Globoplay, the freemium streaming service of Brazilian media giant Globo, has renewed flagship series “Dissident Archangel” for a fourth season as Latin America’s biggest local streamer is hitting pay dust forging franchises of its own making, led by stylish crime action thrillers which question their own brutality.
“Sessão de Terapia,” Brazil’s equivalent of “In Treatment,” both re-versioning Israeli original “BeTipul,” has also been re-upped for a sixth season.
The renewals come after acclaimed ER drama “Under Pressure,” screened at Toronto, ran to five instalments over 2017-22; “The Others” returns this August and “Rensga Hits!” later this year, with a third season completing production.
Brazil’s First ‘Afroverso’: ‘Anti-Kidnapping Unit,’ ‘Dissident Archangel,’ ‘The Game’
Why Globoplay homegrown franchises are lifting off is another question. The most impactful answer is three series made with AfroReggae Audiovisual, the film-TV offshoot of Grupo Cultural AfroReggae, a Rio-based NGO created to offer other futures to favela residents than poverty and violence. All three series are created by José Junior, AfroReggae Audiovisual’s CEO.
“The timeline of a show, from greenlight to release, tends to be at least two years, sometimes much longer. To be “current” at the time of release means to have been somehow prescient at the time of approval,” said Alex Madeiros, head of content, drama & documentaries, Globoplay Originals.
Based on true facts, the series – “Anti-Kidnapping Unit,” “Dissident Archangel” and now “The Game” (“O Jogo que mudou e historia”) – touch a national nerve, playing to Brazilians’ fear of and fascination with violence and a deep distrust of its political elites.
Set in the 1990s, “Anti-Kidnapping Unit,” now heading for a fourth-season, features a squad whose members are mostly corrupt.
In Biblical lore, Archangel Michael, brandishing a mighty sword, is the commander of the heavenly forces taking care of Israel. In “Dissident Archangel,” Sergeant Mickael, toting a semi-automatic, heads up Rio’s Archangel Squad of Brazil’s BOPE special intervention unit. But by early Season 2, he comes to question the tactics and motives of the God who has appointed him, the Governor of Rio.
Airing on Globoplay from June 13, “The Game” traces the origins of organized crime in Rio back to a ferocious 1970s face-off between different factions in Ilha Grande Penitentiary, brought to a head by a soccer game. Enrolling some of Brazil’s greatest directors – Vicente Amorim (“Senna,” “Dirty Hearts”) for “Unit,” Heitor Dhalia (“Drained,” “Bald Mountain”) for “Archangel” and Dhalia and Matias Mariani (“Shine Your Eyes”) for “Jogo” – the series are shot with high-style, “Archangel” often in deep shadow, and little depth of field, close-ups of weapons, an impactful soundtrack, Michael emerging as a granite featured doubting figure of mythos in a world of fallen gods.
All three AfroReggae Audiovisual shows have been “very successful,” said Madeiros. Bowing in 2019, when Globoplay’s subscription service was not much over a year old, “Anti-Kidnapping Unit” proved “a strong subscription driver.” “Dissident Archangel” was a “game changer, and not just for us, as it has proven to be hugely influential in Brazilian TV and film. We have definitely seen an increase in action shows all around. As of July 3, “The Game” remains Globoplay’s most watched series.
One key aspect to franchise success, Madeiros maintained, is a balance between creating “a strongest first season possible.” “The reality is that these days you never know if you’ll have another season, so you might as well deliver as much story as you can without destroying your core narrative structure. Your audience will thank you. In any case, speaking for myself and for our Globoplay Originals, I definitely ask for much faster-paced scripts now than I did when I developed shows for linear TV,” he added.
Created and written by Lucas Paraízo, who penned 34 episodes of “Under Pressure,” “The Others” is a case in point. Set in a high-rise condominium in Barra de Tijuca, west of Rio, it begins with the meek son of a couple suffering a vicious beating at the fists of a neighbors’ brutalized son. The consequences spiral out of control, taking in rape, collusion of corrupt security services, incarceration and the death of several protagonists. All in a 12-episode Season 1, tackling miscommunication and masculinity.
