HBO Max Sets Nov. 13 Premiere for Basque Thriller 'Infamy'

HBO Max will premiere its six-episode psychological thriller "Infamy" ("Infamia") on Nov. 13. The series launches first at the South International Series Festival in Cádiz, and marks the streamer's first TV window acquisition in Spain. Evafilms produces.

Goya nominee Susana Abaitua ("She Walks in Darkness," "Patria") stars as Emma Cruz, a tenacious lawyer who reopens an unsolved case: two girls went missing in her hometown 20 years ago. Emma blames herself for the childhood death of her sister, and her investigation becomes inseparable from that unresolved trauma. The people responsible for the disappearance will stop at nothing to keep the past buried.

The series draws on a book by Ledicia Costas. Directors Agustina Macri ("Soledad," "Queen of Coal") and Beatriz Sanchís ("They Are All Dead," "The Gigantes") shot the production across locations in Bizkaia, in the Basque Country, to create the enigmatic fictional town of Ura. Manuel Gancedo and Eduardo Torallas wrote the scripts.

The cast includes Jorge Bosch, Jon Olivares, Ane Gabarain, Iñigo Gastesi, Iñigo Azpitarte, Eva Llorach, Asier Oruesagasti and Goya nominee Kandido Uranga, with a special appearance by Chilean actor Luis Gnecco ("Neruda," "No").

What drew Macri to the material?

"Its powerful universe and the potential it had to become a compelling cinematic story," Macri told Variety. "It had a very particular atmosphere, complex characters, and a dark, unsettling world that immediately caught my attention."

The director said adaptation demanded heavy structural work. "The challenge was to transform the material into a psychological thriller that was not only rich in character and atmosphere, but also engaging, with a narrative that would keep the audience hooked while gradually revealing its layers," she said. She wanted suspense to grow from character rather than plot mechanics alone. "I didn't want the series to rely solely on its mystery; I wanted the suspense to emerge from the characters themselves, their secrets, and the emotional wounds that shape their actions."

How did the co-direction work?

Macri developed the project from the start and directed the first two episodes, which establish the town, the characters and the central mysteries. Sanchís takes over from Episode 3, as the investigation gains momentum and early tensions intensify. Macri said the goal was a consistent visual language and tone while the rhythm evolved with the story.

Why Abaitua was central

Emma carries much of her story internally, and Macri said the role demanded an actress who could communicate "through silences, gestures, and contradictions, without having to explain everything through dialogue." She added: "I honestly don't think 'Infamia' could have been made in the same way without Susana." The director praised the actress for approaching the character from the inside out, without judging her actions.

The shoot itself posed physical and climatic challenges in the Basque landscape. Macri argued those conditions served the material, giving the series "a particular atmosphere, a sense of isolation, and an intensity that would have been difficult to recreate artificially."

What does this change for Spanish drama? The Cádiz premiere and the HBO Max acquisition give a Basque-shot, book-based thriller a flagship streaming platform in Spain, a signal of where the streamer is placing its local originals bets this autumn.