A who's who of the Smiley cast, Netflix's latest must-watch love story set in Barcelona

A new Spanish romcom currently streaming on Netflix is sure to delight viewers throughout the holiday season. 

If you're already done binge-watching the best Christmas movies on Netflix 2022 to stream right now, worry not! Smiley is a new series that just debuted on the streaming platform and is already getting loads of attention from audience members and critics alike.

Set in Barcelona, the show consists of 8 episodes that premiered on Netflix just last week and are an adaptation of the theater play of the same name written by Guillem Clua and performed on stage by Albert Triola and Ramon Pujol.  

Fun fact: the production company behind the TV effort, Minoria Absoluta, really petitioned for the show to be shot in Catalan. Their efforts didn't entirely work out, though, as the series is mostly in Spanish with a specific subplot being acted out in Catalan. 

WHAT IS SMILEY ON NETFLIX ABOUT?

Smiley chronicles the love story between two men, architect Bruno and bartender Àlex, who, in a very rom-com-like series of events, end up meeting because of a wrong voicemail.

"Two men and their friends in Barcelona navigate hesitations, hangups and missed connections as they search for the true love they've been missing," reads an official synopsis of the show by Netflix.

The very first episode kicks off with a telephone call that goes to voicemail. We soon learn that Àlex is the one making the call to his ex after being ghosted by him, using the time to express his feelings towards what he thought their relationship was really going to be. 

However, watchers quickly realize that the bartender actually dialed the wrong number, reaching Bruno, who has been looking for his significant other for quite some time. Will Bruno call Àlex back and will they end up embarking on a relationship? You'll have to watch all episodes to find out.

WHO IS IN THE CAST OF SMILEY ON NETFLIX?

The two protagonists, bartender Àlex and architect Bruno, are played by, respectively, actors Carlos Cuevas and Miki Esparbé. 

Carlos is 26 years old and known for his performances in a number of Catalan TV shows, including Ventdelplà and Merlí.

Miki, on the other hand, is 39 years old and has starred in the 2015 Spanish comedy film Off Course and the TV series Barcelona, among other projects.

The cast is rounded out by Pepón Nieto, who stars as Javier, the co-owner of the gay bar where Àlex works; Meritzxell Calvo as Verónica "Vero," a friend of Àlex’s who always says it as it is and is preparing for the next phase of her life with girlfriend Patri, played by Giannina Fruttero.

Eduardo Lloveras takes on the role of Albert, Bruno's best friend and coworker, and Ruth Llopis plays Núria, Álex's closest pal and co-worker at the gay bar she co-owns. 

There are clearly a lot of characters to keep track of and whose lives intersect and are worthy of exploration in the series.