Jose Padilha shows his opportunistic skills again. "Elite Squad" was an instant hit that led to two sequels despite the haphazard structure due to last-minute changes. "Narcos" is going to have a 4th season even though the main character is long gone. Now he releases a series about Brazil's vast corruption investigation. At first I thought it was foolish to make a series that sticks so close to real live about an event that has not been completed. But after watching season 1 I understand that Padilha is good at sniffing opportunity. It is so hard not to watch if you are one of those who rooted to see the Worker's Party demise.
The early results bring no doubt the series is a hit. Netflix's other series in Brazilian Portuguese, "3%" got less viewers in almost a year then O Mecanismo in 4 working days, if number of rating in Netflix is a good proxy for viewership. By the pace of the plot, it would take three seasons to get where the investigation is today. But by the time season 3 finishes, more will have happened, so the material will last 4 or 5 seasons.
Almost every character has a real-life equivalent, and the Brazilian viewers know who most of them are. There is enough hoopla in Brazil about this series to make it a hit even if it does not garner a single international viewer. I see very little interest for non-Brazilians, to be true. There is enough interest around the main characters and enough tension to qualify it as a competent police procedural, but I think the stakes will be too low for people who have not lived under Lula and Dilma as Presidents and who have not seen the Lava-Jato in the headlines and TV news for years.
The early results bring no doubt the series is a hit. Netflix's other series in Brazilian Portuguese, "3%" got less viewers in almost a year then O Mecanismo in 4 working days, if number of rating in Netflix is a good proxy for viewership. By the pace of the plot, it would take three seasons to get where the investigation is today. But by the time season 3 finishes, more will have happened, so the material will last 4 or 5 seasons.
Almost every character has a real-life equivalent, and the Brazilian viewers know who most of them are. There is enough hoopla in Brazil about this series to make it a hit even if it does not garner a single international viewer. I see very little interest for non-Brazilians, to be true. There is enough interest around the main characters and enough tension to qualify it as a competent police procedural, but I think the stakes will be too low for people who have not lived under Lula and Dilma as Presidents and who have not seen the Lava-Jato in the headlines and TV news for years.