El ministerio del tiempo


El ministerio del tiempo is a Spanish fantasy television series created by and Pablo Olivares and produced by Onza Partners and Cliffhanger for RTVE. It premiered on 24 February 2015 on La 1 of Televisión Española. The series follows the exploits of an investigative team in the fictional Ministry of Time, which deals with incidents caused by time travel that can cause changes to the present day.
On 24 March 2015, it was confirmed that RTVE had renewed the series for a second season. The show was renewed for a third season on 22 September 2016. On 29 December 2016 it was announced that RTVE had sold the rights to Netflix to broadcast the third season internationally, outside of Spain, resulting in a bigger production budget.
The series was renewed for a fourth season, which started airing on TVE on 5 May 2020. It was known that HBO had acquired the broadcasting rights for the series, at least on HBO Spain and HBO Portugal.
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Plot

The Ministry of Time is the best kept and most closely guarded secret of the Spanish government: an autonomous government institution that reports directly to the Prime Minister and the Spanish Monarch. Its patrols watch the doors of time so that no intruder from other eras can change history for their own benefit.
The series follows the assignments of the Ministry's newest patrol: the one formed by Army of Flanders soldier Alonso de Entrerríos, 19th century student Amelia Folch and 21st century SAMUR paramedic Julián Martínez.

Cast and characters

Main characters

  • Julián Martínez, one of three members of the new patrol. He is a trained SAMUR paramedic from 21st century Madrid, present as a member of the patrol through season 1 and the second half of season 2. His absence during the first half of season 2 was due to shooting for Spanish crime drama series Mar de plástico, and he left the series at the end of that season after failing to reach an agreement with the show's producers. In November 2019, however, it was confirmed he will return for season 4.
  • Amelia Folch, the leader of the patrol. She is a late 19th-century pioneering university student and an only child from an upper-class Barcelona family, still living with her parents. Garrido left the series halfway through the third season, citing scheduling conflicts after she, like Sancho, signed on to other projects due to renewal uncertainty. She left on good terms and was open to returning in the future. In November 2019, her return in season 4 was confirmed.
  • Alonso de Entrerríos, the third member of the three-member patrol. A highly experienced 16th-century soldier from Seville, he is portrayed as an expert in fields of combat. He was recruited just prior to being executed, and now lives in the 21st century with a wife and a baby.
  • Irene Larra Girón, Head of Logistics inside the Ministry. A lesbian from the repressed 1960s, her character is used to express a less rigid viewpoint within the Ministry.
  • Ernesto Jiménez, Chief Operating Officer inside the Ministry. Recruited from the 15th century, he is fiercely incorruptible and a perfectionist. In the fourth episode of Season 1 it is disclosed that he is the father of Tomas de Torquemada, the first Grand Inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition.
  • Undersecretary Salvador Martí, Head of the Ministry. His overriding priority is to protect and repair history.
  • Angustias Vázquez, personal secretary to Salvador and widow of a Ministry agent.
  • Jesús Méndez Pontón, AKA "Pacino", a replacement member for Julián in the second and third seasons. He is a handsome police officer from 1981 Madrid, nicknamed "Pacino" due to his resemblance to actor Al Pacino, whom he admires.
  • Lola Mendieta : A former agent of the Ministry who was believed to have died on a mission. She provided information about clandestine doors of time to a number of people. Her younger self is recruited to the Ministry, eventually joining the patrol. She is the first and only agent to ever be recruited twice.

Recurring characters

  • Diego Velázquez : One of the most important painters in Spanish history, known for Las Meninas and The Surrender of Breda, who was recruited by the Ministry as a facial composite draftsman.
  • Enric Folch and Carme : Amelia's parents. While he appears more tolerant about his daughter's concerns, she presses her to marry and settle down.
  • Blanca : Alonso's wife, who believes him to be dead since she does not know his execution was avoided by the Ministry.
  • Elena Castillo : Alonso's love interest in the present day and Bianca's doppelgänger.
  • Susana Torres : The Prime Minister's liaison with the Ministry. Her visits usually mean bad news for Salvador.
  • Lucía : Appears in the 3rd season claiming to be Lola Mendieta's daughter.
  • Ambrogio Spinola : One of the main generals of the Spanish Army during the 17th century, most notable for the siege of Breda. He works for the Ministry, and admits he made the mistake of reading about his fate in the books.
  • Enriqueta Martí : A serial murderer who worked as Amelia's maid for a short time.
  • Marisa : An old love interest of Ernesto's who has returned to work in the Ministry.
  • Armando Leiva : A former agent who rebelled against the Ministry when Salvador refused to allow him to bring his 10-year-old son, diagnosed with leukemia, to the present so that doctors from the 21st century could tend to him.
  • Maite : Julián's late wife, whom he visits by way of the doors of time.
  • Paul Walcott : An American time traveller who worked for mysterious corporation Darrow Ltd.
  • Bosco de Sobrecasa : A high-ranking member, possibly the leader, of the Society of the Exterminating Angel, which has discovered the existence of the Ministry and plans to use the time doors to fully restore absolute monarchy in Spain across history.
  • Juan Martín Díez "El Empecinado" : A notable guerrilla combatant who becomes the target of two Napoleonic soldiers who travel to 2015 and find out about his role in the impending Peninsular War.

