The second season of Side Games is currently being shot in Madrid, co-produced by THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO and DIRECTV Latin America. Season one was a huge success and topped the ratings on OnDIRECTV, DIRECTV’s exclusive channel for Latin America, as well as the digital lists of the DIRECTV Play pay TV platform, positioning the series with excellent results in on-demand format.
The DIRECTV Latin America and THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO drama thriller, inspired by the novel by current LaLiga President, Javier TebasEl fútbol no es así (That’s Not What Football’s About), and Pedro Torrens, explores the darker side of professional football. Corruption, power, politics and money converge in this series directed by Daniel Calparsoro (To Steal from a Thief, Blinded, The Punishment) with season two set for release OnDIRECTV for Latin America in October and soon on Movistar’s #0 channel in Spain.
Side Games, which was acclaimed for its excellent production standards and contemporary storyline, will feature Atletico Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano stadium as one of the highlights in this second season.
The screenwriting team, led by Abraham Sastre (Victim Nº 8, The Boarding School, Paco’s Men, and season one of Side Games), along with Calparsoro, have written the new 8-episode series in which they’ll portray the characters in-depth. The protagonists have shed the naiveté and defend their interests tooth-and-nail now that they’ve no qualms about the high price they must pay to achieve their ambitions.
Side Games, which also features screenwriters Germán Aparicio, Tom Fernández and Alejo Flah, has received widespread acclaim for expertly dramatizing stories inspired by real events.
“The storyline of this second season, as well as the new characters, will definitely be giving us something to talk about soon”, commented Willard Tressel, General Manager of OnDIRECTV. “In the second season we’ve added more depth to the characters and female protagonists are empowered,” explained Daniel Calparsoro, “We introduce irony as a new element, insofar as the characters are facing extreme situations head on, but they suffer less because they’re no longer first-timers. Cynicism and irony pervade the show’s tone hovering above the purest and darkest drama”.
The main cast from season one, led by Roberto Enríquez, Patricia Vico, Pedro Casablanc, Mariam Álvarez, María Molins, José Ángel Egido, Andrés Gertrudix, María de Nati and Joaquín Abad, among others, will be bolstered by new characters from Latin America, including Mexico’s Roberto Romano and Argentinians Agustín Pardella, Juan Martín Gravina and Noelia Castaño.