Will ‘Elite’ Be Able To Maintain Its Successful Run Amid Cast Change?

Fans of the popular Spanish-language show “Elite” will notice a few new faces roaming the halls of Las Encinas next season. Ever since it was confirmed in May 2020, via “Elite’s” Instagram account, that Ester Expósito (Carla), Mina El Hammani (Nadia), Jorge López (Valerio), Danna Paola (Lucrecia), and Álvaro Rico (Polo) would not be returning for season 4, fans have been wondering who would be joining the revamped cast. The answer came on July 20 when Netflix
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released the first image of the newcomers — Andrés Velencoso (Velvet Colección, Edha), Manu Rios (El Chiringuito de Pepe), Carla Díaz (El Príncipe), Martina Cariddi (Mientras dure la guerra), Pol Granch and Diego Martín (Velvet, Familia). The news accompanied a press release that revealed these new characters will be “part of the universe of Las Encinas, one way or the other. ” It also hinted that, “their characters will cross paths with Guzmán, Samuel, Ander, Omar, Rebeca and Cayetana.” 

Elite is a global sensation

The Netflix Spanish original has been a bonafide hit for the streaming service ever since it premiered in October 2018 with eight episodes, quickly prompting an order for season two later that same month. Set in an exclusive private school where there is a direct correlation between social currency and wealth, “Elite” often draws comparisons to “Gossip Girl” but also features a murder mystery element with flash forward scenes and alternating timelines reminiscent of “How to Get Away With Murder”. The formula has proven to be very successful. In January 2019, Netflix announced that the series had been watched by more than 20 million households and became the most binged international show. The warm global reception, to the tune of 139 million viewers, also made Instagram stars of the young cast. Their followings grew from tens of thousands to millions since the premiere. After posting a sultry reggaeton dance number to her account, Expósito officially became Spain’s most followed person on Instagram with 24 million followers and counting. 

The cast has undergone changes before — albeit minor tweaks. Season two introduced us to working class Rebeca (Claudia Salas), social media star turned janitor Cayetana (Georgina Amorós), and Lucrecia’s wayward half-brother Valerio (Jorge Lopez). “Elite” is not the first show to experience a cast overhaul but it is a gamble that a few shows have manoeuvred to varying degrees of success. 

Some shows have found success

“The Crown”, Netflix’s highly acclaimed historical drama which offers a voyeuristic view of the imagined inner sanctum of Queen Elizabeth II, was initially developed for a six season run. With each season roughly representing a decade in her monarchy, the roles of Elizabeth, Philip, and several other royals would need to be consistently recast for an authentic representation of their progressively advancing ages. “I think that the longest you can believe an actor in an aging part is about 20 years,” the show’s creator Peter Morgan told the New York Times
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. “Right from the start, we decided that if it all worked and kept going, we would recast every two seasons.” According to Netflix metrics, since its debut in 2016, “The Crown” has been watched by 73 million households. The third season, after the swap, was viewed in 21 million homes during its first four weeks. That was a 40% increase over the second season during that same time frame. The first two seasons featured a beloved ensemble including Matt Smith and the highly lauded Claire Foy who picked up an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series for her turn as the Queen. Season three’s viewership spike was no doubt helped by the recasting of Queen Elizabeth II with British darling Olivia Coleman, who gained a worldwide audience after cheekily accepting the Academy Award in 2019 for her portrayal of Queen Anne in “The Favourite”. 

Popular British teen drama “Skins” (which produced Academy Award nominees Dev Patel and Daniel Kaluuya as well as X-Men star Nicholas Hoult) also went through three cast changes over its six seasons from 2007 to 2013. The series premiere on British channel E4 back in January 2007 pulled in 1.4 million viewers which set a record for the largest audience for an UK-originated programme other than “Big Brother”. After a dip in the ratings with the introduction of the second generation in season three, the show rebounded well in season four. “Skins” returned with nearly 1 million viewers — 938,000 viewers in their 10pm time slot (a 5.1% share of the multichannel audience) and an additional 164,000 watched an hour later on the catchup service E4 +1. These were the best numbers since the series launch. It was also an improvement on season three’s first episode audience of 665,000 and overall season average of 890,000 viewers.

Of the decision to jettison the original group in favor of new characters, “Skins” executive producer Bryan Elsley said, “There are risks associated with dumping a cast, but we just did it. There was some disquiet at the channel, but then they told us just to go with it.” 

For now, very little is known about the new season of “Elite” and the hijinks that the incoming students will get into, although there are reports that seasons four and five will be filmed back-to-back. But if the first three seasons are anything to go by, fans will be in for another wild ride of sexually charged storylines and intrigue with this new crew.