Cable Girls

TV review by Jenny Nixon, Common Sense Media
Cable Girls Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 15+

Spanish soap set in late-1920s Madrid is worth a binge.

Netflix Drama 2017
Rate TV

Parents say

age 14+

Based on 5 reviews

Kids say

age 15+

Based on 4 reviews

Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Rate tv

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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 Cable Girls is a Spanish-language drama from Netflix, taking place in late-1920s Madrid. This being a period piece, characters often have a boozy cocktail or cigarette-holder in hand -- there's even a plot detail that centers on a character losing an engraved cigarette case. Romantic relationships are explored, and there is some nudity and simulated sex, including a threesome. There's some violence -- poisoning, multiple shootings, self-harm, and domestic abuse -- but it's not overly graphic, and the show doesn't linger on it.

Community Reviews

missywilky
missywilky Adult
February 28, 2023
age 18+

Soft core porn, plus it’s terrible writing

I cannot believe there is anyone here who thinks this is okay for underage children, let alone the person who said EIGHT is okay!! Holy smokes. Every 2-3 episodes includes very graphic sex, full frontal female nudity, full back for men, and very explicit and erotically shot. Not okay for underage whatsoever. Show also depicts a relationship between two females and a male, and of course they kiss a lot and show their threesome in bed. The one female eventually reveals she actually believes she’s a male trapped, and so begins her transition to present male, and the two girls cut out the man and become exclusive, and she renamed herself Oscar. On top of all this, the show is about scandal. Deceit upon deceit. Cheating, abuse, murder, kidnapping, affairs, homosexuality, depiction of rape. You name it. It’s in there. Even if you’re okay with all of this, the show itself is not worth it. It is nothing but a very terribly written evening soap opera, that’s shot so beautifully that you are blind to this until you’re way too deep. But the writing is so contrived, and actors work so hard to make it seem authentic, but it’s just so, so dumb. It’s the same plot line over and over: I love him, I can’t be with him, I love him, I hate him, I love him, I can’t be with him. For every single relationship. And once they’re together, then any slight inconvenience or doubt… they can’t be with them. Feigned problems, created drama. No real depth, no development of characters, just silly falsified problems on repeat. Terrible, boring, gratuitous show. Do not waste your time.

This title has:

Too much sex
1 person found this helpful.
NicoloDS
NicoloDS Adult
June 19, 2020
age 8+

Not Bad!!!!

Had some sex and killing but I think you can watch it a 8 years old!!

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

CABLE GIRLS is a Spanish-language melodrama set in 1928, which centers on the lives of four young women working as telephone operators at Madrid's largest telecommunications company. They've each come to their position for a different reason: to defy the expectations of a parent or a husband, to fulfill personal ambitions and make their small town proud, or to pull off a heist and escape their past. There will be plenty of obstacles along the way for these friends, not the least of which is just existing in a patriarchal society that is invested in keeping women "in their place." The cast is headed by Blanca Suárez as Alba Romero, aka "Lidia Aguilar Dávila," who is probably best known for her role in acclaimed director Pedro Almodóvar's film The Skin I Live In.

Is It Any Good?

Though this show is a well-done period piece, it isn't slavishly focused on getting every aesthetic detail right; of particular note is the use of modern music, which helps draw the viewer in and make the show more relatable. That being said, the costumes and styling are really fun to behold, and help strengthen our sense of each character's personality: Magda in her mousy dresses and hats, Carlota with her sexy headbands and vampy lipstick. The cast is full of vibrant, magnetic actresses who have a real chemistry, which keeps you rooting for their characters from one episode to the next.

Cable Girls does a decent job showing the way women were treated in suffragette times, with female characters being forced into jobs, situations, and even marriages they don't want simply because the law did not grant them the autonomy to choose otherwise. This reality means there are characters who hit their wives, women who can't take money out of a joint bank account without the permission of their spouse, and some who feel their only route to independence is through criminal means. This sociopolitical edge helps differentiate the show from other melodramas, and helps to ground the "soapier" elements, though of course the murder plots and will-they-won't-they love affairs are part of what will keep viewers addicted, too. It's advisable to watch the show with the original Spanish dialogue and English subtitles (the acting almost always comes across better in the cast's native tongue), though Netflix does offer a dubbed version if you prefer.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the way times have changed for working women since 1928, especially with the advent of new technologies. What are some of the situations the Cable Girls characters found themselves in that would never happen today? In what ways have things stayed the same?

  • There are male and female characters who mistreat women on Cable Girls. Why do you think this might be? Is it possible for a woman to be sexist? How do you think the show wants us to feel about how these characters are treated?

TV Details

Our Editors Recommend

  • Good Girls Revolt Poster Image

    Good Girls Revolt

    Strong female characters rule in zesty historical drama.

    age 16+
  • Poldark Poster Image

    Poldark

    Complex, moral leading man sells British period drama.

    age 13+
  • Downton Abbey Poster Image

    Downton Abbey

    Absorbing costume series is perfect watch-together fare.

    age 13+

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate