Sherlock Holmes is on the case — well, sort of. Netflix has released the official trailer for The Final Problem (El problema final), an old-school whodunnit that traps 13 people at an isolated hotel, turns an apparent suicide into murder and hands the investigation to a retired actor whose most famous role just happened to be the world’s greatest detective. Watch the trailer above.
Set in the spring of 1959, the four-episode Spanish limited series unfolds on a small island off the coast of Mallorca, where a violent storm has left the guests and staff of a secluded hotel cut off from the outside world. Then English tourist Elisa Mander is found dead.
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What initially looks like suicide quickly begins to fall apart. “Would you put on makeup if you intended to hang yourself?” asks Basil (José Coronado), spotting one of the details suggesting someone at the hotel may have committed murder.
Sherlock Holmes — Without Sherlock Holmes
Basil knows a thing or two about detective work. At least, in theory.
Years spent pretending to be Sherlock Holmes on the big screen are suddenly getting a very real-world test. With the authorities unable to reach the island, Basil reluctantly steps into the investigator role once again — only this time there are no scripts, retakes or conveniently written solutions.
The trailer has fun with the distinction. Those around Basil are more than happy to remind him that, for all those years playing a master detective, he is still “just an actor”.
Still, the clues are piling up, everyone appears to have something to hide and Basil looks increasingly determined to find out who among them may be a killer.
He has some help. María Valverde plays Adela Figueroa, a mysterious young woman travelling with a friend, while Martiño Rivas is Foxá, an aspiring thriller writer who joins Basil in searching for answers. Maribel Verdú plays Mrs. Ausländer, the hotel’s manager, whose composure is tested as suspicion begins spreading through the group.
The ensemble also includes Gonzalo de Castro as ambitious film director Fonseca, Cristina Kovani as a young actor, José Condessa and Pepón Nieto.
A Whodunnit with Plenty of Literary DNA
The Final Problem is based on acclaimed Spanish author Arturo Pérez-Reverte’s bestselling 2023 novel of the same name, conceived as a tribute to classic puzzle mysteries and writers including Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie.
The Holmes references run deeper than the basic premise. Basil himself is a nod to Basil Rathbone, one of the most famous actors to portray Sherlock Holmes on screen, while The Final Problem shares its title with Conan Doyle’s famous 1893 story that pitted Holmes against Professor Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls.
The Creatives
Félix Viscarret (Four Seasons in Havana) directs the limited series, with Alberto Macías, Carlos Molinero and Marisol Farré adapting Pérez-Reverte’s novel. Fernando Bovaira produces for Mod Producciones, with Urko Errazquin serving as executive producer.
Release Date
The Final Problem will premiere globally on Netflix on September 25, 2026.
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