I've been away from broadcast TV and media in general these last few years. But at some point the only thing I'd watch was Silvio Santos' show. As a kid I'd be scolded for staying up late watching his Sunday shows. There's sort of an uncanny energy around him, in his bearing, his voice, intonation, looks, that is so unique you just can't stop watching, even if he's doing something as dull as pitching you to buy one of his lottery tickets.
That said, I only knew about this show because of an ad in the home screen of Android TV, and I just had to see what it was about.
I don't know many details of Silvio's trajectory. The show is supposed to dramatize one of the many climactic moments of his life that made national news. I didn't even know about this one in particular. But the story is interspersed with scenes from his past, how he started and how he made it into what he is, from street vendor to nationwide famous big shot entrepreneur/showman.
There's a change in tone between past and present. Past is more serious and thrilling, present is comical and goofy. Makes for a strange combination, no doubt. But the pacing isn't bad. The constant jumps don't make it particularly confusing, and as I was worried that the narrative would lose track in this back and forth, thankfully with time the purpose of this device becomes more clear.
But it bothers me a little that there are gaps in the story during the flashbacks, that sometimes jumps to a point months or years later, skipping past potentially interesting details and characters. I missed proper introduction of some of the characters in the story too. Some of them which are widely known in real life just pop up in the series out of nowhere. This might just be a strikeout or an editing thing, but I think the narrative should be self-sufficient and not rely on external context, as non-Brazilians or younger generations might want to watch this and not know what's the deal with those apparently random characters.
Considering that for many decades in Brazil a comedian won't see the light of day if he can't make an accurate impression of Silvio, the fact that the actors chosen (teenager, young adult, and middle aged) don't look or sound like him is also weird. They're fairly entertaining, but if you're familiar with the icon, you need a greater effort to be immersed and make yourself believe the actors are who they're representing.
But overall I found the narrative to be tightly knit and engaging. The series portrays Silvio as having a natural interest and talent for both showmanship and sales from a young age, more often than not becoming an instant hit the moment he opened his mouth, a keen eye for business opportunities, a genuine interest for the common folk, and with an astounding fluidity to turn almost everything around to his favor, which doesn't seem so far from the truth.
Apparently, the series is getting backlash due to inaccuracies in his biography. I wouldn't know about that. Maybe someday I'll pick one or more books to read so I'll be able to judge that
In the meantime, it's a fairly competent series about Silvio Santos and I'm on for that. If a better one comes out I'll watch it too.
