# Isabel (TV series)

Isabel is a Spanish historical fiction television series, directed by Jordi Frades and produced by Diagonal TV for Televisión Española. The series is based upon the reign of Queen Isabella I of Castile. It was broadcast on La 1 of Televisión Española from 2012 to 2014.

## Synopsis

This series is a biography about Isabella, Queen of Castile. The first season chronicles the period between 1461 and 1474: from the end of her childhood to her marriage with Ferdinand of Aragon and her difficult arrival to the Crown.
The second season chronicles the period between 1474 and 1492: from her crowning to the conquest of Granada and the beginning of the journey of Christopher Columbus.
The third season covers the marriages of Joanna and Philip and Juan and Margaret, the subsequent deaths of Isabella's children Juan and Isabel as well as the latter's son Miguel along with the marriages of Catherine of Aragon and Maria of Aragon.

## Cast

* Michelle Jenner as Isabella
* Rodolfo Sancho as Ferdinand
* Pablo Derqui as King Henry
* Bárbara Lennie as Joana of Avis
* Ginés García Millán as Juan Pacheco
* Pedro Casablanc as Alfonso Carrillo de Acuña
* Ramon Madaula [es] as Gonzalo Chacón [es]
* Pere Ponce as Gutierre de Cárdenas [es]
* Clara Sanchis [es] as Isabella's mother
* Víctor Elías as Infante Alfonso
* Sergio Peris-Mencheta as Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba
* William Miller as Beltrán de la Cueva
* Ainhoa Santamaría as Beatriz de Bobadilla
* Jordi Díaz [ca] as Andrés Cabrera [es]
* Juan Meseguer [es] as Diego Hurtado de Mendoza
* Carmen Lozano as Joanna, "La Beltraneja"
* Jordi Banacolocha [ca] as King John
* Daniel Albaladejo [es] as King Afonso
* César Vea as Pedro Girón
* Mónica Vic as Clara Chacón
* Estrella Zapatero as María Portocarrero
* Mar del Hoyo [ca] as Mencía de Mendoza y Luna
* Andrés Herrera as Pedro González de Mendoza
* Nacho López as Alonso de Palencia
* Arturo Querejeta as Alfonso de Fonseca
* Ernesto Arias as Pedro de Peralta y Ezpeleta
* Fernando Sansegundo as Giacopo Antonio Venier
* Javier Rey as Diego Pacheco
* Julio Manrique [es] as Christopher Columbus
* Lydia Miranda as Beatriz Galindo
* Álex Martínez as Boabdil the Little
* Fernando Soto as Rodrigo Ponce de León, Marquis of Cádiz
* Alicia Borrachero as Aïcha al-Horra
* Javier Mora [es] as El Zagal
* Nuria Gallardo as Beatriz de Braganza
* Roberto Enríquez as Muley Hacén
* Nani Jiménez as Isabel de Solís / Zoraya
* Irene Escolar as Joanna, "the Mad"
* Raúl Merida [es] as Philip of Habsburg
* Hovik Keuchkerian as Francisco Ramírez de Madrid
* Eusebio Poncela as Cardinal Cisneros
* Adrián Lamana as John
* Úrsula Corberó as Margaret of Austria
* Nacho Aldeguer [es] as Cesare Borgia
* Iván Hermés [es] as King Manuel
* Francesc Garrido as Juan Rodríguez de Fonseca
* Pablo Castañón as Bartholomew Columbus
* Fernando Guillén Cuervo as Gutierre Gómez de Fuensalida
* Héctor Carballo as King Charles
* María Cantuel [es] as Infanta Isabel
* Marta Belmonte as Anne of Brittany
* José Pedro Carrión [es] as Luis de Tremoille
* Jonás Berami [es] as Diego Columbus
* Abel Folk [es] as Francisco de Busleyden [es]
* Susana Abaitua as Infanta María
* Natalia Rodríguez Arroyo as Infanta Catalina

## Episodes and ratings
### Season 1 (2012)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date | Viewers (share) |
| 1 | 1 | "Isabel, la reina (Isabel, the Queen)" | 10 September 2012 (2012-09-10) | 3,529,000 (20.1%) |
| 2 | 2 | "Campanas de boda (Wedding Bells)" | 17 September 2012 (2012-09-17) | 3,736,000 (20.2%) |
| 3 | 3 | "La negociación (Negotiation)" | 24 September 2012 (2012-09-24) | 3,881,000 (20.3%) |
| 4 | 4 | "Tragedia en la corte (Tragedy in the Court)" | 1 October 2012 (2012-10-01) | 3,361,000 (16.1%) |
| 5 | 5 | "El pacto de Guisando (The Pact of Guisando)" | 8 October 2012 (2012-10-08) | 3,378,000 (16.9%) |
| 6 | 6 | "La figura del rey (The King's Figure)" | 15 October 2012 (2012-10-15) | 3,801,000 (18.3%) |
| 7 | 7 | "La reina puesta (The Queen in position)" | 22 October 2012 (2012-10-22) | 3,952,000 (18.9%) |
| 8 | 8 | "Nueva guerra (New war)" | 29 October 2012 (2012-10-29) | 4,278,000 (20.7%) |
| 9 | 9 | "Boda real (Royal Wedding)" | 5 November 2012 (2012-11-05) | 4,626,000 (22%) |
| 10 | 10 | "Nacimiento (Birth)" | 12 November 2012 (2012-11-12) | 4,503,000 (21.3%) |
| 11 | 11 | "El principio del fin (Principle of the end)" | 19 November 2012 (2012-11-19) | 4,299,000 (20.4%) |
| 12 | 12 | "Elecciones (Elections)" | 26 November 2012 (2012-11-26) | 4,342,000 (20.3%) |
| 13 | 13 | "La nueva reina (The New Queen)" | 3 December 2012 (2012-12-03) | 4,651,000 (22.6%) |