‘Dissident Archangel’
Balancing Portfolio: “The Others,” “Rensga Hits!” Horror Shows
Globoplay is not a one trick action thriller pony. “The Others” weighs in as an unsettling edge-of-the seat family melodrama.
Produced with Glaz Entretenimiento, “Rensga Hits!” delivers a spirited take on two young women trying to make it in pop country music. One abandons her douchebag fiancé at the altar. The other, a half sister of near fairy-tale dastardliness, will do what it takes to thwart her success. “This show is fast, it’s funny, it’s emotional, and it’s a musical,” said Madeiros.
The Brazilian streamer has essayed bios, such as “Living on a Razor’s Edge,” created again by the prolific Jose Junior, a tender and some warts bio set under and after Brazil’s 1965-84 military dictatorship of Herbert de Souza, one of Brazil’s leading AIDs and anti-poverty activists. The show pulled off a rare double of selection at both Berlinale Market Selects and Canneseries competition, the Globoplay Original eight-episode series also marks the first full series directorial outing of actor Julio Andrade, famed for his lead role in “Under Pressure,” who here also plays de Souza. Andrade helms with panache and a broad gamut of styles, the tragedy-laced life of a man who, a victim of haemophilia and tuberculosis, just thinks he’s lucky to live.
Globoplay is set to premiere a prequel series to its kids & family series, “Monica and Friends,” produced with Biônica Filmes and based on the comic books by Mauricio de Sousa, which Madeiros hails as the biggest Brazilian kids IP ever.
Two horror shows are also in the pipeline. “One is a vampire show that should appeal to younger viewers and the other is a darker, more adult series set in rural Brazil and dealing with possession and reincarnation. Both shows are commissions from our Estúdios Globo,” Madeiros commented.
Ways Forward for Globoplay
Powering up franchises and focusing on balancing its portfolio, Globoplay is also looking abroad. On one hand, it has had interests in its franchises as formats. The company will soon present “Rensga Hits!” as a scripted format to international players, for example. “The storyline is accessible and it deals with universal themes, so I think it would be natural to transfer it to another region and another musical genre. This blend of lighter genres, including romance, is interesting to us,” Madeiros noted. “And while we are focused on creating Brazilian stories for Brazilian viewers, we are also working on international coproduction deals which will add new layers to that portfolio,” he added.
Variety talked to Madeiros about Globoplay’s powerful line in action thrillers.
“The Game” is announced as a “super production.” Is that a reference to its scale, crowd scenes, use of VFX, or what?
A little bit of all of this, but mostly scale and scope. The series was shot in 58 different locations, including six favelas, employing 240 actors and over 4,000 extras. We have 12 main characters, whose storylines connect and intertwine along the season, until they climax and explode in the last two episodes. It’s a delicate tapestry of a script, and it’s an unusual structure as several episodes are basically feature-length. And it’s that rare story which is both epic and intimate, both shocking and moving. I really believe “The Game” is unlike any show seen before. The creator, José Júnior, and the director, Heitor Dhalia, deserve all the credit for their efforts in creating a truly unforgettable experience. By the way, Heitor is a partner at Paranoid, who partnered with AfroReggae for this series.
There is a lot of artistic ambition behind the story. José has been working on the concept for about ten years, and Heitor has been involved for at least five. “The Game” of the title has two meanings. First, an actual soccer match between two favela teams, which resulted in a bloodbath and started a 25-year-long gang war which left scars in the city of Rio that are felt to this day. But “The Game” is also a metaphor for drug-dealing, for crime in general and even for life itself. This series is rooted in our history and our most serious social issues, and I think people in Brazil and in other countries will be able to relate to the universal themes that are explored.
I should also point out the great cast, which blends well-established film and television stars with lesser known, but experienced actors, and great, up-and-coming young talent. Without their deep commitment, the series wouldn’t work. And, by the way, our cast is 71% black, a figure we’re very proud of.
