RTVE is about to premiere La Moderna on La 1 following its preview screening at the FesTVal de Vitoria. The series tells stories of women determined to change their destiny and is based on the novel “Tea Rooms” by Luisa Carnés. It transports viewers to 1930s Madrid, focusing on the lives of employees and customers in an elegant central tea salon.
During the press conference for La Moderna, José Pastor, Director of Cinema and Fiction at RTVE, highlighted the broadcaster’s commitment to daily fiction series. He noted that in a time when viewers increasingly consume series on demand, this format is important because it accompanies audiences every day, and he believes the show will meet expectations.
Boomerang TV Fiction Director and executive producer Luis Santamaría described the series as “very ambitious,” emphasizing its depiction of 1930s Madrid, its strong cast, and its writing and direction team. Executive producer Humberto Miró also stressed the strength of the human team behind the production, explaining that they want the characters and the story to speak for themselves.
The lead actress, Helena Ezquerro, said it is an honor to portray a character with such courage and dignity. Actor Almagro San Miguel also shared during the presentation that the team is working hard and hopes the audience will connect with the series, which will arrive “very soon” on La 1, according to María Eizaguirre, Director of Communication and Public Engagement at RTVE.
Co-produced by RTVE and Mediawan with the participation of Boomerang TV, La Moderna is filmed in real locations in early 20th-century Madrid and in over 2,500 m² of sets recreating the tea salon, a large shopping gallery, and the protagonists’ homes in a traditional courtyard building.
Music plays an important role in the production. Its main theme is performed by Pastora Soler and composed by Tony Sánchez-Ohlsson. The song, also titled La Moderna, was specially created for the series and reflects the central love story set in the tea salon that gives the fiction its name.
Chapter 1
Matilde (Helena Ezquerro) sees her life change drastically after the sudden death of her father. This event will mark the lives of the Garcés family, starting with the widow Rosario (Miryam Gallego) and continuing with her siblings Luisa, Pablo, and little Clarita. Years later, life will bring them even more obstacles.
In turbulent 1930s Madrid, Matilde feels the need to support her family and, after several failed attempts, finds work in an elegant tea salon in the city center. There, she begins a new journey alongside her colleagues and, above all, reunites with Íñigo (Almagro San Miguel), a childhood friend who awakens strong feelings in her. But will that be the only challenge she has to face?
About ‘La Moderna’
Madrid, 1930. Matilde is a young woman from a humble family who lives with her mother, Rosario, and her three siblings. She arrives in search of work at the tea salon La Moderna, one of the most elegant cafés in Madrid, where she meets Íñigo, her teenage love. Íñigo is now a well-positioned young man and the right-hand man of Don Jaime (José Luis García-Pérez), one of the most important businessmen in the city. Between the two young people, passion resurfaces, but Doña Carla (Stéphanie Magnin), Don Jaime’s wife and Íñigo’s former partner, is not willing to allow it.
The series is based on “Tea Rooms”, a novel published in 1934 and one of the best-known works by Luisa Carnés, one of the great authors of the Generation of ’27. The writer drew inspiration from her own experiences working as a waitress in a pastry shop in Madrid. The novel is a chronicle focused on the real-life experiences of women of that era.
Set in 1930s Madrid, the story portrays a fascinating period through the daily lives of workers and customers in a tea salon near Puerta del Sol: new times, major social transformations, and also space for leisure and glamour.
Within the tea salon at the center of the story, paradoxes and contradictions emerge. The opulence of the venue and the elegance of its clientele contrast sharply with the reality of its female employees. One of the major strengths of this new La Moderna is the relevance of its stories, which reflect both the society of the time and the emotions that drive the narrative.
The characters
Matilde Garcés, played by Helena Ezquerro
She is Rosario’s daughter and the eldest of four siblings. Her goal is to fulfill her father’s last wish before dying: to take care of and keep her family united. However, poverty and the disadvantages of belonging to the lowest social class become major obstacles. She begins working at the tea salon, where she meets Íñigo and has to face Doña Carla.
