Netflix's Newest 2024 Crime Series is a Must-Watch for Money Heist Fans

Summary

• In early February, a new Chilean series, Baby Bandito, was released.
• It is a heist drama loosely based on real events that has already made its way to the top of Netflix.
• The series will remind many people of another Netflix hit, Money Heist.

In 2014, one of the most infamous robberies in criminal history took place at the Santiago International Airport in Chile. An armored car was robbed, but not a single shot was fired, there were no casualties, neither wounded nor killed. Everything happened relatively quietly, except for the incredibly loud amount of money that was stolen — $10.5 million.

This is the premise of the new heist drama series from Chilean production, Baby Bandito. The show was only released on Netflix on February 1, but it has already become a top-rated series and has been highly praised in the media. Moreover, some viewers are comparing it to another Spanish-language hit on Netflix, Money Heist, which only adds to the argument that Baby Bandito is definitely worthy of being the choice to watch this February.

A New Chilean Thriller Based on True Events

Love is the driving force behind the craziest things one can pull off. Such was the case with Kevin Tapia (Nicolás Contreras), an ordinary skater and high school student from Chile who is head over heels in love with a girl named Génesis (Francisca Armstrong). Unfortunately, Kevin is not well off, and Génesis, on the other hand, is used to a more comfortable life. It is the desire to provide his crush with a lavish lifestyle that motivates the protagonist to commit an incredible heist.

One day, Kevin miraculously gets his hands on the plans and blueprints for a heist. Together with his best friend Panda (Lukas Vergara) and his father's accomplice Pantera (Pablo Macaya), Kevin pulls off the literal heist of the century and becomes a folk hero in Europe (and where he and Génesis first went after being hunted by the mobsters and the authorities).

Of course, the series is a fictional dramatization that bears only a tenuous relationship to actual events. Nevertheless, Tapia's identity is loosely based on the leader of the 2014 heist, Kevin Olguin Sepulveda, who actually fled to Europe with his girlfriend and was later captured by Chilean authorities. However, the current fate of the real Baby Bandito remains unknown.

The Growing Popularity of the Show

As we said, the new Chilean crime series was only released on February 1, but it has already made its way to the top of Netflix. According to the Top 10 non-English TV series for the week of January 29 to February 4, 2024 on Netflix's official page, Baby Bandito ranked second with an impressive 2,000,000 total hours of watching, right behind the Korean medical drama Doctor Slump.

Looking at the What's on Netflix data, Baby Bandito entered the global Top 25 of all shows on February 3, and has held a respectable fourth place on the list since February 5. The series is leading in Brazil, Spain, France and the Netherlands, and given that it's only been a week since its debut, the ratings will only rise in the coming days, including in the US, as media coverage increases.

Is the Show Worth Watching?

The series will certainly remind many of the Spanish hit Money Heist, created by Álex Pina. Although it features more sophisticated heists carried out by real professionals than Baby Bandito, which is carried out by a gang of amateurs, the level of intrigue in the latter is also, let's face it, brilliant. Also, Baby Bandito, like Money Heist, is a story about socially disadvantaged people who managed to turn the whole unjust system upside down.

But in general, Baby Bandito is not a wise and profound series. Nevertheless, it is an incredibly fast-paced and gripping story, if a bit shallow. All 8 episodes are now available on Netflix.