This fictionalized take on a real-life case stars Tristan Ulloa as a Civil Guard detective tasked with the investigation of a brutal attack, that quickly turns out to hide more than expected, with the victim being in more danger than he thought.
One night, in the small town of Pazos (Galicia), in April of 2015. Police is called in after a brutal attack leaves one 60-year-old woman, Irene, almost for dead. Civil Guard sargent Elías Lago (Tristan Ulloa) is quickly on the premises, as his husband Aniceto (Miguel Borines) says that Irene was assaulted by robbers, who quickly left and did not take anything. Soon, the forensic specialists are on the scene, but the first observations quickly show something is amiss. Thus begins a mundane investigation which will unravel Elías’s life.
It is assumed that true-crime scripted series are there to more or less faithfully recreate the chronology of the case ; as the case did make the Spanish headlines back in 2015 and is also the subject of a documentary released on November 6th, Unprotected, there may be criticism that there will not be added value to make a scripted series. But Murder In Galicia takes a stand : first, it advertises that some of the chronology and some of the narrative elements have been fictionalized “to protect confidentiality” or “fit into the narrative” of a 3-episode series. But, most importantly, it opens with the disclaimer “based on true events that never should have happened”. As was requested by Netflix, this review does not include spoilers or significant elements that would give away the narrative ; we also suggest to begin with this series before watching the Unprotected documentary.
Murder In Galicia is served cold, and almost devoid of music cues. What it portrays is the treatment of a mundane case by the police, the forensics, the local ER and the judge overseeing it, and awaiting the police report. But, most crucially, it portrays a failure, and one based on a real proceedure ; what transpires and is so brilliantly captured is that there is no emotional confession scene, no twisty concealed evidence : the series, in many ways, is not offering thrills or sensationalism. Instead, through straightforward dialogue and expert directing by Carlos Sedes, it provides edge-of-your-seat tension in the small moments, and quickly installs unease.
Fernando Fraga as Barreiro, Tristan Ulloa as Elias Lago, Carlos Blanco as Turrientes in episode 04 of EL CRIMEN DE PAZO. Cr : Jaime Olmedo/Netflix
Murder In Galicia is knowingly portraying what is missing in this investigation : missed calls, delayed treatment of evidence, key context on a suspect delivered by chatty bar employees as matter-of-fact. As Irene is between life and death in the ICU, Sargent Lago is mostly helpless. More than the “banality of evil”, which is at hand here, the show intends to depict systemic failure.
Tristan Ulloa gives his all as Elías, not as a role model for “good police”, but as a sargent whose instincts and integrity will serve him to advance this case as much as it can, only to crush him later. The raw humanity and depictions of a small-town police crew, with a veteran and one rookie, only add to the quiet power of the show. A low-key yet proud demonstration of the use of fiction and character work to enlighten the cracks of a system that often no longer adequately protects victims.
Murder In Galicia is nothing without its performances, one that illustrates their points quite powerfully. As the husband of the victim, Aniceto, Miguel Borines is not given much to do along the short runtime, but perfectly understands the required duplicity to embody the character.
If you like Murder In Galicia, watch
Verdict
Smart, subtle and quietly powerful, this miniseries is one class above the other ripped-from-the-headlines series of its kind.
Murder in Galicia arrives on Netflix globally on November 13th, 2026.