Íñigo Peñalver, played by Almagro San Miguel
Íñigo has been in love with Matilde since he was very young, and they reunite at the tea salon after years apart. From that moment on, Doña Carla and a conspiracy involving a group of businessmen make his life increasingly complicated.
Carla de Morcuende, played by Stéphanie Magnin
Although she is happily married to Don Jaime, Carla’s goal is to enjoy a life full of luxury and wealth alongside Íñigo, the only man she has ever loved. Matilde becomes an obstacle to achieving this.
Jaime de Morcuende, played by José Luis García-Pérez
Jaime is a successful businessman. Since meeting Doña Carla, both his wife and his business empire have become his top priorities. He is the owner of the gallery where La Moderna is located, and he relies on his great friend Íñigo to manage his affairs.
Matilde’s family
Rosario Martín, played by Miryam Gallego, is Matilde’s mother.
She is a fighter, used to struggling to care for her family and raise her children. To do so, she must face her declining health, poverty, and Doña Carla.
Luisa Garcés, played by Berta Castañé, is Matilde’s sister and the second of Rosario’s children. She is responsible, sweet, and sensitive, with a special talent for drawing and painting.
Pablo Garcés, played by Rodrigo Simón, is the third of the four siblings and the only boy. He was just a child when his father died and quickly learned what it means to grow up in poverty, but he aspires to become a man and earn money to help at home.
Clara Garcés, played by Cosette Silguero, is the youngest sister of Matilde. Clarita is cheerful, fun-loving, and very smiley, and she adores the stories Matilde tells her about the customers of La Moderna.
Characters from the tea salon
Antonia, played by Teresa Hurtado de Ory
She is the most veteran employee at La Moderna. She lives to help her colleagues, especially Marta, and to preserve the memory of her late husband.
Teresa, played by Sara Rivero
She is the manager of La Moderna. She tries to assert her authority and constantly seeks to impress her boss, Don Fermín.
Trini, played by Bárbara Mestanza
One of the most admired waitresses at the tea salon. Her life becomes complicated when her husband starts working in the bookstore opposite La Moderna.
Marta, played by Lorea Carballo
Also a shop assistant at the salon, she is a young woman from the countryside facing a harsh and difficult life in the big city.
Laurita, played by Berta Galo
Don Fermín’s niece and employee at La Moderna. Her dream is to live a luxurious life and travel the world with a handsome man—preferably a Hollywood actor.
Fermín Villanueva, played by Carles Sanjaime
He is the owner of La Moderna and aims to keep it the best tea salon in the city. To do so, he must deal with the country’s economic instability and his employees’ problems.
Pietro, played by Andrea Fiorillo
The pastry chef at La Moderna. An Italian immigrant who came to Spain after his wife’s death, he hopes his son Giancarlo, an idealist and revolutionary, will be able to live with him in Madrid.
Esperanza, played by María José Parra
The cleaning staff member of the tea salon. She has a difficult personality and tries to avoid responsibilities and extra effort, but she always manages to make her colleagues laugh.
Francisco Cañete, played by Carlos Librado
A skilled and educated waiter at La Moderna. Everyone calls him Cañete, and Don Fermín places great trust in him.
Elías, played by Xabier Murua
Another waiter who drives his coworkers crazy with his pranks, but he is so kind-hearted that everyone ends up loving him.
The Bookshop
Miguel, played by Llorenç González
He is the bookseller and husband of Trini. They must keep their marriage hidden in public, because at La Moderna married women are not allowed to work.
The courtyard (corrala)
Emilio, played by Germán Alcarazu
He is one of the neighbors in the corrala. Although he may seem like a troublemaker, he has a deep sensitivity that not everyone is able to see.
Raimundo, played by Pablo Álvarez
Emilio’s older brother and also a neighbor in the corrala. Life has treated him harshly, and it seems he intends to pay it back in kind.