Are There Continuing Episodes of Patria TV Series?

No, Patria does not have continuing episodes beyond its original eight-episode run. The HBO limited series concluded on November 8, 2020, with its eighth and final episode titled “Mañana de domingo” (Sunday Morning), completing the entire story from Fernando Aramburu’s novel.

The series was always conceived as a limited miniseries with a definitive beginning and end. Creator Aitor Gabilondo explicitly stated from the outset that the story would be told in eight episodes across a single season, with no plans for additional content.

Understanding Patria as a Limited Series

Patria premiered on September 27, 2020, as a limited series produced by Alea Media for HBO Europe. The format differs fundamentally from traditional ongoing television series that renew for multiple seasons. A limited series tells a complete, self-contained story with a predetermined endpoint.

The eight episodes span approximately 428 minutes total, with each installment running between 53 and 58 minutes. HBO released the first two episodes simultaneously on the premiere date, then followed a weekly release schedule for the remaining six episodes. This deliberate pacing allowed viewers to absorb the emotionally intense material while building anticipation between installments.

The series adapts Fernando Aramburu’s 646-page novel of the same name, published in 2016. Like the source material, the television adaptation tells a complete narrative arc that concludes with resolution between the two protagonist families. The story covers several decades of the Basque conflict, from the violent years of the 1980s and 1990s through ETA’s 2011 ceasefire announcement.

Why There Won’t Be a Second Season

Multiple factors confirm that Patria will remain a single-season limited series with no continuation.

Creative Completion

Aitor Gabilondo made his intentions clear in interviews following the series premiere. He told Spanish media outlet Espinof that continuing the story would serve no purpose: “I believe this story is what it is and ends where it ends. It wouldn’t make sense to continue.” The creator emphasized that while the historical period and universe could potentially support other stories from different perspectives, the specific narrative of Bittori and Miren reaches its natural conclusion.

The podcast “Patria, El Podcast,” produced by HBO Spain and Spotify, features Gabilondo discussing his creative decisions. He explained that he initially considered more than eight episodes but ultimately found that eight provided the perfect structure. He conceived the series in two distinct parts—episodes one through four and five through eight—with episode five serving as a second narrative beginning after Txato’s murder.

Source Material Adaptation

Fernando Aramburu’s novel provides a complete narrative with a definitive ending focused on reconciliation and recognition between former friends torn apart by terrorism. The television series faithfully adapts this complete arc, leaving no narrative threads unresolved. Aramburu himself has not written a sequel to Patria, nor has he expressed interest in expanding the story beyond its original scope.

Literary adaptations often face the question of continuation when the source material is complete. While some series like “Big Little Lies” or “The Handmaid’s Tale” have extended beyond their source novels, this typically happens when writers identify unexplored territory or audience demand justifies creative expansion. In Patria’s case, the story’s power comes precisely from its completeness and the emotional catharsis of its ending.

Industry Classification

HBO and other platforms categorized Patria as a “miniseries” or “limited series” from its announcement. This classification carries specific industry meaning—it signals to audiences, cast, and crew that the project has a fixed scope. Unlike open-ended series that renew based on viewership and critical reception, limited series operate on different production and contractual terms.

The series received recognition in awards categories specifically for limited series or television movies, further cementing its status as a complete work rather than an ongoing program. At the 2021 Feroz Awards, Patria competed in limited series categories and won multiple honors, including Best Drama Series.

The Eight Episodes of Patria

The complete series consists of eight carefully structured episodes, each advancing the intertwined timelines of past and present.

Episode 1: “Octubre benigno” (Benign October) — 58 minutes The series opens in 2011 as Bittori returns to her Basque village following ETA’s ceasefire announcement. She visits her husband Txato’s grave, seeking answers about his unsolved murder decades earlier. Flashbacks establish the close friendship between Bittori and Miren before tragedy divided them.

Episode 2: “Encuentros” (Encounters) — 54 minutes Bittori’s return creates tension throughout the village, particularly with Miren, whose son Joxe Mari is imprisoned for terrorism. Both families struggle with the weight of the past as Bittori’s children reunite to support their mother.

