Netflix may have gotten into the bad habit of canceling fan favorite fantasy shows based on the algorithm determining that a worryingly large number of them aren’t popular enough to warrant a renewal, but the streaming service can always bank on the murder mystery and crime thriller to draw in a crowd, with Wrong Side of the Tracks returning with a bang.
Per FlixPatrol, the street-level Spanish-language crime thriller has instantly taken up residence at the top end of the platform’s episodic most-watched list, with season 2 exploding out of the blocks to secure itself a spot on the Top 10 in 41 countries across the globe. It may not be a headline-grabber like Netflix’s top-tier exclusives, but there’s obviously an audience hungry for more.
Set in the Madrid neighborhood of Entrevias (which is also the show’s title in its native tongue), the slow-burner follows a former military officer and war hero running a small hardware store, who grows increasingly frustrated by the rampant drug dealing, crime, and general social decline of his home turf. When his granddaughter is violently assaulted, the aging veteran takes it upon himself to tackle the criminal element head-on with increasingly dangerous and violent results.
An incredibly lengthy series that takes a lot of dedication to burn through in a couple of sittings (each of the 16 episodes to date runs for at least 70 minutes), Wrong Side of the Tracks has quietly carved out a little corner of Netflix all to itself, with the latest rampage through the streets re-establishing its credentials as one of the company’s less-heralded favorites.