The Money Heist spinoff ‘Berlin’ is apparently a success on Netflix and revolves around the well loved character Berlin, aka Simon aka Andres de Fonollosa. I didn’t really agree with the love for Berlin in Money Heist; I felt like the parent series had a lot of other characters that had greater appeal in terms of wit, charm and character development. The Professor himself was my personal favourite, followed by Nairobi, and to an extent, Tokyo. Berlin was nowhere on the list and I was rather surprised to see the social media fandom that ranked him first on the favourite character list. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a PR campaign designed to eventually launch the spinoff series featuring the ace actor Pedro Alonso.
The spinoff series has two seasons where Berlin, the Professor’s brother, is the criminal mastermind who carries out two different heists with his own team of genius crooks. However, unlike the Money Heist series that is action packed and primarily surrounds the heist storyline, Berlin splits its focus to the character development element of its handful of characters. Each one of them is eccentric in a different way but there’s a common theme that they play around with – love. Each one of them approaches love and romance differently and the storyline gives everyone equal amount of time and space to experiment and evolve.
This heavy tilt toward romance is precisely where Berlin diverges most sharply from its predecessor, for better or worse. Where Money Heist was an intense, high-stakes game of chess against time and law enforcement, Berlin often feels more like a lighthearted romantic comedy that happens to take place during a multi-million-euro robbery. The heist itself—stealing a fortune in jewels through Parisian catacombs—frequently takes a backseat to the personal dramas of the crew. From Berlin’s own obsessive pursuit of the wife of his target to the chaotic love triangles forming among the younger crew members, passion is consistently prioritized over tactical caution.
For viewers looking for the heart-pounding tension of the original series, this shift in tone can feel frustrating. The meticulous planning that made the Professor’s heists so compelling is replaced here by impulsive choices driven by emotion. The stakes simply do not feel as high, and the conflict with law enforcement lacks the relentless cat-and-mouse dynamic that kept audiences on the edge of their seats during the Royal Mint robbery.
However, if approached as a stylish, character-driven indulgence rather than a gritty crime thriller, Berlin has its own distinct charm. Pedro Alonso carries the show with effortless charisma, leaning into the grand romantic delusions of his character. The Paris backdrop adds a polished, glamorous visual aesthetic, and the supporting cast brings a vibrant, albeit chaotic, energy to the narrative.
Ultimately, Berlin is a breezy, one-time-watch that caters heavily to those who enjoy romantic melodrama wrapped in a sleek heist package. While it lacks the intellectual rigor and raw adrenaline of Money Heist, it succeeds in offering a lighter, more visually decadent slice of the same universe. It may not convince Berlin’s skeptics that he deserved his own show, but it certainly proves that his flair for the dramatic remains unmatched.
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