If you’re in the mood for a passionate drama, Netflix’s new Brazilian telenovela “Desperate Lies” could be your next watch. The series is currently the fourth most watched show worldwide on the platform, according to FlixPatrol. It landed in the Top 10 just two days after its release.

“Desperate Lies” is a drama which follows an almost unbelievable case: a woman, named Liana, gets pregnant with twins from two different men. If that wasn’t dramatic enough, one man is her cheating husband, and the other is her friend’s brother who raped her.

The series centers around Liana, and all the consequences of her pregnancy, while also following the life of the twins from the time they were conceived in 2006 until they are teenagers in 2023. So, prepare for a journey filled with love, sadness, desperation, violence and more.

Netflix: Who is in the cast of ‘Desperate Lies’?

Liana is played by Juliana Paes, who is best known internationally for the telenovela “Edge of Desire.” Her husband, Tomás, is played by Vladimir Brichta, who is known for “Bingo: The King of the Mornings.”

Meanwhile, Martha Nowill (All the Women in the World) appears as Débora, Liana’s best friend. Felipe Abib (Magnífica 70) plays Oscar, Débora’s brother and the man who rapes Liana. The rest of the cast includes:

  • Palomma Duarte (Another Power) as Sílvia, Tomás’ sister
  • João Vitti (All the Same … or Not) as Vicente, Liana’s doctor
  • Yohama Eshima (The Path) as Cláudia, Tomás’ mistress
  • Enzo Diniz (Mar do Sertão) as young Marcos, Liana and Tomás’ son
  • Theo de Almeida (Novo Mundo) as young Mateus, Marcos’ twin brother
  • José Beltrão as teenage Marcos
  • Pedro Manoel Nabuco as teenage Mateus
  • Antônio Grassi (Pureza) as Jonas, Tomás’ father
  • Mario Borges (Dangerous Liaisons) as Cezar, Oscar and Débora’s father
  • Vitor Valle as Inácio, Tomas’s nephew, Sílvia’s son
  • Cláudia Porvedel (Above Justice) as Nina
  • Joana Kannenberg (Necrópolis) as Patrícia

Who is behind ‘Desperate Lies’?

Created and written by Angela Chaves in collaboration with Guilherme Vasconcelos, Laura Rissin and Marina Luísa Silva, it is directed by Vicente Barcellos, Clara Kutner and Maria Clara Abreu. Mauricio Farias serves as showrunner.

Desperate Lies (Netflix)

Desperate Lies (Netflix)

How many episodes does ‘Desperate Lies’ have?

The series has a season of 17 episodes, each of 40-50 minutes.

Where does the series take place?

The series takes place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

What has Paes said about the series?

According to Veja Rio City, the actress said that she had trouble separating her character from herself, especially when it came to the abuse component of the series. “My body was sensitized for a while after filming, without really wanting to be touched. The series affected me a lot in a way that I wasn’t conscious of,” she told the newspaper Estado de Minas.