### Season 2 (2013)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date | Viewers (share) |
| 14 | 1 | "Desencuentros (Disagreements)" | 9 September 2013 (2013-09-09) | 3,561,000 (19.2%) |
| 15 | 2 | "Lazos (Knots)" | 16 September 2013 (2013-09-16) | 3,508,000 (18.3%) |
| 16 | 3 | "La paz para Castilla (Peace for Castille)" | 23 September 2013 (2013-09-23) | 3,632,000 (18.9%) |
| 17 | 4 | "Lealtad y deber (Loyalty and Duty)" | 30 September 2013 (2013-09-30) | 3,743,000 (19.1%) |
| 18 | 5 | "El poder de la reina (The Power of the Queen)" | 7 October 2013 (2013-10-07) | 3,758,000 (19.5%) |
| 19 | 6 | "Sultán (Sultan)" | 14 October 2013 (2013-10-14) | 3,710,000 (18.5%) |
| 20 | 7 | "Tiempos de Inquisición (Time of Inquisition)" | 21 October 2013 (2013-10-21) | 3,023,000 (14,8%) |
| 21 | 8 | "Herederos de sangre (Inheritors of Blood)" | 28 October 2013 (2013-10-28) | 2,987,000 (14,6%) |
| 22 | 9 | "Lo más liviano (The most fickle)" | 4 November 2013 (2013-11-04) | 2,997 000 (14,6%) |
| 23 | 10 | "Pacta con el diablo (Deal with the devil)" | 11 November 2013 (2013-11-11) | 3,042 000 (14,8%) |
| 24 | 11 | "Abolengo (Ancestry)" | 18 November 2013 (2013-11-18) | 3,254 000 (15,9%) |
| 25 | 12 | "El último reino en Granada (The Last Kingdom in Granada)" | 25 November 2013 (2013-11-25) | 2,946,000 (13.9%) |
| 26 | 13 | "Lo que no supiste defender como hombre (What you did not know how to defend as a man)" | 2 December 2013 (2013-12-02) | 3,398,000 (16.3%) |

### Season 3 (2014)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date | Viewers (share) |
| 27 | 1 | "La fragilidad del reino (Fragility of the kingdom)" | 8 September 2014 (2014-09-08) | 2,937,000 (17.6%) |
| 28 | 2 | "Gobernar con mano dura (Ruling with an iron fist)" | 15 September 2014 (2014-09-15) | 2,767,000 (15.5%) |
| 29 | 3 | "Nacidos para gobernar (Born to rule)" | 22 September 2014 (2014-09-22) | 2,898,000 (15.4%) |
| 30 | 4 | "Atracción fatal (Fatal attraction)" | 29 September 2014 (2014-09-29) | 2,950,000 (15.9%) |
| 31 | 5 | "El drama llega a la corte (Drama arrives at the court)" | 6 October 2014 (2014-10-06) | 2,994,000 (15.8%) |
| 32 | 6 | "Reina de toda la península (Queen of the Whole Peninsula)" | 13 October 2014 (2014-10-13) | 3,068,000 (15.0%) |
| 33 | 7 | "Muere la Princesa de Asturias (The Princess of Asturias dies)" | 20 October 2014 (2014-10-20) | 3,178,000 (16.4%) |
| 34 | 8 | "A Isabel le supera la tragedia (Isabella overcomes the tragedy)" | 27 October 2014 (2014-10-27) | 3,096,000 (16.6%) |
| 35 | 9 | "Felipe y Juana llegan a sus reinos (Philip and Joanna arrive at their kingdoms)" | 3 November 2014 (2014-11-03) | 3,282,000 (16.5%) |
| 36 | 10 | "Isabel y Fernando o Juana y Felipe (Isabella and Ferdinand or Philip and Joanna)" | 10 November 2014 (2014-11-10) | 3,264,000 (16.2%) |
| 37 | 11 | "Le llamaban Juana la Loca (They called her Joanna the Mad)" | 17 November 2014 (2014-11-17) | 3,213,000 (16.2%) |
| 38 | 12 | "¿Conservarán el legado de Isabel? (Will they preserve Isabella's legacy?)" | 24 November 2014 (2014-11-24) | 3,347,000 (16.8%) |
| 39 | 13 | "La muerte de Isabel (Isabella's death)" | 1 December 2014 (2014-12-01) | 3,835,000 (19.4%) |