Episode 3: “Últimas meriendas” (Last Afternoon Snacks) — 53 minutes Bittori intensifies her investigation into Txato’s killer. Flashbacks show the escalating threats against Txato and the growing radicalization of Joxe Mari, while present-day scenes reveal the lasting trauma on both families’ younger generations.

Episode 4: “Txato, entzun” (Txato, Listen) — 57 minutes ETA delivers dangerous orders to Joxe Mari’s cell, increasing pressure on Txato. This episode marks the series’ turning point, depicting the violence that permanently shattered the families’ lives. Bittori writes a letter to Joxe Mari seeking truth.

Episode 5: “El país de los callados” (The Land of the Silent) — 59 minutes Arantxa, Miren’s daughter, secretly allies with Bittori, reaching out to her imprisoned brother against her mother’s wishes. The episode explores how silence and complicity enabled violence to flourish in Basque society.

Episode 6: “Patrias y mandangas” (Homelands and Nonsense) — 53 minutes Authorities place Joxe Mari on the Most Wanted Terrorist List as his activities intensify. Small gestures toward reconciliation begin emerging between the families, though deep wounds remain unhealed.

Episode 7: “Pan ensangrentado” (Bloodied Bread) — 55 minutes Police capture Joxe Mari’s cell, shocking both families. Questions arise about his specific involvement in Txato’s murder. The episode examines how violence traumatized Arantxa and Nerea, Bittori’s daughter, shaping their adult relationships.

Episode 8: “Mañana de domingo” (Sunday Morning) — 54 minutes Bittori finally receives a letter from Joxe Mari. The series concludes with her returning to the cemetery to share the truth with Txato’s memory, finding a measure of peace and resolution after decades of anguish.

Where to Watch Patria

Despite concluding its original run in 2020, Patria remains available through multiple streaming platforms.

HBO Max (now rebranded as Max) houses the complete eight-episode series in regions where the service operates. The series is available with both English subtitles and dubbing, though many viewers recommend the original Spanish audio with subtitles to preserve the authentic performances.

Amazon Prime Video offers Patria through the HBO Max channel subscription. Users with Prime membership can add HBO Max as a premium channel to access the series alongside other HBO content.

In Spain, the series aired on Telecinco in fall 2022, making it available to broader audiences through free-to-air television. This broadcast came two years after the initial HBO streaming release, introducing the series to viewers without subscription services.

The series was produced with international distribution in mind and premiered simultaneously in 21 countries, including Spain, Latin America, and the United States. This wide release reflected HBO Europe’s growing investment in Spanish-language prestige drama and the novel’s international literary success.

Critical Reception and Cultural Impact

Patria earned acclaim as one of Spain’s most significant television achievements, praised for its nuanced approach to the Basque conflict.

Critics highlighted the series’ commitment to depicting multiple perspectives without simplifying the complex moral terrain of terrorism and its aftermath. Rather than presenting heroes and villains, the show explores how ordinary people navigated impossible choices under the shadow of political violence.

Elena Irureta’s performance as Bittori received particular recognition, with critics noting her ability to convey decades of grief, anger, and determination. Ane Gabarain’s portrayal of Miren brought equal complexity to a character whose son’s actions forced her into impossible positions between maternal love and moral responsibility.

The series holds an 8.2 rating on IMDb based on thousands of user reviews. International critics who covered the San Sebastián Film Festival premiere, where all eight episodes screened before the streaming release, called it “a deeply moving experience” and praised its “brooding, emotionally claustophobic atmosphere.”

Spanish audiences particularly responded to the series’ authenticity. Filming in actual Basque locations including Soraluze, Elgoibar, and San Sebastián, with a predominantly Basque cast speaking authentic dialects, grounded the story in genuine cultural detail. This commitment to authenticity distinguished Patria from previous fictional treatments of the ETA conflict.

The series sparked important conversations about memory, reconciliation, and truth-telling in Spanish society. Its premiere coincided with ongoing debates about how Spain should remember and process the ETA era, now that the group has definitively ceased operations. Some viewers saw the series as a necessary cathartic experience, while others debated specific narrative choices and their implications.

