Javier Castillo’s 'The Crystal Cuckoo' Series Gets Netflix Release Date and First Look

Javier Castillo’s ‘The Crystal Cuckoo’ Series Gets Netflix Release Date and First Look

The new mystery crime series was first unveiled at Next on Netflix earlier this year with the Spanish series now set for a November release.

By Kasey Moore • @kasey__moore
September 18th, 2025 - 5:12 am

Netflix has today unveiled the release date and first look at The Crystal Cuckoo (El cuco de cristal being the Spanish title), the new Spanish series arriving globally on November 14th, 2025.

The series stars Catalina Sopelana (Netflix’s The Gardener and The Neighbor) as Clara Merlo, Alex García (Holy Family) as Miguel Ferrer, Itziar Ituño (Netflix’s Money Heist and Berlin) as Marta Peña, Iván Massagué (Netflix’s The Platform) as Rafael, Alfons Nieto (Netflix’s Burning Body and Elite) as Juan, and Tomás del Estal (Netflix’s Gangs of Galicia) as Gabriel. Additional cast members include José Emilio Vera, Valèria Sorolla, and Elena Silva.

The Crystal Cuckoo follows Clara Merlo (Sopelana), a first-year medical resident who suffers a sudden heart attack. A transplant gives her a second chance at life, but it also awakens a gnawing obsession: discovering the identity of her donor. Her search takes her to a small, mysterious village, where she learns the heart now beating inside her once belonged to a young man tied to an unresolved tragedy. Clara’s arrival sparks a chain of events that begins to unearth a past many believed was buried forever.

The six-episode series is produced by Atípica Films (Netflix’s The Snow Girl, Unit 7) and is based on the bestselling novel by Spanish author Javier Castillo, which has sold over 2.5 million copies and was published by Suma (Penguin Random House). It wrapped up production in early 2025, with Netflix releasing a first behind-the-scenes look at the series back in early 2025 while previewing their 2025/26 slate. Filming took place in Extremadura, a region in the South West of Spain and in Madrid, the Spanish capital.

The adaptation is written by Jesús Mesas and Javier Andrés Roig (The Snow Girl, I’m Alive) and directed by Laura Alvea (Animas) and Juan Miguel del Castillo (The Gypsy Bride).

Here’s more of those first looks that dropped today: