Supermax (Brazilian TV series)

Supermax is a Brazilian television series produced by Rede Globo that debuted on September 20, 2016 with an expected total of 12 episodes to be aired.[5] The show was created by José Alvarenga Jr., Marcal Aquino and Fernando Bonassi. The latter two also wrote the script alongside Carolina Kotscho, Braulio Mantovani, Dennison Ramalho, Juliana Rojas, Raphael Draccon and Rafael Montes while José Eduardo Belmonte, Rafael Miranda and Alvarenga helm the directing team.[2][3]

For the 2017 Spanish reality television series, see Supermax (2017 TV series).
Supermax
GenreHorror
Action
Thriller
Sci-fi
Supernatural[1][2][3]
Created byJosé Alvarenga Jr.
Fernando Bonassi
Marçal Aquino
Based onDead Set
Screenplay by
  • Fernando Bonassi
  • Marçal Aquino
  • Carolina Kotscho
  • Bráulio Mantovani
  • Dennison Ramalho
  • Juliana Rojas
  • Raphael Draccon
  • Raphael Montes
Directed byJosé Alvarenga Jr.
Starring
Country of originBrazil
Original languagePortuguese
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes12
Production
Production locationRio de Janeiro
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time45 minutes
Production companyEstúdios Globo
Release
Original networkRede Globo
Original release20 September (2016-09-20) –
13 December 2016 (2016-12-13)
Related
Dead Set[4]

In 2017, the series was nominated for the Seoul International Drama Awards in Best Series and Best Author Categories.

Production

The writing process of the series took place in the writer's room format in which the writers come together intensively for the creation and development of scripts.[6] According to Carolina Kotscho, they had considerable freedom in writing: "we wrote without any limit. We imagined that eventually this limit would come, but it didn't. This was a grateful surprise!"[7] According to Raphael Montes, one of the writers, Globo gave total freedom to the staff: "I remember a discussion in which we started to throw ideas and we said that this would never be aired, but they did film it! It was our will, the creation's, the direction's, the team's and Globo's itself to make something different, that has known and identifiable elements by the general public but at the same time innovating."[7]

The creator and director José Alvarenga defined the series as a crossing of various genres; ranging from police thriller, horror, terror and suspense to romance. The series was inspired from the first season of True Detective, as well as other similar themed shows such as The Walking Dead, American Horror Story, Supernatural, The Hunger Games and Lost.[1][2][3][5] To simulate the feel of a reality show as the plot demands, Alvarenga borrowed nine camera operators from Big Brother Brazil.[8] The fictional 800 m² prison set, built in Estúdios Globo, was inspired from Alcatraz Prison.[2][5]

The casting aimed for names unknown to the general public. It also had a unique isolating element compared to other studios of Globo Studios, to keep those involved in the tense and sombre mood of the plot. It involved the knowledge of how to react to different scenes, like amputating a leg in cold blood, being strangled or finding an aberration, an unusual experience for Brazilian actors who were more used to drama and melodrama.[9] Denisson Ramalho, a writer who specialises in horror movies, had said that "it is the most 'from hell' Brazilian TV series of all time".[10]

Release

The series was expected to be released on October 2, 2015 after the end of Verdades Secretas. The series had its debut postponed to 2016 due to the advertising market being in a bad economic time.[11]

International version

An international version for Hispanic channels is also expected to be produced in Spanish, with Argentine filmmaker Daniel Burman as the director and Bruno Gagliasso starring as a transgender character.[12][13][14][15]

Plot

Mixing fiction and reality, the series chronicles the journey of 12 participants (7 men and 5 women) in a reality show taking place at a disabled maximum security prison located in the Amazon rain forest. Each participant are not chosen by chance but have one thing in common: each of them committed a serious crime.

All goes well on the first day of confinement until the production team disappears, leaving them to their own devices, with macabre and supernatural events occurring within the prison. Only one of them will win the prize of R$2 million, but they will have to leave the place alive.[5][16]