Special appearances

Season 1

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

Episode 6

Episode 7

Episode 8

Season 2

Episode 9

Episode 10

  • Andrés Gertrúdix as
  • as Pacino's father
  • Antonio Reyes as Morán's father
  • Ximena Vera as Morán's mother
  • Carmela Lloret and Eva Llorach as two of Morán's victims

Episode 11

Episode 12

Episode 13

Episode 14

Episodes 15/16

Episode 17

Episode 18

  • Carlos Cuevas as Javier
  • Mario Tardón as Dr. Madrigal
  • Arnau García as young Salvador Martí
  • Alexandra Jiménez as Teresa Méndez / Julia Lozano
  • Rosa Vivas as Salvador's adoptive mother

Episode 19

Episode 20

Episode 21

Season 3

Episode 22

Episode 23

Episode 24

Episode 25

Episode 26

Episode 27

Episode 28

Episode 29

Episode 30

  • as Abraham Levi
  • Francesc Corbera as Ginés Morcillo
  • Jorge Kent as Master of the Knights Templar
  • Fernando Díaz as Hugo de Claramonte
  • José Luis Matienzo as Simón Cascajosa
  • as Adolfo Suárez
  • Rodrigo Sáenz de Heredia as young Salvador Martí / Salvador Roa
  • as Antipope Benedict XIII «Papa Luna»
  • Michel Herráiz as young Jesús Méndez Pontón
  • Andrea López as Sandrita
  • as Felipe III of Spain

Episode 31

Episode 32

Episode 33

Episode 34

Season 4

Episode 35

Episode 36

Episode 37

Episode 38

Episode 39

  • Jan Fresneda as Alonso de Entrerríos
  • Asier Flores as Julián Martínez
  • David García as Psychiatrist

Episode 40

  • Vicente Romero as Emilio Herrera
  • as María Sofía Beltrán Ruiz
  • Rodrigo Sáenz de Heredia as young Salvador Martí / Salvador Roa
  • Beatriz Arjona as young María Sofía Beltrán Ruiz
  • Thomas Sauerteig as Albert Einstein
  • Paco Lahoz as Baldovinos
  • Juan Vinuesa as Gerardo
  • Fran Calvo as Emilio Herrera
  • Raúl Escobar as Ignacio María Ayerbe de la Fuente Giménez-Salgado
  • Quim Ramos as Arturo
  • Oti Manzano as Irene Aguilera

Episode 41

Episode 42

Awards

The series won the 2015 Ondas Award for Best Spanish Series. In 2017 it won at Premios Feroz the awards for best drama series, best lead actress and best supporting actor for a television series.

International adaptations

A Portuguese language adaptation entitled was produced by Iniziomedia. The format has also been sold to China, with negotiations mentioned for Germany, France, Italy and US. An adaptation of the series was shot in Ukraine, but has not been released.

Disputes

''Timeless'' lawsuit

On 27 September 2016 Onza Partners presented a lawsuit to the CDCA against Sony Pictures, NBCUniversal, and executive producers Shawn Ryan, Eric Kripke and John Davis for copyright infringement and breach of implied contract, claiming that the U.S. TV series Timeless is a copy of El Ministerio del Tiempo.
The defendants responded to the suit in a November 23, 2016 filing, contending that shows about time travel are an established television genre, and that similarities between the two shows are generic, and largely based on the notion that the main characters will travel in time to effect some kind of change. A request to dismiss Onza's lawsuit by Sony was denied on February 15, 2017, but the two parties ultimately came to an agreement and jointly moved to dismiss.

''The Ministry of Time''

In February 2024, the BBC commissioned the series The Ministry of Time, an adaptation of Kaliane Bradley's then unpublished debut novel of the same name. Fans raised suspicions of plagiarism, backed by series creator Javier Olivares himself. RTVE stated its intention to "request explanations from the BBC about the announcement it made without prejudice to the rights it has in the defense of its interests".
The novel's author Kaliane Bradley responded on social media, stating her novel was an original work of fiction based around Franklin's lost expedition, and that she had never seen the Spanish series in question.