Anisha Dutta
Samantha! is Netflix’s first Brazilian comedy series that premiered on the platform on July 6, 2018. It is the third Netflix series to be produced in Brazil after ‘3%’ and ‘O Mecanismo’. It comes from directors Luis Pinheiros and Julia Jordão and scriptwriters Roberto Vitorino, Patricia Corso, Rafae, Lessa and Filipe Valerim. ‘City of God’ and ‘I am Legend‘ starrer Alice Braga executive produces this show.
Samantha! Cast: Who is in it?
The lead protagonist Samantha is portrayed by Brazilian actress, singer, and songwriter Emanuelle Araújo. She is best known as the lead vocalist of Banda Eva, after which she formed the samba-rock band Moinho with Lan Lan and Toni Costa.
Brazilian actor Douglas Silva enacts the role of Douglas “Dodói” Velasquez. He has appeared in the movie ‘City of God’ and the series ‘City of Men’. He is the first actor from Brazil to be nominated for the International Emmy Award.
Sabrina Nonato plays the role of Cindy Velasquez, Cauã Gonçalves features as Brandon Velasquez, Daniel Furlan portrays the character of Marcinho, and Duda Gonçalves enacts the role of young Samantha.
Samantha! Plot: What is it about?
Samantha! is the nostalgic web television comedy series which mainly centers around the lead character with the same name, who was a former child star in a TV show. She also led the children’s musical group Turminha Plimplom in the 1980s. And now, in her adult age and in 2010, she wishes to rediscover her stardom. Currently, she leads a life as a sub-celebrity and continually hatches weird plans to reclaim her place in the light of fame.
In her quest for stardom, Samantha is assisted by her ex-husband Dodoi, who is also an ex-convict and a former football player. He was in the prison for 12 years (for reasons not yet disclosed in the show) and accompanies her in her plans, with an aim to get back to fame himself. She also gets help from her manager Marcinho, her kids Cindy (a vegan teenager) and Brandon (an intelligent introvert). If you have watched season 1, you will know that the show ends with Samantha trying to land a role in an advertisement by forcing a prominent actress to step down by using the pretext of feminism.
Season 2 picks up the story from its predecessor by focussing on drawing parallels between the 80s and current times. In fact, this is the central theme of the series — the difference between achieving fame in these two eras — which is pivotal toward generating a lot of laughs from viewers. The desperate attempts of Samantha are the major plotline in this season as well.
Samantha!, as per critics, is one of the best Brazilian comedy-dramas. It does a wonderful job in painting a picture that displays the differences in mannerisms and intricacies between the 1980s and the 21st century. The symbolic veracity created between the 80’s and 2010 is simply ingenious. It tries to showcase the absurd elements with ruled Brazilian TV in the 80s and reflects on the attributes of people who try to stand in the spotlight at all costs.
So, what is this nostalgia surrounding the 80s that makes Samantha! so special? Well, this era was definitely one of the most fascinating decades — having a distinctive identity of its own — with flashy Neon tones, tight leather pants, high-cut jeans, rock and roll, drugs, revealing clothes, cassettes, vinyl records, and Walkman. It was another world altogether. And Samantha! takes us on a nostalgic ride down the memory lane, when TV ruled the generation and the online world was irrelevant. Everything was chaotic and nothing depicts this better than this wonderful, humorous Netflix Original.
Now, our heroine tries back to bring back her star-studded past, while struggling to cope with the present era. She invents the most absurd plans to return back into the limelight, but her references, style, or costumes (so popular in her time) generate wary and uncomfortable looks from the current generation. She tries everything to achieve her dream — from appearing in reality shows to freshman programs and even venturing into digital influencing. But her failure to empathize with her modern neighbors results in her schemes backfiring every time.
Coupled with a sharp, solid script, Samantha! is original, authentic, and extremely humorous. It tries to humanize the world of sub-celebrities with its absurd plots, which makes it so much more engaging. Watch it and you will know why we are so excited about its season 2 premiere!
Samantha! Season 2 Release Date: When will it premiere?
Season 1 of Samantha premiered on Netflix on July 6, 2018. After a successful first season, all the episodes of Samantha! Season 2 released on Netflix on April 19, 2019. Just like season 1, the second installment features episodes with a run time of 30 minutes each and comes with subtitles for the international audience.
As far as the next season goes, we don’t have an official announcement yet. Though considering Netflix’s emphasis on foreign shows, we would be surprised if it doesn’t get renewed. Our best guess is that if the show does get renewed, Samantha Season 2 can release sometime in March or April 2020. We will update this section as soon as we hear more.
Samantha! Trailer:
While we wait on an update on season 3, check out the season 2 trailer to refresh your memories. Or you can head to Netflix and check out all the episodes from previous seasons.
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