Brigada Central

Brigada Central is a Spanish prime-time police procedural television series based on the novel series of the same name by Juan Madrid. The series focuses on the day-to-day work of Manuel Flores (Imanol Arias), a Romani police inspector in an elite squad against organized crime.

Produced by Pedro Masó Producciones for Televisión Española (TVE), it was directed and written by Pedro Masó himself. The fourteen episodes of its first season were broadcast on La Primera of Televisión Española in 1989–1990. It was followed by a second season of twelve episodes titled Brigada Central II: La guerra blanca, co-produced with Beta Film from Germany and R.C.S. Produzione from Italy, that was first broadcast on TVE in 1992.

Premise
The series shows the daily work of the elite police officers selected to join the special group of the Central Brigade, attached to the General Directorate of State Security, for high-level investigations, such as organized crime, international crime, or drug trafficking. Along with the professional work of its members, their psychological and personal aspect is also shown, focusing on the head of the group, Manuel Flores, a Romani police inspector.

In season two, Flores works as a representative of the Spanish police in the CETIS group, an elite group created at European level to fight against drug trafficking.

Production
Brigada Central season one was produced by Pedro Masó Producciones for Televisión Española (TVE) with a budget of 756 million pesetas (€4.54 million). It was directed and written by Pedro Masó himself, who adapted the novels from the police novel series of the same name by Juan Madrid. Its fourteen episodes were first broadcast in prime-time on La Primera of Televisión Española between 3 November 1989 and 2 February 1990.

Brigada Central season two, titled Brigada Central II: La guerra blanca, was produced by Pedro Masó Producciones for TVE, in co-production with Beta Film from Germany and R.C.S. Produzione from Italy, with a budget of 1.505 billion pesetas (€9 million). It was also directed and written by Masó himself, who was supported in the writing by Jacques Labib and Simon Michael. It was filmed between April 1990 and June 1991 in more than twelve different international locations, including: Paris (France); Brussels and Antwerp (Belgium); Stuttgart, Baden-Baden and Frankfurt (Germany); Bogotá and Medellín (Colombia); Caracas (Venezuela); and Martinique. Its twelve episodes were first broadcast in prime-time on La Primera of Televisión Española between 4 October and 7 December 1992.

Season one

 * Imanol Arias as Chief Inspector Manuel Flores
 * José Manuel Cervino as Commissioner Poveda
 * Assumpta Serna as Julia
 * Patxi Andión as Marchena
 * Isabel Serrano as Carmela
 * José Coronado as Lucas
 * Pedro Díez del Corral as Solana
 * Ana Duato as Virginia
 * Arturo Querejeta as Pacheco
 * Emma Ozores
 * Juan Calot as Muriel
 * Enrique Simón as Loren
 * Pedro Civera as Ventura
 * María José Goyanes
 * Eusebio Lázaro as Joaquín
 * Fernando Delgado
 * Fernando Hilbeck as Prada
 * Rosario Flores as Irene
 * Rafael Álvarez (actor) as Zacarías Jorowisch
 * José Vivó
 * Féodor Atkine as Sousa
 * José María Rodero as Rogelio Flores
 * Fernando Guillén as Garrigues
 * Nancho Novo
 * María Luisa Ponte
 * Silvia Clares Valiente as Manuel Flores' daughter

Season two

 * Imanol Arias as Commissioner Manuel Flores
 * Roland Giraud as Stan
 * Margarita Rosa de Francisco as Marina Valdés
 * José Manuel Cervino as Commissioner Poveda
 * Ruddy Rodríguez as Claudia
 * Jan Niklas
 * Ray Lovelock
 * Gustavo Angarita as Hipólito Valdés
 * Féodor Atkine as Souza
 * Paul Guers as Schneider
 * Sophie Carle as Marina
 * Jacques Dacqmine
 * Zakariya Gouram as Laurence
 * Olivier Marchal as Bebert
 * Serge Ubrette as Martial