Merlí is a Catalan-language series about a philosophy teacher who tells teenagers to think for themselves, and TV3 gave it three seasons to do it. The show premiered on 14 September 2015 in prime time and drew a 17.7% share with 566,000 viewers. It ran 40 episodes and ended on 15 January 2018.
Trailer, via Crisàlide.
Francesc Orella Leads the Cast
Created and written by Héctor Lozano and directed by Eduard Cortés, Merlí follows its title character as he pushes students to think freely using philosophy, in class and out. Francesc Orella plays Merlí Bergeron Calduch. The students include Carlos Cuevas as Pol Rubio, David Solans as Bruno Bergeron, Elisabet Casanovas as Tània Illa, Adrian Grösser as Marc Vilaseca, Marcos Franz as Gerard Piguillem Castells and Júlia Creus as Mònica de Villamore. Albert Baró plays Joan Capdevila Bonet, Candela Antón plays Berta Prats García, Pau Poch plays Iván Blasco, Iñaki Mur plays Oliver Grau and Laia Manzanares plays Oksana Casanoves.
The characters fall into three groups: students, teachers and family. That split is the show’s engine. Merlí sits at the center of the classroom, but the classroom is never the whole story.
Every Episode Is Named for a Philosopher
Each episode takes its title from a different philosopher or school of thought. The Peripatetics, Nietzsche and Schopenhauer all get their turn, with their ideas tied to events the characters are already living through. The show wears its influence openly: it draws on films like Dead Poets Society and tries to bring philosophy to a general audience.
The theme song is a version of “Flight of the Bumblebee.” It is an odd pick for a high school drama, and it works. The show is not precious about its subject.
He’s surly, unorthodox, unapologetically blunt, and he’s about to change your life.
That synopsis line is the pitch. Orella’s Merlí lectures students on free thought. The show keeps him at the center of the classroom rather than turning him into a saint.
La Sexta, Netflix and the Spinoff
Atresmedia dubbed the first season into Castilian Spanish, and La Sexta broadcast it from April to June 2016. Netflix bought the distribution rights in November 2016, and all three seasons were available on the service in Spain, the United States and Latin America. Netflix lost the license in December 2020. A spinoff, Merlí: Sapere Aude, premiered on Movistar+ on 5 December 2019.
Here is the run:
| Season | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 September 2015 | — |
| 2 | 19 September 2016 | 12 December 2016 |
| 3 | 18 September 2017 | 15 January 2018 |
The source gives 40 episodes across three seasons but does not break the count down by season.
Why the Format Holds Up
The episode-per-philosopher rule could have been a gimmick. It is not, because each thinker is tied to something the characters are already going through. That is the whole trick, and it is a good one.
The show’s limits are real. It is a Catalan-language series that spent its first life on TV3. Its run on Netflix in Spain, the United States and Latin America ended when the license lapsed in December 2020, and the source does not say where it can be watched now. That is a distribution problem, not a quality problem.
What the Score Says
TMDB’s audience score of 8.6/10 comes from 1,187 votes. That is a viewer number, not a critics’ prize, and it reads honest. Merlí earns it on the strength of Orella’s performance and a format that gives every episode a thinker to answer to.
What matters is the teacher. Merlí is not a wise man handing down answers. He is a blunt one who hands down questions. The students get the philosophy; the audience gets the classroom.
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