Episodes
No. Original title Original air date Brazil viewers[lower-alpha 1]
1"Episode 1"20 September 2016 (2016-09-20)14.9[17]
12 people with varied problems with the law are selected to take part of a reality show in an isolated maximum security prison in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest, competing for the ultimate prize of R$ 2 million. While a series of short videos introducing the participants are shown, Pedro Bial welcomes the team and explains some of the rules: the winner of every test is allowed to choose when, what and who is going to eat; when a certain sound goes off, everybody has 5 minutes to get back to their cells, or else they are eliminated; there is no form of contact with the outside world other than a red telephone that can only be used in case of emergencies, and whose user will be automatically eliminated. Bial asks the participants to pick up a stick from a hand hanging from a wall. The one who takes the short stick will have a secret revealed to everyone. Diana is the one and it is revealed that she shot her husband dead amidst a discussion. Later, they enjoy a party prepared by the production team. Some chat about their lives before the program and some take the time to explore the facilities. Sérgio and Artur provoke each other and almost start a fight, but José Augusto reminds them that fighting is punished with elimination. In the next morning, they awake to their first test, in which they are all confined inside a metallic box that gets gradually hotter. Artur and Sérgio are the last men standing. They provoke each other again and start a fight.
2"Episode 2"27 September 2016 (2016-09-27)12.9[18]
Sérgio emerges as the winner of the fight and attempts to open the pantry, but his fingerprints won't work. Meanwhile, Artur forces the cage door open and activates the padlock with his fingerprint. He is then automatically set as the new leader - even though Sérgio won the fight, he forgot to put Artur's hands at the padlock before his own - the rules state that the winner is the last one to activate the door. Later, using his powers as the leader, Artur denies food to Sérgio and Mário, raising tensions among the participants. It is revealed that Artur was a cocaine addict, which eventually ended his football career and got him arrested. Sérgio also mentions a robbery of a gas station of which he supposedly took part. As days pass, the contestants suspect that they were abandoned by the program's production crew. Bial no longer contacts them, no punishment was applied to the ones who engaged in physical fights and no test was set to determine the next leader, even after Artur's fingerprints stopped working at the pantry's padlock. However, the prison's audio system eventually announces a new leader test.
3"Episode 3"4 October 2016 (2016-10-04)13.0[19]
The group head to the test location and find out it was just a false alarm. They also try to break the pantry's armored window, to no avail. They agree they were abandoned and decide to elect a new leader on their own. As they realize Dante is missing, they form two groups to search for him. Meanwhile, Luisão reveals to Bruna how he punched a training partner to death while having an hallucination in which he was in the middle of an UFC match. Bruna starts questioning him how it felt to see someone die while images of her killing a sick older relative by injecting something in her veins are shown. Luisão grabs her by the throat and leaves, disturbed. Meanwhile, Diana pressures Nando to reveal his crime. He recalls catching his superior in suspicious physical contact with a visibly upset young acolyte and cries. Janette and Luisão find some macabre objects by a red-painted wall. The group later reunites by the dinner hall and discuss their findings. Suddenly, the pantry door opens and they quickly take all of its contents, assuming it as a sign that the production team is still in control of the prison. As the alarm forces them back to their cells, they spot a disturbed Dante with several injuries and tattoos all over his body. Before they can ask him anything, the final alarm goes off and they rush to their cells.
4"Episode 4"18 October 2016 (2016-10-18)11.0
Timóteo checks Dante's wounds. The boy tells his colleagues of how he was cruising the prison's undergrounds alone until he hears of a woman screaming. He says he was suddenly hit in the head and passed out. Later, he awoke outside of the prison, next to some indigenous people. He rushes back inside but was knocked out again. He ends up awake at his cell. Meanwhile, as the rest of the group wait for further instructions from the production crew, they discover that the facility's ventilation system was cut off. Sérgio and Luisão decide to search for a way out and force a traumatized Dante to accompany them since he allegedly made it out and back. On their way, Dante has a vision and runs back in terror while having a memory of how he murdered his own older brother, who was quadriplegic due to drunk driving. According to him, he did it at the brother's request. Later, Dante confesses he cut himself and invented the whole story so that the production team would intervene and possibly eliminate some contestants, suspecting they hurt him. Meanwhile, Cecília falls ill, Luisão and Janette are trapped inside the pantry and Nando has an hallucination in which he has both legs severed as he is surrounded by three demoniac, child-like creatures.
5"Episode 5"25 October 2016 (2016-10-25)10.6
6"Episode 6"1 November 2016 (2016-11-01)10.3
7"Episode 7"8 November 2016 (2016-11-08)09.7
8"Episode 8"15 November 2016 (2016-11-15)12.8
9"Episode 9"22 November 2016 (2016-11-22)09.5
10"Episode 10"29 November 2016 (2016-11-29)09.0
11"Episode 11"6 December 2016 (2016-12-06)09.3
12"Episode 12"13 December 2016 (2016-12-13)09.0

