Official Trailer
Rating: 0/10 | Genre: Drama | Seasons: 1 | Episodes: 6 | Status: Returning Series
Starring: Rodrigo Santoro, Bruno Mazzeo, Lucas AgrÃcola, Marcelo Adnet, Bruna Mascarenhas
I went into “Brazil ’70: The Third Star” expecting a soccer movie in TV form. What I got was… well, it’s complicated. This show has moments where it really works, but it also feels like it’s trying too hard to be important without actually earning it. The cast is solid and clearly cares about the material. But six episodes just isn’t enough time to make you feel like you’re really there in 1970, and honestly, sometimes the show forgets that and just becomes kind of dull.
The premise is great though. Brazil winning their third World Cup. That’s a huge deal. That’s the kind of story that deserves to be told well. And for stretches, it is. Then other stretches feel like you’re watching a history lesson instead of a drama.
Season 1
So Season 1 is just six episodes total, and it follows the build up to and the execution of Brazil’s 1970 World Cup campaign. The show opens with the team in disarray after their 1966 loss. There’s infighting. There’s doubt. There’s political pressure from the military government running Brazil at the time. That’s all interesting stuff.
Rodrigo Santoro plays one of the lead roles and he’s probably the biggest name in the cast. He’s fine. He doesn’t blow you away but he shows up and does the work. Bruno Mazzeo is the one who actually steals scenes when he gets them. There’s a desperation to his character that feels real. Marcelo Adnet plays a manager character and he’s doing his best to hold this thing together, which is kind of what the show itself is trying to do.
The problem is that the show spends so much time in team meetings and locker rooms talking about what Brazil needs to do that it forgets to let us feel what that actually means. You hear a lot of dialogue about pressure and legacy and redemption. You don’t feel it as much as you should.
The match scenes are better. When the show actually gets on the field, it picks up energy. There’s tension. There’s stakes. But those moments are spread pretty thin across six episodes. The show feels like it needed either more episodes to really dig into these characters or a tighter focus on fewer storylines.
The cast chemistry is fine. Not amazing, but fine. You believe these are teammates and rivals who’ve been through something together. But none of the character arcs really land hard enough to stick with you after you finish watching. They resolve, sure, but you don’t feel the weight of it.
Here’s the thing though. If you care about soccer and you care about this specific moment in history, there’s definitely enough here to keep you interested. The show respects the sport. It doesn’t use it just as window dressing. It understands that this isn’t just about winning games. It’s about what winning means to a country going through serious political turmoil.
I binged all six episodes in one sitting because I was curious where it was going. But I haven’t thought about it much since. That feels telling. It’s entertaining enough to watch but not quite good enough to really stick around in your head.
If they come back for a second season, I’d probably watch it. But I wouldn’t be counting down the days. Have you watched it yet, or is this just sitting in your queue?
Episode Guide
Season 1 (6 Episodes)
Episode 1: Episode 1
Episode 2: Episode 2
Episode 3: Episode 3
Episode 4: Episode 4
Episode 5: Episode 5
Episode 6: Episode 6
Where to Watch
Streaming availability varies by region. Check your favorite streaming platform to see if this title is available in your country.