A new medical mystery series has just made its way onto Netflix, and fans are already calling it “wild”. Titled The Crystal Cuckoo, the six-part Spanish series adapts the book of the same name by Javier Castillo.
The story centres on Clara Merlo (Catalina Sopelana), a first-year medical resident who suffers a sudden cardiac arrest and is given a second chance thanks to a heart transplant.
After recovering, Clara wishes to know more about her donor and heads to his village, realising the heart she now carries inside of her once belonged to a man involved in a tragedy.
As the village is rocked by a new disappearance – the eleventh in 30 years – the protagonist uncovers some truths about a disturbing past.
Seeing Clara roped into some eerie celebrations à la Wicker Man, the trailer hints at Clara’s donor Carlos having been close to find the missing link connecting the disappearances, including that of his own father, Miguel.
Netflix
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Cast is rounded out by Money Heist star Itziar Ituño and The Platform’s Ivan Massagué, alongside Álex García, Alfons Nieto and Tomás del Estal.
Created by Jesús Mesas and Javier Andrés Roig, who previously adapted Castillo’s The Snow Girl also on Netflix, The Crystal Cuckoo promises to be another twisty series from the Spanish author.
“Another mind-bending story from Javier Castillo. This is going to be wild!” one fan wrote when the trailer was released, while two more commenters noted the series looks “intriguing” and “genuinely good”.
Netflix
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Elsewhere on the streamer, another mystery has debuted in the form of star-studded American drama The Beast in Me.
The series stars Claire Danes as protagonist Aggie Wiggs, a once-acclaimed author who has retired from public life after suffering the loss of her young son.
When real estate mogul and the prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance, Nile Jarvis (Matthew Rhys), moves next door, Aggie finds a subject for her new book.
Netflix
Unable to process her own grief, Aggie is lured into Nile’s world, searching for the truth and ready to risk everything in a detective game that can turn deadly.
The Beast in Me also stars Brittany Snow as Nile’s wife Nina, and Natalie Morales as Aggie’s ex-wife Shelley.
The Crystal Cuckoo is available to stream now on Netflix.
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Reporter, Digital Spy
Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).