Netflix’s new disaster mini-series is captivating audiences with its gripping depiction of a volcanic eruption and its potential global consequences.
From zombie outbreaks to asteroid collisions, the disaster genre has long captured our imaginations.
A new series joins this thrilling tradition with a unique premise: a volcanic explosion on the Canary Islands triggers a series of events that could reshape the world.
Already charting in Netflix’s Top 10 in the UK, the series has viewers riveted, with one writing: “The most nerve-wracking four episodes I’ve ever binged. Incredible!”
A second adds: “An ecological nightmare brought to life with stunning visuals and raw emotion.”
“I didn’t expect to be this hooked. The stakes feel so real,” agrees a third.
A fourth pens: “A perfect mix of science and suspense. Netflix really outdid itself this time.”
While a fifth writes: “It feels like a warning disguised as entertainment.”
Created by Martin Sundland (The Quake), Lars Gudmestad (Headhunters), and Harald Rosenløw Eeg (The Wave), La Palma was directed by Kasper Barfoed (The Nurse).
The series, co-written by Gudmestad and Rosenløw Eeg, stars Thea Sofie Loch Næss, Anders Baasmo Christiansen, and Ingrid Bolsø Berdal.
The plot follows a family on a holiday to La Palma, where their idyllic Christmas is interrupted by ominous volcanic activity.
As a young scientist uncovers signs of an impending eruption at Cumbre Vieja volcano, the family finds themselves in a fight for survival against ash, gas, and lava.
But the stakes go far beyond the island, as the eruption threatens to displace a massive chunk of land into the ocean, triggering a tsunami with the potential to devastate coastlines across the Atlantic.
What sets La Palma apart is its grounding in real-world science.
The series is based on a 2001 hypothesis by Steven N. Ward and Simon Day, which speculated that a volcanic collapse at Cumbre Vieja could lead to a ‘mega-tsunami.’
However, more recent studies, including one by the United States Geological Survey in 2021, cast doubt on this scenario, suggesting that such collapses occur incrementally rather than in a single catastrophic event.
Interestingly, Cumbre Vieja last erupted in 2021, and while destructive, it did not cause the dramatic chain reaction depicted in the series.