The Novel vs. The Series

Fernando Aramburu’s novel and Aitor Gabilondo’s adaptation share the same core story but employ different narrative techniques suited to their respective mediums.

The novel’s 646 pages unfold through multiple first-person narrators, allowing readers direct access to characters’ interior thoughts and justifications. Aramburu uses this technique to create empathy for all perspectives while never excusing violence or suffering. The book’s structure jumps between time periods and viewpoints in a carefully orchestrated pattern that gradually reveals the full picture.

The television series maintains this multi-perspective approach through visual storytelling and performance. Rather than voice-over narration, the show uses parallel timelines and intimate cinematography to convey characters’ emotional states. The series condenses and rearranges some elements while preserving the novel’s essential themes of silence, complicity, and the possibility of reconciliation.

One significant adaptation choice involved the bilingual reality of the Basque country. While the novel is written entirely in Spanish, the series incorporates Basque language (Euskera) in natural contexts, reflecting how families switched between languages based on setting and emotional register. This linguistic authenticity added texture to the adaptation while occasionally challenging even Spanish-speaking audiences.

Some viewers who read the novel first noted that the series necessarily simplifies certain subplots and secondary characters due to time constraints. However, most agreed that the adaptation captured the book’s emotional core and moral complexity. The visual medium allowed the series to convey traumatic events and their aftermath through performance and cinematography in ways that complemented the novel’s literary approach.

Potential Spinoffs and Related Content

While Patria itself will not continue, creator Aitor Gabilondo hasn’t entirely closed the door on exploring the Basque conflict through different narrative lenses.

In interviews, Gabilondo suggested that while Bittori and Miren’s specific story is complete, the historical period and broader universe could support other stories told from different angles. He mentioned that exploring the conflict through other families or communities would be “desirable” if approached with the same commitment to nuance and truth.

HBO Spain produced “Patria, El Podcast” as a companion piece to the series. Hosted by Bernardo Pajares and Aitor Gabilondo, the podcast features eight episodes corresponding to the series episodes. Guests include author Fernando Aramburu, cast members like Elena Irureta, Ane Gabarain, Loreto Mauleón, and Iñigo Aranbarri, along with directors and technical crew. The podcast explores the creative process, production challenges, and thematic depth behind each episode.

“La noche de Patria” (The Night of Patria), a documentary that aired on Telecinco alongside the first episode, provided historical context about ETA and featured conversations between terrorism victims and former ETA members. This companion programming helped viewers unfamiliar with the Basque conflict understand the real-world background informing the fictional drama.

Several articles exploring second season possibilities noted that the show’s younger characters—particularly Arantxa, Nerea, Xabier, and Joxe Mari—could theoretically support future stories. These characters face ongoing challenges related to their families’ pasts that extend beyond the series’ conclusion. However, no concrete plans for such projects have emerged from HBO or the production team.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will Patria return for Season 2?

No. Creator Aitor Gabilondo confirmed that Patria was always intended as a limited series with eight episodes telling a complete story. He stated that continuing would serve no narrative purpose since the story reaches its natural conclusion.

How many episodes does Patria have?

Patria consists of eight episodes ranging from 53 to 59 minutes each, totaling approximately 428 minutes. All eight episodes constitute a single season that tells the complete story.

Is Patria based on a true story?

Patria is fictional but draws from real historical events. It’s based on Fernando Aramburu’s novel, which explores the human impact of ETA terrorism through fictional families representing different perspectives within Basque society. While the characters are invented, the social and political context accurately reflects the lived experience of the Basque conflict from the 1980s through 2011.

Where can I watch all episodes of Patria?

The complete series is available on HBO Max (Max), Amazon Prime Video with the HBO Max channel, and through various international HBO platforms depending on your region. Check your local streaming services for availability in your country.

The eight episodes of Patria tell a powerful, complete story about terrorism, trauma, and the difficult path toward truth and reconciliation. The series stands as a finished work that requires no continuation to fulfill its artistic and emotional purpose. For those seeking deeper engagement with the material, the source novel and companion podcast offer additional perspectives on this significant chapter in Spanish history and its lasting human consequences.