A veterinarian who spent years treating farm animals is not the obvious person to embrace luxury pet services. Yet Antón has somehow settled into his new professional life.
That relative peace is about to end when Old Dog, New Tricks returns to Netflix on January 1, 2027.
The streaming service announced the date on October 27, releasing a promotional video and first-look images from the Spanish comedy's second season. Known as Animal in Spain, the show originally premiered on October 3, 2025.
Luis Zahera returns as Antón, a Galician veterinarian whose financial difficulties pushed him away from traditional agricultural practice and into the much more fashionable business of caring for urban pets.
The new season begins with Antón enjoying an unexpectedly comfortable position at Kawanda Urban in Santiago de Compostela. He has earned the respect of his clients and colleagues, and he appears to have established a good relationship with his boss, Mike.
Then his niece Uxía returns, bringing ideas that are almost guaranteed to irritate him.
Two veterinary approaches collide
Uxía, played by Lucía Caraballo, has completed a course in ethology, the scientific study of animal behavior.
She joins the practice and must share consultation space with her uncle, creating the foundation for a fresh series of disagreements.
Antón tends to approach veterinary problems by looking for physical causes. Uxía is more concerned with emotional and behavioral factors.
Netflix's official description suggests that every diagnosis will become a contest between the two approaches.
The conflict builds on the first season's central idea. Antón comes from a rural environment where animals are closely connected to agricultural work, and practical decisions are shaped by financial limitations.
Uxía represents an expanding culture of specialized pet care, where owners pay close attention to their animals' emotional well-being and often expect highly personalized services.
Their differences provide comedy, but they also reflect the wider changes taking place in the professional world that Antón has reluctantly entered.
The new season does not simply return him to his previous position as an outsider. Instead, it places him in a job where he has begun to feel confident, only to challenge that confidence through another family member.
A pet funeral business brings unexpected wealth
The second season introduces a rather unusual business opportunity.
Antón, Uxía and Mike decide to establish a pet burial service. Their venture becomes surprisingly successful, bringing an unexpected wave of prosperity to the fictional Galician village of Topomorto.
The idea follows naturally from the series' interest in changing attitudes toward pets. Antón initially struggled to understand the willingness of some owners to spend considerable sums on services for their animals.
Now he finds himself involved in a business built around the emotional importance those animals have in their owners' lives.
But the apparent success has consequences beyond the veterinary practice.
New residents arrive in Topomorto, unfamiliar trends spread, and the village begins changing in ways that Antón finds increasingly unsettling.
As the financial boom continues, he starts suspecting that something is wrong. The official synopsis confirms that Antón will attempt to uncover the truth behind the unexpected prosperity.
Netflix has not revealed what that investigation will uncover, leaving the nature of the mystery open.
It does, however, suggest that Season 2 will expand the show's storytelling beyond workplace comedy into a broader investigation involving the entire community.
Álvaro Mel joins the central cast
Zahera and Caraballo remain the foundation of Old Dog, New Tricks, but the new episodes give Álvaro Mel an important role as Mike.
The actor, previously seen in A Perfect Story and The Lady's Companion, plays Antón's manager at Kawanda Urban.
Netflix announced Mel's participation in April 2026, when the platform confirmed that work had begun on the show's second and third seasons.
Mike's position creates an interesting relationship with Antón. He is both the veterinarian's employer and a partner in the new pet funeral venture, placing their professional relationship within a business that will affect the wider community.
Carmen Ruiz also returns, while the announced ensemble includes Adrián Viador, Raquel Nogueira, Pepo Suevos and Lucía Veiga.
Netflix has not yet provided detailed descriptions of every supporting character's storyline.
For Zahera, the series continues to offer a comic role that differs from some of his more intense dramatic performances. His portrayal of Antón relies on impatience, stubbornness and an instinctive resistance to fashionable trends.
The character's underlying affection for family and animals prevents those qualities from becoming the entirety of his personality.
International recognition for a distinctly Galician comedy
Old Dog, New Tricks has also received recognition beyond Spain.
The series is nominated for Best Comedy at the 2026 International Emmy Awards, according to Netflix's October announcement.
The nomination is an achievement in its own right, but the award has not yet been decided. The ceremony is scheduled for November 2026.
The first season explored the difficulties facing Antón after his rural veterinary business lost customers. Farmers in his community could no longer afford his services, forcing him to accept a position at the upscale pet store managed by his niece.
That premise gave the comedy a specific social background. Antón's difficulties were connected not only to his personality, but also to changes in the rural economy.
The first season was filmed in Galicia, using locations around A Coruña and Santiago de Compostela to represent the fictional community of Topomorto.
The new storyline returns to that community, but reverses its economic circumstances. Instead of struggling with a lack of money, the village suddenly becomes prosperous.
Whether that prosperity is genuinely beneficial becomes one of the questions driving Antón's investigation.
Season 3 is already in development
Netflix has shown considerable confidence in the comedy's future.
In April 2026, the company announced that production had begun on both Season 2 and Season 3.
A third season has therefore already been ordered, even though the second has not yet premiered. Netflix has not announced a release date for that later installment.
The series was created by Víctor García León, who continues to contribute to the writing alongside Teresa Bellón and César Calvillo.
Laura M. Campos and Manu Gómez direct Season 2, with Aitor Gabilondo, Jota Aceytuno and García León serving as executive producers.
Alea Media remains the production company behind the series.
Netflix's latest announcement does not specify the number of episodes in Season 2 or whether they will be released simultaneously. Those details remain unconfirmed.
A New Year's Day return for Antón and Uxía
The confirmed premiere date is Friday, January 1, 2027, on Netflix.
As of October 28, 2026, the new episodes remain upcoming. The platform has released promotional material and a storyline description, but audiences have not yet seen the completed second season.
The central situation is clear enough. Antón has learned to live with the eccentricities of modern pet ownership, only to find his expertise challenged by his newly qualified niece.
At the same time, an improbable business venture transforms the fortunes of his hometown and leads him toward a mystery he cannot ignore.
For a character who dislikes change, the new season promises an uncomfortable discovery: adapting once does not mean the world will stop changing around him.