‘Anti-Kidnapping Unit’
Credit: Cesar Diogenes
Situations and characters repeat from one series to another in those made with AfroReggae Audiovisual. Could you give some instances?
Sure. The series are indeed connected. I suggested the shared universe approach to AfroReggae’s showrunner, José Júnior, back when we were developing the second season of “Dissident Archangel” and the third season of “Anti-Kidnapping Unit”. I thought it would be fun to apply the expanded universe logic to gritty and realistic narratives, as it’s mostly only been done in fantasy content.
Here are a few examples. In the third season of “Anti-Kidnapping Unit”, which is set in the late 1990s, the protagonists, Mendonça and Santiago, team up with another cop, Afonso, who happens to be the father of Mikhael, the protagonist of “Dissident Archangel”, which is set in the present day. (By the way, Mikhael is played by Marcello Melo Jr and Afonso is played by his real father, Marcello Melo.) In “The Game”, which is set in the 1970s and 1980s, there is an American nun who does charity work at the maximum security prison where part of the series takes place. We will meet a much older version of her in the third season of “Dissident Archangel”. In the same season, we’ll also see older versions of other key characters from both “Anti-Kidnapping Unit” and “Dissident Archangel.”
The effect is to create what is called an “Afroverso,” which raises the status of any individual series as part of a bigger IP. Could you comment?
Yes. I believe these connections make this world, which is fictional, but realistic, feel lived-in, and therefore more credible, more palpable. It’s also a nice reward for our fans when they spot characters from one show appearing in another. One thing I’ve learned in the world of streaming, you can’t be stingy. Simply give your audience as much as you can. Give them relatable characters with relatable dilemmas, give them fast-paced stories, give them hooks and cliffhangers, and give them more surprises if you can.
At Spain’s Conecta Fiction, Javiera Balmaceda, Amazon Studios’ head of international originals, Latin America, commented that Amazon Studios would continue to grow in the space of action thrillers and true crime. Does Globoplay also plan to do this?
Actually we already have a large portfolio in both genres. We have new seasons and new IP’s in our pipeline for next year and beyond, including true crime documentaries, which are also very important to us. We will continue to produce these shows as long as we are able to keep our success rate.
Can you see Brazil emerging as an acknowledged master of crime action thrillers?
Yes. We already have a strong tradition in film, with “City of God”, “Elite Squad” and others. And right now our shows are attracting a lot of international attention and all the foreign streaming players that are producing drama in Brazil (Disney, Warner, Netflix, Amazon) have their own local crime series. I think this will continue to grow as the best Brazilian crime shows tend to be unique, they tend to have a background in social inequality and class struggle, without sacrificing the action and excitement. You can say there is a Brazilian trademark style in the genre. Even some telenovelas have embraced the genre, such as TV Globo’s “Edge of Desire” and more recently our Globoplay Original, “Hidden Truths 2.” Both of these titles had great international exposure.
Where can you see Globoplay growth coming from in the immediate future?
I feel we have been able to create a diverse portfolio in which most of our drama shows appeal to wide audiences, while still reserving some space for some niched and perhaps riskier content. Hopefully we will continue to put out quality drama that will not only attract viewership and subscription, but also solidify the perception of the value of the brand. And while we are focused on creating Brazilian stories for Brazilian viewers, we are also working on international coproduction deals which will add new layers to that portfolio.
Also, we should bear in mind Globoplay is a part of the larger Globo ecosystem, meaning our platform also carries our broadcast network and our many Pay TV channels. TV Globo’s live signal is responsible for a lot of the traffic, as are their telenovelas, watched on demand. We also have a lot of major live sports events such as the Brazilian soccer league, Euro, Copa América, and the Olympics, and major live music events such as Rock In Rio and Lollapalooza. So, on top of a strong destination for premium drama, Globoplay will continue to be a destination for all of these other experiences as well.
Source Agencies
