From time to time, serials or television programs spark broad public debate and invite reflection on today’s problems. A year ago, a successful documentary series about Rocío Carrasco aired on Telecinco and helped shape conversations around indirect violence. Now a new Spanish Netflix series illuminates the consequences of sexual videos being leaked without the consent of the people involved, bringing privacy into sharp focus.
The fiction premiered on June 10 and quickly climbed to the top spot this week. It became the most watched show on Netflix in Spain, surpassing the strong fourth season of Stranger Things. It ranks among the top ten non-English language programs globally, with 15.9 million hours watched and is also popular in Argentina, Mexico, Uruguay, Venezuela, Portugal, Serbia, and Kenya.
The project, developed by Laura Sarmiento and Veronica Fernández, titled Rising Topic, centers on a case tied to a surge of social media activity that coincided with a Santi Millán scandal. The story echoes the star’s participation along with Itziar Ituno, Veronica Echegui, and Patricia López Arnaiz, highlighting what resonated with audiences and why the narrative connected so deeply.
Intimacy raises a provocative discussion about the thin line between public life and private life, especially in the wake of a sexual video leak that sparked intense public interest. The series delves into fear, guilt, and shame, portraying victims and the complicity of bystanders who helped spread the content, even when they did not initiate the act.
The premise shows how sexually explicit videos involving two women become viral and the pressure faced by a promising public official from Bilbao and a Basque factory worker who could not cope with the scandal and faced tragedy at the beach.
The Santi Millán Controversy in Focus
Creators describe the project as telling a story about women who, despite differences, confront shared challenges, anchored in a present-day issue that has lasting relevance. Gossip and scandals have always existed, but the viral power and lasting damage are much more pervasive now. Rumors once had limited reach; today they can inflict harm at scale, instantly.
The producers did not anticipate the irony of real events entering the storyline due to the Santi Millán episode. The team emphasizes that the coincidence is unfortunate yet undeniable, while acknowledging that the show’s appeal lies not simply in viewers but in the reflections it provokes. Privacy violations remain a topic with many gaps in public awareness.
This raises questions about crime and penalties, and about how individuals become complicit. The show’s message stresses that the goal is not to blame the first poster but to examine how people engage, how small actions add up, and how a single click can amplify harm. The cast member Patricia López Arnaiz notes that privacy infringement is a daily reality that affects many, even if it remains underaddressed in public discourse.
Ana Wagener, another performer, emphasizes that privacy violations are painful and often dramatic in public but rarely spoken about in private. The real-world incidents that inspired this emotional landscape include cases that generated massive media attention yet remain emotionally charged and difficult to recount.
Olvido Hormigos and the Iveco Case Parallel
The series, while not based on one specific event, echoes stories that have recently crowded newspaper pages. The character inspired by Olvido Hormigos, a former councilor, recalls a 2012 incident where a sexual video went public without consent and had lasting political consequences. Hormigos later appeared on television and published a book, leveraging the media spotlight to tell her story.
The storyline also mirrors the Iveco truck factory case in Madrid from 2019, where a mother of two faced relentless pressure after a sex video circulated among coworkers. She reported the situation, but tragically took her own life. The investigation highlighted that the victim was not swayed by colleagues who viewed the footage and feared personal repercussions. The creators of Intimacy acknowledge this case as a harsh influence on the narrative when the series began, underscoring the seriousness of the issue and its real-world resonance.