Netflix has yet another hit show in its catalog, and it’s once again a production from Spain. It’s impossible not to compare Toy Boy to 2012’s Magic Mike and 2019’s Hustlers, which have largely redefined the portrayal of strippers on big and small screens. However, this TV series goes even further, taking cues from hit shows like Revenge, How To Get Away With Murder, and even Game of Thrones.
Toy Boy gives us everything: sex, love, crime, money, family, friendship. While we loved a lot of the characters and storylines on the show (and can’t wait for season 2!), there were also certain things that didn’t necessarily work out, or that left us wanting more.
LOVED: Beautiful Men Everywhere
Sure, the plot on Toy Boy does keep you wanting to watch more to find out whether or not Hugo is innocent. But let’s face it: Toy Boy fans probably started watching the series because it has tons of attractive male strippers who are often shirtless and being sensual. Come for the eye candy, stay for the murder mystery plot!
Actors Jesús Mosquera (Hugo), José de la Torre (Iván), Carlo Costanzia (Jairo), Javier Mora (Germán), and Carlos Scholz (Óscar) are the more obvious thirst traps, but that’s just counting the characters who are strippers. María Pedraza (Triana), Cristina Castaño (Macarena), and Nía Castro (Claudia) are beautiful, strong, and bright characters that also had viewers asking for more.
DIDN’T LOVE: Some Of The Strippers Aren’t Too Convincing
It is fair to say that the entire male cast in Magic Mike trained hard to at least ‘pass’ as strippers. Even Adam (played by Alex Pettyfer), whose entire storyline was being a newcomer to the world of stripping, seemed pretty comfortable with all the dancing from his very first lesson.
You’ll never hear complaints about any of the scenes on Toy Boy where the men were dancing and stripping, but if you do decide to watch closely, it is quite clear that some of those actors needed some extra training in swag. While it is easy to point fingers at Carlos Scholz, who played Óscar, he was far from the only one with these challenges.
LOVED: Diverse Set Of Characters With Progressive Storylines
The first season of Toy Boy had a pretty diverse set of characters that went through very progressive storylines. We had Jairo, a non-verbal queer character; Hugo, a falsely-accused man who couldn’t afford to engage in a legal standoff with his wealthy accusers; Andrea, a young gay man who was trying to overcome the sexual and emotional abuse caused by a relative; and even Óscar, who tried being a male escort and had a bad experience.
What’s more, sexual fluidity is all over Toy Boy, in a way that resembles the (also Spanish) Netflix original show Élite. If these shows have proved anything, it’s that it is possible to tell boundary-pushing stories involving characters that have been historically ignored by mainstream TV.
DIDN’T LOVE: The Love Story Between Andrea And Jairo Deserved More Depth
One can argue that Jairo slowly fell in love with a broken, sweet, and young Andrea, who had lost his father and wasn’t been given the proper tools to deal with his crumbling mental health. One can also argue that Andrea saw through Jairo’s ‘resting mean face’ and challenging profession, falling in love with the soft and kind man who – let’s face it – was also extremely attractive.
However, all the conclusions drawn in the previous paragraph were entirely between the lines. While it certainly made sense for the pair to fall in love, Toy Boy didn’t provide enough depth or nuances that justified the deep feelings that these characters felt for each other. Instead, seemingly out of nowhere, Jairo decided to care for Andrea, who, in turn, was infatuated by Jairo.
LOVED: Lots And Lots Of Plot Twists
The plot of Toy Boy season 1 employs the usual plot devices and character archetypes that Latin-American soap operas are known for. Nudity, romance, social struggles, and even the good ole ‘whodunnit.’ However, given that the first season only had 13 episodes, the story was told in a very fast pace – packing each episode with several plot twists that intertwined various separate storylines and characters.
There’s no denying that Toy Boy keeps viewers on their toes and makes them constantly second-guess theories and assumptions. With this show, if anything is ever too obvious, that’s probably because there’s a new secret waiting right around the corner.
DIDN’T LOVE: Hugo And Triana Fall In Love Out Of Nowhere
It’s never easy to set up characters to fall in love on a TV show. After all, the actors might not have good chemistry, or audiences may dislike one or both of the characters. On Toy Boy, Hugo (Jesús Mosquera) and Triana (María Pedraza) do have some chemistry on screen. However, by the time that Hugo and Triana fall in love, it feels like something is missing.
There’s not a whole lot of buildup when it comes to the love story between Hugo and Triana. Toy Boy shows these characters developing trust as lawyer and client, as Triana slowly realizes that Hugo is indeed innocent and telling the truth. However, that’s an entirely professional development. Overall, very little evidence is left for viewers to convince themselves that Triana actually just happened to fall in love with Hugo against all odds.
LOVED: Netflix Originals From Spain Are Stronger Than Ever
It is undeniable that studios and broadcast networks from Spain have had an unprecedented success with original shows that have become Netflix exclusives over the last few years, Toy Boy just being the newest example. Several Netflix originals from Spain – Money Heist, Élite, High Seas – have become hit shows around the world, in many ways competing for viewers with major U.S. productions.
This phenomenon shows that the talent to create TV properties with global appeal is stronger than ever in Spain, with writers, directors, and actors that are pushing boundaries and telling stories that never get lost in translation. Given that Netflix is a global reach, these properties have become extremely valuable to the streaming service.
DIDN’T LOVE: Some Of The Acting Is Rough
Given that Toy Boy has intentionally soapy dialogue, storylines, and character archetypes, one can argue that there’s only so much an actor can do to elevate the material. However, while certain actors managed to cut through the lines and deliver good performances, some didn’t quite get there.
Most of the men on Toy Boy are guilty of noticeable and regular ‘smizes,’ out-of-place grand reactions, and superficial interpretations of certain character traits. For instance, characters like the sweet Jairo came off a bit doofus, the traumatized Andrea felt one-dimensional, and Hugo was unable to display a wide range of emotions on his face.
LOVED: The Clash Of Powerful Clans
Powerful clans clashing with each other is a tale as old as time, but there’s something about the dynamic between the Medinas and the Rojas that makes Toy Boy slightly different from other similar shows.
There’s an undeniable Game of Thrones quality to the Medina-Rojas conflict on Toy Boy – two rich and powerful families from Marbella who hate each other but depend on each other. This subtle but very significant nuance elevates the conflict we see on Toy Boy, as the Medinas and the Rojas have to play nice with each other for most of season 1.
DIDN’T LOVE: Macarena’s Place In The Story Is Completely Unfocused
Macarena is one of the most interesting characters to watch on Toy Boy. She likes open relationships and sexual power struggles. She’s a powerful businesswoman who does risky financial moves. She’s a worried mother who wants to help her son recover from mental and physical abuse.
While all of Macarena’s traits and storylines were compelling to watch, there was a sense that Toy Boy didn’t exactly know how to compartmentalize these ideas. Macarena would often be focused on solving one life-or-death issue, only to immediately drop it as a different problem presented itself. And that was the theme for Macarena on season 1: jumping around from one thing to the next, often without resolution, completely unfocused.