30 Coins
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30 Coins
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that 30 Coins is a dark, Spanish horror show about a town that seems to be overrun with evil. The series uses violent events and dark religious imagery to scare, shock, and unsettle viewers. Violent events include mass shootings, death by suicide, and child abuse, alongside more typical horror fare like blood, guts, murder, assault, and attacks with unconventional weapons. Characters drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, and use profanity throughout ("f--k," "s--t," "bitch"), including a significant amount of profanity in Spanish that isn't always translated into the subtitles. The series is tonally similar to American Horror Story, in that it's consistently trying to shock by any means necessary, including using violent religious imagery such as a bloody crucifixion in the opening credits.
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What's the Story?
30 COINS takes place in the mysterious Spanish town of Pedraza, where bizarre and grotesque events keep taking place. Padre Manuel Vergara, an exorcist and an ex-convict who is harboring dark secrets, seems to somehow be at the center of these events. Along with Paco, the town mayor, and Elena, a veterinarian who witnesses a human baby born to an animal, Padre Vergara investigates each of the mysterious occurrences and discovers that only he may have the power to stop them.
Is It Any Good?
Horror is one of the most successful film genres, but tends to have a tough time translating to television's episodic format. 30 Coins is a great example of why that might be true. It seems to feel the need to shock and unsettle viewers, almost always to the detriment of the story. In that way, it's very similar to American Horror Story, which might be the most successful horror TV show, despite its flaws. Both shows spend so much time concentrating on shock and gore that they neglect the things that actually make good horror work, especially the patience and character development that is needed to build actual suspense. With 30 Coins, the result is a series that resembles classic horror films like The Thing and The Exorcist. It lives in the shadow of those films, rather than creating shadows of its own.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the mystery. What is going on in Pedraza? What do we know about the town's past? What is happening in the present? How does it all appear to be connected?
Who is Padre Vergara? What do we know about his past? How is he viewed in Pedraza? How does he seem to be connected to the horrors?
How do Elena, Paco, and Marche get involved? What drives each of them? How do the events happening in Pedraza challenge their values and beliefs?
TV Details
- Premiere date: March 4, 2021
- Cast: Eduard Fernández, Megan Montaner, Miguel Ángel Silvestre, Macarena Gómez
- Network: HBO Max
- Genre: Drama
- TV rating: TV-MA
- Last updated: March 2, 2022
Our Editors Recommend
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American Horror Story
Dark, twisted adult drama is designed to shock and disturb.
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The Head
Blood, booze, profanity in classic horror-inspired mystery.
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The Haunting of Hill House
Ambitious family drama-meets-horror story is dark, mature.
For kids who love scary stuff
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