## Production

The project for Isabel's biopic was first tasked by Televisión Española (TVE) to Isla Producciones, but TVE did not find the screenplay satisfactory. The series was then commissioned to Diagonal TV, with a writing team formed by Javier Olivares, Jordi Calafí and Anaïs Schaaff. Filming began in Summer 2011 and took place in several Spanish cities: Cáceres, Madrid and Segovia. The first season premiered on 10 September 2012, after an eight-month delay. The series was initially expected to debut on 30 January 2012, but a budget cut for TVE postponed the premiere.
In November 2012, the show was renewed for a second season. After disagreements with Diagonal TV early in the production of season 1, series creator's Javier Olivares determined not to return for the next season. Filming of the second season began in February 2013. Part of the shooting took place on location at the Alhambra in Granada. TVE approved the third season in July 2013 before the second season premiered.

## International broadcasts

The rights to broadcast Isabel were acquired in the United Kingdom by Sky Arts in 2013.
In Mexico, Canal 22 acquired the rights and premiered the series on 6 August 2013.
In Chile, the series airs on TVN.
In Brazil, the series is aired on a daily basis on + Globosat
In Israel, the series aired weekly during 2017 on yes (Israel)'s Viva channel.
In Bulgaria the series (Isabell of Castile) starts on 5 February 2014 air on bTV.
In the United States, the series aired on Estrella TV on Sunday nights from 16 March 2014 until 2018.
In the Arab World, Isabel airs on weekdays on MBC Action.
In Serbia, the series airs on national television RTS1 .

## Awards

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| 2012 | Ondas Awards | Best Spanish Series | Isabel | Won |
| 2013 | New York Latin ACE Awards | Best Cultural Program / Series | Isabel | Won |
| 2013 | New York Latin ACE Awards | Best Actress | Michelle Jenner | Won |
| 2013 | New York Latin ACE Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Pablo Derqui | Won |
| 2013 | Fotogramas de Plata | Best TV Actor | Rodolfo Sancho | Nominated |
| 2013 | Fotogramas de Plata | Best TV Actress | Michelle Jenner | Won |
| 2013 | Iris Awards | Best Fiction | Isabel | Won |
| 2013 | Iris Awards | Best Actor | Rodolfo Sancho | Won |
| 2013 | Iris Awards | Best Actress | Michelle Jenner | Nominated |
| 2013 | Iris Awards | Best Writing | Writing team | Nominated |
| 2013 | Iris Awards | Best Direction | Jordi Frades | Won |
| 2013 | Iris Awards | Best Production | Jaume Banacolocha and Joan Bas | Nominated |
| 2013 | Iris Awards | Best Art Direction | Marcelo Pacheco and Pepe Reyes | Won |
| 2013 | Iris Awards | Best Makeup and Hairstyling | Makeup and Hairstyling team | Nominated |
| 2013 | Actors and Actresses Union Awards | Best TV Lead Actor | Ginés García Millán | Nominated |
| 2013 | Actors and Actresses Union Awards | Best TV Lead Actor | Pablo Derqui | Nominated |
| 2013 | Actors and Actresses Union Awards | Best TV Lead Actress | Michelle Jenner | Nominated |
| 2013 | Actors and Actresses Union Awards | Best TV Supporting Actor | Pedro Casablanc | Won |
| 2013 | Actors and Actresses Union Awards | Best TV Supporting Actor | Sergio Peris-Mencheta | Nominated |
| 2013 | Actors and Actresses Union Awards | Best TV Supporting Actress | Bárbara Lennie | Nominated |
| 2013 | Actors and Actresses Union Awards | Best TV Actress in a Minor Role | Clara Sanchís | Nominated |
| 2013 | World Media Festival | Best International Series | Isabel | Silver Award |
| 2013 | New York Festivals World's Best TV & Films | Best Drama | Isabel | Nominated |
| 2013 | Premios Zapping | Best Series | Isabel | Won |
| 2013 | Premios Zapping | Best Actress | Michelle Jenner | Nominated |

## Other media
### La corona partida and Carlos, Rey Emperador

In April 2015, TVE announced the production of the film La corona partida. The film focuses on the aftermath of Queen Isabella's death. Jordi Frades, director of the series, also directed the film, and Rodolfo Sancho (as King Ferdinand), Irene Escolar (as Joanna the Mad), Raúl Merida (as Philip the Handsome) and Eusebio Poncela (as Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros) reprised their roles. The film served as the link between Isabel and the series Carlos, rey emperador, which is based upon the reign of Charles I, Isabella's grandson.

### Crossover with El ministerio del tiempo

Michelle Jenner and Eusebio Poncela reprised the roles of Isabella I of Castile and Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros respectively in the El ministerio del tiempo episode "Una negociación a tiempo".