In addition to being one of Spain’s most popular tourist destinations and a favorite spot for thousands of travelers from around the world, there are many series filmed in the Canary Islands, as Gran Canaria and the other islands of the archipelago have been considered the perfect setting for television productions.
As a result, when it comes to series filmed in the Canary Islands, more and more national and international creators—captivated by the stunning landscapes of this region—are choosing these islands to shoot entire series or specific episodes.
If you want to learn more about this, keep reading this article, where we’ll take you on a journey through some of the series filmed in the Canary Islands.
There’s no need to list all the reasons why the Canary Islands have become a dream destination for many directors and producers looking to film TV series and movies.
Whether for national or international audiovisual productions, within the archipelago, the island of Gran Canaria is like a miniature continent filled with incredible natural treasures. This is why it has often been chosen as a filming set. These qualities make it an ideal setting for series filmed in the Canary Islands, and many movies have also been shot in Gran Canaria.
Some of the series filmed in the Canary Islands include:
1. La Que se Avecina
This production by the siblings Alberto Caballero and Laura Caballero, together with Daniel Deorador, includes some scenes filmed in the Canary Islands. It is a Spanish comedy that uses irony and dark humor to portray the relationships between neighbors in a residential community.
Its stories, often wrapped in surreal situations, tend to captivate audiences, and the episode from its eighth season filmed in Gran Canaria is no exception. The island was chosen so that the residents of Montepinar could simulate being in the Amazon rainforest while searching for Javier Maroto’s wife.
For this, the Barranco de la Virgen—located between the municipalities of Valleseco and Moya—was used as the setting, as it closely resembles the jungle featured in that episode’s storyline.
Although episodes of this series are usually filmed in studios in Madrid, the script of this particular episode required the production to move to Gran Canaria.
2. Hierro
One of the most interesting aspects of this series is that the island of El Hierro itself acts as another character in the story, making it one of the series filmed in the Canary Islands you shouldn’t miss.
This is a Spanish-French production created by Pepe Coira and Alfonso Blanco. In its second season, filming took place on El Hierro, as the plot revolves around a judge, played by Candela Peña, who—due to her somewhat unconventional behavior—is assigned to work on this small island in the Canary archipelago.
Throughout the season, viewers see how this change of location forces her to adapt to a completely new lifestyle.
At the same time, she must deal with the murder case of a young man named Fran, who lived on the island and was apparently killed before his wedding by his fiancée’s father, a shady businessman.
3. The Witcher
This is another entry on our list of series filmed in the Canary Islands. It is a fantasy co-production between the United States and Poland, which used Gran Canaria as well as other islands such as La Gomera and La Palma as filming locations.
The series blends drama with dark fantasy and was created by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich. It is based on the book series of the same name by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.
The story explores the legend of Princess Ciri and the witcher Geralt of Rivia, who are bound together by destiny, focusing mainly on Geralt, a monster hunter.
With the exception of the first and third episodes, the rest of the series was filmed in various locations across the Canary Islands. In Gran Canaria, places such as the Barranco de Fataga, the Maspalomas Dunes, and the Roque Nublo Natural Monument were used to depict Geralt’s adventures.
In addition, for coastal scenes, this is one of the series filmed in the Canary Islands that used Guayedra Beach—one of Gran Canaria’s hidden beaches—located near the village and port of Agaete.
4. The Peacemaker
This is another of the series filmed in the Canary Islands included in this selection, addressing arms trade, peace negotiations, and power dynamics.
It is a Finnish series filmed in Gran Canaria and directed by AJ Annila. The story revolves around Ann-Mari Koistinen, a Finnish peace negotiator whose goal is to establish lasting peace between Turks and Kurds.
However, her mission becomes complicated when it is revealed that a Finnish state organization is involved in arms trafficking.
As for the locations, the ten episodes of this political drama with elements of suspense were filmed in several places across Gran Canaria, including Meloneras, Playa del Cabrón in Arinaga, and the El Goro industrial area.
We hope this selection of series filmed in the Canary Islands inspires you to watch some of these successful productions.
So, if you want to explore some of the locations where these series were filmed yourself, we invite you to stay at one of the Lopesan Group hotels in Gran Canaria, where you can enjoy an unforgettable vacation while reliving scenes from your favorite series near your hotel.
