El Cid (TV series) should not be confused with El C.I.D..
| Country: | Spain |
| Language: | Spanish, Arabic |
| Num Seasons: | 2 |
| Num Episodes: | 10 |
| Producer: | José Velasco |
| Company: | Zebra Producciones Amazon Studios |
| Network: | Amazon Prime Video |
El Cid is a 2020 Spanish historical action drama television series about Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar "El Cid", the 11th-century Castilian knight and warlord. Created by José Velasco and Luiz Arranz for Amazon Prime Video,[1] the series stars Jaime Lorente alongside José Luis García Pérez, Elia Galera, Carlos Bardem, Alicia Sanz and Jaime Olías, among others.[2] [3] The 5-episode first season was released on Prime Video on December 18, 2020, and the 5-episode second season was released on July 15, 2021.
Ruy is the son of a low-ranking nobleman who died in the service of Ferdinand, Count of Castile (José Luis García Pérez).
Ferdinand, married to Queen Sancha,[4] has become King of León by defeating in battle Sancha's brother, Bermudo. Sancha was next in line to the throne when Ferdinand seized the opportunity to become king after Bermudo's death. Sancha plots with a group of Leonese nobles, notably Flaín, Count of León, and Ruy's grandfather Rodrigo, to overthrow her husband and take the throne that rightfully belongs to her. Sancha is torn between her desire to be queen and her love for her husband. She does not want him harmed, but the nobles have other ideas.
The king's three sons, Sancho, Alfonso, and García are not involved in the plot, but each has his own individual ambitions to succeed his father. Sancha is particularly concerned by the activities of her daughter Urraca, Ferdinand's eldest child, who resents being excluded from the line of succession because she is a woman, despite the fact that she is older than Sancho, the king's chosen heir. Urraca's ambition and resentment lead her to stir up trouble in the Royal Court in the hopes of finding any possible means of obtaining power and territory for herself.[5]
Ruy is taken by his grandfather to Ferdinand's court where he eventually becomes squire to Sancho. He is attracted to Jimena, who has been brought to court for an arranged marriage with Count Flain's son Orduño. Ruy soon makes an enemy of Orduño due to their rivalry over Jimena.
Ruy becomes aware of the plot against Ferdinand and realizes that his grandfather Rodrigo is involved. He has to find a way to prove his loyalty by preventing the death of the king (whom he despises) and at the same time avoid implicating his grandfather.
Filming began in the province of Soria on 1 October 2019.[10] Shooting locations in the province included Almenar de Soria, Almazán, Calatañazor, Duruelo de la Sierra, and the Montes de Ucero in the Cañón del Río Lobos Natural Park. Conversely, shooting locations in the province of Burgos included the medieval bridge in Frías and the . The Aljafería Palace was used to recreate indoor locations of the Taifa of Zaragoza. Production also moved to province of Teruel (Albarracín) and the Madrid region (including Navalcarnero and Madrid). The five-part first season was released on December 18, 2020, on Prime Video.[3] In January 2021, the confirmation of a second season was reported in media,[11] and a release date for July 15, 2021 was announced in June 2021.[12]
The series' direction crew included Marco A. Castillo, Adolfo Martínez Pérez, Miguel Alcantud, Arantxa Echevarría, Manuel Carballo and Alberto Ruiz Rojo.[13] The score was composed by Gustavo Santaolalla and .
The original languages of El Cid are Spanish and Arabic. The series is also available on Amazon in English, French, Portuguese, German, and other languages.