One Hundred Years of Solitude (TV series)

Lore & Background

Netflix acquired the rights to One Hundred Years of Solitude in March 2019. Author Gabriel García Márquez had previously refused to sell the rights, believing a feature film could not properly adapt the novel. The series was produced with the support of his family, who required it to be shot in Colombia, in Spanish, and with Colombian actors. The cast was chosen through an open casting call in 2022, with over 10,000 candidates for 25 main roles; only 30% of the cast were professional actors, and 20,000 extras were selected. Principal photography on the first part took place from May to December 2023 in the departments of La Guajira, Magdalena, Cesar, Cundinamarca, and Tolima. The fictional town of Macondo was built near Alvarado, Tolima, by 1,100 workers, with four versions constructed to depict the passage of time. Production on the second part began in February 2025.

Reader's Guide

The series was released to generally favorable reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of 30 critics' reviews were positive, with an average rating of 7.9/10, and the consensus called it a faithful adaptation with 'sumptuous polish.' On Metacritic, it scored 80 out of 100 based on 16 critics. Critics praised the performances of Marleyda Soto, Claudio Cataño, and Marco Antonio González, as well as the production design, cinematography, and direction. Some reviewers noted that the series struggled with pacing and translating magical realism to screen, while others called it a 'masterpiece' and 'one of the most faithful page-to-screen adaptations in recent years.' The series generated 225 billion COP ($51.8 million USD) for Colombia's economy.

Did You Know?

• The series was filmed entirely in Colombia, with the fictional town of Macondo built near Alvarado, Tolima.
• Only 30% of the cast were professional actors; the rest were selected from an open casting call of over 10,000 candidates.

The Physical Construction of Macondo

The physical construction of the series was as monumental as its narrative. Principal photography for the first part unfolded between May and December 2023, entirely within Colombia's departments of La Guajira, Magdalena, Cesar, Cundinamarca, and Tolima. The fictional town of Macondo, central to the Buendía family's saga, was constructed near Alvarado in Tolima by a workforce of 1,100 laborers. Rather than building a single set, the production team erected four distinct versions of the town to visually represent the passage of generations and time. Authenticity was pursued through sourcing furniture from local antique shops and commissioning fabrics and artifacts from regional artisans. The entire crew numbered nearly 600 people, all Colombian nationals. The economic footprint was substantial: Netflix reported the production injected 225 billion Colombian pesos, approximately 51.8 million US dollars, into the national economy. Production on the second part commenced in February 2025, continuing this commitment to Colombian soil and labor.

Casting and the Search for Faces

The casting process for the series became a national event in its own right. In 2022, the production team launched an open casting call, ultimately reviewing more than 10,000 candidates to fill just 25 principal roles. Strikingly, only 30 percent of the final cast were professional actors, meaning the majority of performers discovered through this process had not previously worked in the industry. Beyond the principal cast, an additional 20,000 extras were selected to populate the world of Macondo. The series demanded a unique casting architecture: many characters required multiple actors to portray different life stages. José Arcadio Buendía, for instance, was played by both Diego Vásquez and Marco Antonio González Ospina, while Aureliano cycled through Jerónimo Echeverría Monsalve, Jerónimo Barón Lyentsova, and Santi Vásquez across childhood, adolescence, and teenage years. The cast was partially leaked to the public on 26 April 2023, generating early buzz before the series' eventual release.

Critical Acclaim and Artistic Achievement

Critics widely praised the series for its fidelity to García Márquez's 1967 novel while acknowledging the inherent difficulty of translating literary language into visual storytelling. On Rotten Tomatoes, 83 percent of 30 critics' reviews were positive, yielding an average score of 7.9 out of 10, with the consensus describing the adaptation as nothing short of magical. Metacritic assigned a weighted score of 80 out of 100 based on 16 reviews, landing in the generally favorable range. Individual critics offered effusive praise: Keith Watson of The Telegraph awarded a perfect five-star rating, calling it a faithful but not overly reverent take. Helen Coffey of The Independent declared it pretty much perfect and nothing short of miraculous. Judy Berman of Time noted the remarkable closeness to the book's kinetic spirit, while Julio Ricardo Varela of MSNBC highlighted countless moments of brilliance. Multiple reviewers singled out the performances of Marleyda Soto as Úrsula and Claudio Cataño as Colonel Aureliano Buendía.

Rights, Authorial Legacy, and Release Strategy

The path to bringing the novel to screen spanned years and carried the weight of the author's own wishes. Gabriel García Márquez, before his death in 2014, had refused to sell the adaptation rights, believing that the time constraints of a feature film could not adequately serve the story. Netflix ultimately acquired the rights in March 2019, and the García Márquez family imposed specific conditions: the series had to be filmed in Colombia, produced in Spanish, and cast with Colombian actors. The production team scouted locations across Cali, Villavicencio, Girardot, Palomino, Santa Marta, and Barranquilla before settling on final filming departments. The release strategy split the 16-episode series into two halves: the first eight episodes dropped on Netflix on 11 December 2024, following promotional screenings in Madrid, Mexico City, and Havana. The second half arrived in August 2026, with seven episodes landing on 5 August and the series finale following on 26 August, accompanied by special screenings in Colombian cities.

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