Set and shot in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, Desperate Lies has proven to be a hit for Netflix despite being 17 episodes long and dealing with some… questionable fact-based subject matter. I’ve dug into the production and filming schedule of the telenovela so you don’t have to.
Filming Locations
Desperate Lies was filmed in and around Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, and it’s just as well, as that’s where the story is set.
The intense melodrama is, naturally, more interested in presenting the story through the characters, so there’s not much in the first episode that sells the location, apart from the usual establishing shots. However, the Rio Film Commission was completely on board with the show’s production, and it looks as if the Pedra Branca state park was utilized for some locati0n work.
Also used is Barra da Tijuca, a rather well-to-do neighborhood in the west zone of Rio, famous for its stunning beaches. You can also spot da Zona Norte, one of the nine subprefectures of Rio used for filming, as well as da Zona Oeste, da Zona Sul, and do Centro.
Barra da Tijuca in Rio De Janeiro, used for filming Desperate Lies | Image via Wikipedia
It’s worth noting that at a launch meeting for the Netflix series, the cast was interviewed in an apartment with an incredible view of Sugarloaf Mountain, a landmark certainly recognizable and iconic in Rio. One of the directors on the show would state:
“The natural beauty of the backdrop was part of the reason it became an element of the plot. Desperate Lies is a story that could take place anywhere but, to bring Liana’s drama home for viewers, we went to the most intimate and private part of Rio de Janeiro.”
Production Timeline
The show was produced by a fabrica, a division of Banijay Americas, that has been in operation since 2016. The company has become established as a provider of scripted content in Brazil, and has had a long association with companies such as Netflix, Amazon, and HBO Max.
Desperate Lies was commissioned for Netflix, and the show was announced in April 2023 at a panel at Rio2C 2023. The series would come together after a six-month production that required twenty-seven weeks of filming and a team of more than three hundred people.
A trailer would drop for Desperate Lies in early June 2024, and the series would drop on the streaming platform on July 5th, 2024.
Who Created Desperate Lies?
Desperate Lies was created by Angela Chaves, who has had an extensive career in TV drama.
You may know some of her previous work, which includes Once We Were Six, Dark Days, Rock Story, Helena’s Shadow, and Seize the Day.
RELATED:
