The series filmed in Barcelona that has originated a boycott movement

BarcelonaA few weeks ago, the filming of Life Barcelona, a series that, as its uninspired title suggests, is set in the Catalan capital. It is a production from the Netherlands that follows Julia (Holly Mae Brood), a Dutch designer who is sent to Barcelona by her mother to secretly weaken a rival agency. Once in Barcelona, the girl will fall head over heels for the city's charms and will also experience various love stories. The news of the filming has outraged some Barcelonians, who see the series as another vehicle for gentrification and mass tourism, and a boycott movement has begun on social media. One of the residents who has reacted with astonishment to the announcement is Tommy Blanco, who has launched an Instagram account –@lavidabarcelona– that calls for mobilization to stop a production that they consider contributes to "selling the city".

"I decide to mobilize myself out of deep anger seeing how, little by little, the city is expelling the neighbors from our neighborhoods, where it's impossible to pay rent without sharing an apartment or living with parents. Seeing how they want to make a series of things like a person "expat lives in Barcelona and does not get involved in any area of the city, such as language, bothers me", explains Blanco to ARA.

The filming of the series in Barcelona cannot be stopped because it has already finished, as several users noted. The magazine Variety points out that production has already moved to Amsterdam. Given this circumstance, the Instagram profile has called for action against any promotional act that may occur. "Any idea is and will be welcome. This is a collective process that includes all of us with a single common goal: that they don't take our city away from us," he adds. Blanco says that his proposal is the only way for people to be aware of what can happen if such a series is made in Barcelona.

La vida Barcelona is a production by Millstreet Films, Videoland, and Beta Film, producers who have been behind the Dutch series Maxima, a biography of the current Dutch queen that has been shown here on Antena 3. In statements to Variety, Justus Riesenkampff, executive vice president of Beta Films, has assured that the series has the ambition to compete with similar English-language products. "Barcelona is the perfect setting to attract young audiences from all over the world. Who could resist following Julia as she embarks on an adventure full of ambition, love, intrigue, and friendship?", he says, referring to the chosen location. The series synopsis is reminiscent of fiction like Emily in Paris, one of Netflix's most successful productions. The connection doesn't end there: one of the directors of La vida Barcelona, Katina Medina Mora, has directed episodes of the comedy starring Lily Collins and also The Summer I Turned Pretty. The cast includes Catalan presence, as Greta Fernández will be one of the protagonists. For now, it is planned that the series will premiere in May or June 2027 in the Netherlands and Germany. So far, no platform has announced international distribution.

In one week, the Instagram profile launched by Blanco already has over 4,700 followers, a figure that the initiator attributes to "the desire to remedy" the situation the city is experiencing, which this year alone has also been the scene of major international events, such as the start of the Tour and the visit of Pope Leo XIV. Blanco opens the door for everyone to join the resistance movement against the series.

Besides the call for a boycott, many users have gone to the producers' social media to leave messages of complaint. "Please, can you leave Barcelona in peace? You are destroying the city. What has Barcelona become: people who can't pay rent, lifelong shops that are closing, a city sold to tourism and Catalans falling into poverty," says one user. "As if we hadn't had enough with the shit of Vicky Cristina Barcelona twenty years ago... What do these people want?", says another. "What a horrible thing to do to a city and a population that already suffers so much with mass tourism, gentrification, and expats. I hope they reconsider and think about the impact it will have on the people who live there," adds a third.

Other similar cases

The life Barcelona is not the first international series to be filmed in the city nor the first to use its name in the title. In 2025, Filmin premiered two special episodes of the British The split which were baptized with the title The split: Barcelona. One of the characters chose Catalonia to get married because his partner was from there and had a farmhouse with vineyards. Barcelona appeared relatively little because a large part of the scenes were filmed in Sitges. Nevertheless, the city is an attractive brand, especially for foreign audiences. "It's a beautiful city, it has art, culture, and spectacular food. Besides, it has beautiful landscapes around: beach, mountain, vineyards," argued the series creator, Abi Morgan. In the United Kingdom, these episodes were broadcast at Christmas and a sunny and somewhat hedonistic Catalonia "was great escapism for the British audience," said Morgan.

International series are not the only ones that use the name of Barcelona to promote themselves. Cites Barcelona, which has two seasons on 3Cat and Prime Video, is an example of a Catalan production that has tried to capitalize on the city's name. This romantic comedy already has a third season and a film in the pipeline, both planned for 2027. This latest version of the romantic comedy has also had to face criticism, as it will be set on Sant Jordi's Day in Barcelona but has been largely filmed in Spanish with actors like Natalia Verbeke and Javier Rey.

There are also productions that, without needing to use the name of Barcelona in the title, exploit the charms of the city and also the rest of Catalonia. A very recent example is the Netflix romantic comedy People We Know, which modified the original story of the book it is based on and changed Palm Springs for the Catalan capital, where it is easier to film.

According to data from Barcelona City Council, in 2025 the city received 16 million visitors, 2.9% more than in 2024. International tourism was the majority, with 83.75%. The influx of tourists is unstoppable and in the first quarter of 2026 a record figure of 3 million was registered.