. But the title's a little misleading, because Berlin isn't where the heist is going to happen: Berlin's the person who's going to make it happen.

Berlin, played by the wonderful Andrés de Fonollosa, was a key character way back in season one of the original Money Heist and became one of the most popular characters for viewers. 

An anti-hero rather than a hero, the terminally ill robber, jewel thief and safe cracker is Europe's greatest thief – and in the show that takes his name, he's about to embark on the most audacious heist yet.

What is Berlin about and when can I watch it?

There's a slight problem (and a huge spoiler if you aren't up to speed with Money Heist yet) about making a film around Berlin: he's dead. Not to be deterred, Netflix is going back in time to show Berlin before the iconic job in Money Heist, a move that takes away a little bit of the tension – we know at least one character is going to make it to the end – but that enables cast, writers and crew to have some fun with a character who proved to be much popular than the writers of Money Heist had anticipated. 

The heist this time around is to steal €44 million from one of the top auction houses in Paris, and of course that means assembling a squad of highly skilled and highly dangerous individuals. That squad includes Michelle Jenner, Begoña Vargas and Tristán Ulloa alongside Yuri D. Brown, Marcel Gonzalez, Miko Jarry, Julien Paschai, Joel Sánchez, and Julio Peña.

There will be eight episodes of Berlin, and you'll be able to watch them in December. And after that? Expect more spin-offs based on other characters from the show. As show creator Álex Pina told Oprah Daily, "We do have many possibilities for some spinoffs... we’ve always looked for characters to have a very complex, layered design. So I think almost every character of Money Heist has a duality that we would like to see in a spinoff. We could watch any of them in other contexts."

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