Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Spanish medical drama has cursing, blood, and sex.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Breathless
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Respira, aka BREATHLESS, is a Spanish medical drama set in a public hospital located in Valencia, Spain. Biel de Felipe (Manu Ríos) is a resident at Joaquin Sorolla Hospital under the supervision of Dr. Néstor Moa (Borja Luna), an arrogant but talented oncologist and major champion of public health. Joining him are residents like Rodrigo (Victor Sáinz), the younger brother of Dr. Jésica Donoso (Blanca Suárez), who is pushing him to focus on being a better doctor rather than a social media personality. Meanwhile, first-year resident Enrique "Quique" Román (Xoán Fórneas) is worried that his lover's mother, the tough chief surgeon Dr. Pilar Amaro (Aitana Sánchez Gijón), will discover his secret, while resident Mayda (Marwa Bakhat) is fretting over the fact that her mentor, Dr. Leonor "Leo" Santapau (Ana Rayo), doesn't seem to like her. Also making life complicated is her relationship with assistant ER doctor Rocio Foster (Macarena de Rueda). They are doing their best to manage their professional responsibilities while navigating their personal lives, but are overwhelmed with patients, many of whom they cannot treat in a timely and appropriate manner due to a lack of medical staff and funding. But when Patricia Segura (Najwa Nimri), the president of the Valencian government and a friend of Biel's family, arrives for emergency treatment one day, Biel finds himself in the middle of a political firestorm that has hospital director Lluís Jornet Blasco (Alfonso Bassave) on edge, and Dr. Moa and others pushing for a hospital strike that will bring even the most basic medical services to a grinding halt.
Is It Any Good?
Spain's first medical drama is a character-driven series with a good-looking group of medical personnel and enough complicated relationships between them to keep viewers entertained. However, Breathless contextualizes this within a larger conversation about the state of Spain's public health system, and the push to privatize it in order to keep government spending down. This narrative is thoughtfully woven into the various storylines, which makes them more interesting (and sometimes a bit far-fetched, which one expects from this type of show). But what carries this drama is the ensemble cast, which includes strong characters who are not afraid to share their opinions or act on them. If you're looking for a well-written production to sink your teeth into, this one is worth investing in.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the difference between public and private health care. How has U.S. media characterized the difference between the two in the last 20 years?
Is Breathless a soap opera? Why, or why not?
TV Details
- Premiere date : August 30, 2024
- Cast : Manu Ríos , Blanca Suárez , Najwa Nimri
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Activism , Friendship
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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