Alicia’s Law Review: ★★★½☆ (3.5/5)
Alicia’s Law is a warm, watchable drama about a woman rebuilding her career after a public scandal. Fernanda Castillo is excellent, but the legal cases are dull, and the show plays too safe with its source.
Rating: ★★★½☆ (3.5/5)
Genre: Legal Drama
Language: Spanish
Directors: Erik Baeza, José Ramón Chávez and Ana Lorena Pérez Ríos
Cast: Fernanda Castillo, Michel Brown, Juan Manuel Bernal, Claudio Roca, Caro Darman
Episodes: 10
Original Title: La Ley de Alicia
What do you do when your husband goes to jail and your private life becomes public gossip? In Alicia’s Law, you go back to work. The Netflix Mexican series is based on the American drama The Good Wife, and it has ten episodes. It does not fully find its own voice, but it has enough heart to keep you watching.
Alicia, played by Fernanda Castillo, thought her life was fine. Then her husband Aurelio, played by Juan Manuel Bernal, is convicted of corruption and sent to prison. Soon after, videos link him to a sexual scandal, and Alicia and her children become targets of public judgment.
After 20 years away from law, she decides to practise again. Her new job is at a firm run by David, played by Michel Brown, who was her boyfriend in college. Now she must prove she can still do the work, while also figuring out what she really wants from life.
The best part of the show is not the scandal. It is Alicia’s return to work. Twenty years is a long gap, and she cannot simply put on a suit and act as if nothing happened. She has to learn new ways, earn respect, and find her place in a workplace that has changed.
The series does not pretend she has everything figured out. Watching her slowly get her confidence back, especially when she thinks like a lawyer instead of a wife or mother, is the most satisfying thread in the story.
Fernanda Castillo is the main reason to keep going. She balances weakness and strength with care. Alicia is fighting a private battle but does not want anyone to see it, and Castillo plays that very well. She never overplays the emotion. There are many moments when Alicia must stay professional while her personal life is falling apart, and Castillo handles them with ease.
The relationship between Alicia and David is interesting, though a bit cliched. An old college love who now gives her a career chance is a nice way to bring back an old story. It adds an emotional twist to what could have been a plain office drama. Still, it needed more depth, and at times it feels like another romance added just to keep the personal plot moving.
Aurelio also stays in the story even when he is not on screen. His scandal caused the chaos, but the show wisely avoids making things too simple. Alicia’s feelings for him have deep roots, and the chance of him returning raises hard questions about loyalty, duty, and whether a marriage can survive public betrayal. It is good to see a series that does not paint everything in black and white.
Now for the weak side. The legal cases are the biggest problem. They should be a key part of the show, especially for a woman coming back after two decades. A few sharp, tricky cases would have proved her skills and made her return feel earned. Instead, many of the cases feel dull and seem to pull attention away from the family drama. The writers also missed a chance to link the cases to Alicia’s own struggles.
The comparison with The Good Wife is unavoidable. Using the same structure is fine, but I hoped the Mexican version would build its own personality. There was room to place Alicia’s story in a clearly Mexican setting, and the early episodes do not use that chance enough.
If you want more to watch on Netflix, our Murder in Galicia review covers a slow Spanish true crime series. For a royal story with a farewell, try our The Empress Season 3 review, and for a medical drama with heart, read our Miracles of the ER review.
Alicia’s Law has a strong lead and a good idea at its core. Better cases and a bolder voice would have made it great.
Alicia’s Law is now streaming on Netflix.