Cast

Main cast
  • Mariana Ximenes as Bruna, a nurse fired from a hospital where she used to take care of terminal patients.[20]
  • Erom Cordeiro as Sérgio, a police captain suspended for a crime he says he didn't commit.[20]
  • Cléo Pires as Sabrina Toledo, a psychologist who was once kidnapped and spent a few months in captivity.[20]
  • Bruno Belarmino as Luisão, a former MMA fighter that is constantly affected by a recurring guilt and spends time trying to control his anger and violence.[20]
  • Nicolas Trevijano as Father Nando, who dedicated most of his life to the Church, and considers his suspension unfair.[20]
  • Maria Clara Spinelli as Janette, owner of a chain of beauty salons who had a miserable childhood with her alcoholic and violent father.[20]
  • Ravel Andrade as Dante, the youngest participant and an enthusiast for obscure cults.[20]
  • Rui Ricardo Dias as Artur, a former football player who still believes to be active.[20]
  • Fabiana Gugli as Diana, a housewife who recently lost her husband.[20]
  • Mário César Camargo as Dr. Timóteo, a reformed Army physician.[20]
  • Vânia de Brito as Cecília Damasceno, a woman that reached Rio de Janeiro's elite, but is now close to misery following the death of her husband and son.[20]
  • Ademir Emboava as José Augusto, an economist linked to politicians who acted as a fund raiser for a political party.[20]
  • Márcio Fecher as Nonato/Baal, one of the people who worked at the construction of the prison. He used to be a pastor, but now lives underneath the prison with several other women.[20]

Guest Stars

Awards and nominations

Notes
  1. each point is equivalent to 69,400 households in the Greater São Paulo area and 43,300 in the Greater Rio de Janeiro area

References
  1. Natália Guaratto (5 December 2015). "Globo mistura BBB e terror em série mais "from hell" que já criou". UOL TV e Famosos. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  2. Lígia Mesquita (5 December 2015). "Na Comic Con, Globo lança 'Supermax', seu 'BBB' do crime". Folha de S.Paulo. Ilustrada. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  3. Priscila de Martini (6 December 2015). ""Supermax", a série que quer inserir a Globo no mundo geek". Zero Hora. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  4. Marcel Plasse (31 August 2015). "Supermax: Terror encontra Big Brother Brasil nos trailer de nova série da Globo". Pipoca Moderna. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  5. ""Supermax": Entregamos os detalhes da nova série da Globo, que mistura Lost, Big Brother Brasil e Jogos Vorazes".
  6. Renato Hermsdorff (6 December 2015). "Comic Con Experience 2015: Globo tenta reaproximação com público jovem com série Supermax". Adoro Cinema. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  7. Francisco Russo (6 July 2016). "Supermax: "A gente foi livre para imaginar. Esta é a grande diferença que podemos propor neste momento à TV brasileira"". Adoro Cinema. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  8. Zean Bravo (29 November 2015). "Mariana Ximenes e Cleo Pires estrelam série passada numa prisão". O Globo. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  9. Giselle de Almeida (19 July 2016). "Elenco de "Supermax" aprendeu a reagir a perna amputada e estrangulamentos". UOL TV e Famosos. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  10. Renato Hermsdorff (6 December 2015). "Comic Con Experience 2015: Globo tenta reaproximação com público jovem com série Supermax". Adoro Cinema. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  11. "Crise faz Globo 'economizar' série nacional e exibir enlatado no horário nobre".
  12. "'Supermax' ganha versão internacional produzida pela Globo'".
  13. Patrícia Kogut (18 September 2015). "Bruno Gagliasso fará série dirigida por Daniel Burman". O Globo. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  14. UOL SP (18 January 2016). "Bruno Gagliasso será transexual na versão internacional de "Supermax"". UOL TV e Famosos. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  15. John Hopewell (18 January 2016). "Natpe: Brazil's Globo, Argentina's Daniel Burman Team for 'Supermax'". Variety. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  16. Renan Santos (30 November 2015). "Conheça a história de "SuperMax", nova série inusitada da Globo". TV Foco. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  17. Peccoli, Vitor (21 September 2016). "Série "Supermax" dá menos que reprise e derruba audiência da Globo; confira os consolidados desta terça-feira (20/09/16)". TV Foco (in Portuguese). Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  18. Peccoli, Vitor (28 September 2016). ""Nada Será" despenca audiência da Globo e derruba "Supermax"; confira os consolidados desta terça-feira (27/09/16)". TV Foco (in Portuguese). Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  19. Peccoli, Vitor (4 October 2016). ""MasterChef" tem maior audiência de estreia e lidera; confira os consolidados desta terça-feira (04/10/16)". TV Foco (in Portuguese). Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  20. Gshow (20 July 2016). "Elenco de 'Supermax': saiba quem são os atores da série". Bastidores. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  21. Fernando Oliveira (7 September 2015). "Pedro Bial interpretará a si mesmo, um apresentador de reality, em nova série da Globo". F5 - Colunistas. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
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