# Reality Z
**Reality Z** is a Brazilian horror-comedy television series released on Netflix on June 10, 2020, in which a zombie apocalypse traps the contestants and producers of a reality show called Olimpo inside their Rio de Janeiro studio. It was the first Brazilian zombie series on Netflix and adapts the acclaimed British miniseries *Dead Set* (2008), created by [Charlie Brooker](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlie-brooker), the writer behind *Black Mirror*.[1](https://about.netflix.com/pt_br/news/welcome-to-olympus-unprecedented-reality-z-trailer-reveals-disputed-fortress-in-the-middle-of-a-zombie-apocalypse)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | 10 episodes, released June 10, 2020 on Netflix; average runtime about 31 minutes[1](https://about.netflix.com/pt_br/news/welcome-to-olympus-unprecedented-reality-z-trailer-reveals-disputed-fortress-in-the-middle-of-a-zombie-apocalypse) • [2](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/41974/reality-z) |
| Premise | A zombie apocalypse imprisons the participants and producers of a reality show called Olimpo; during an elimination night, the studio becomes a shelter in a Rio de Janeiro descending into chaos[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/41974/reality-z) |
| Source material | Adapted and developed for continuous-series format from the British miniseries *Dead Set*, created by Charlie Brooker[1](https://about.netflix.com/pt_br/news/welcome-to-olympus-unprecedented-reality-z-trailer-reveals-disputed-fortress-in-the-middle-of-a-zombie-apocalypse) |
| Key creatives | Created, written, and directed by Cláudio Torres, who shares direction with Rodrigo Monte and screenplay credit with João Costa; executive producer Renata Brandão[1](https://about.netflix.com/pt_br/news/welcome-to-olympus-unprecedented-reality-z-trailer-reveals-disputed-fortress-in-the-middle-of-a-zombie-apocalypse) |
| Production | A collaboration between Netflix and the Brazilian independent production company Conspiração[1](https://about.netflix.com/pt_br/news/welcome-to-olympus-unprecedented-reality-z-trailer-reveals-disputed-fortress-in-the-middle-of-a-zombie-apocalypse) |
| Reception | 17% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (6 reviews) and 51% on the audience Popcornmeter; 5.7/10 on IMDb from about 3,300 votes[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/reality-z) • [4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/reality-z) |
| Status | Ended after one season; the finale leaves no survivors, mirroring *Dead Set*[5](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/why-reality-z-wont-return-for-a-second-season/) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and setting
The series opens on elimination night at *Olimpo – A Casa dos Deuses* (Olympus, House of the Gods), a fictional reality show with numerous references and similarities to the real *Big Brother Brasil*. As zombies attack Rio de Janeiro, the studio becomes a refuge for contestants, producers, and others seeking salvation, and the confined housemates must compete for a new kind of prize: survival.[6](https://gauchazh.clicrbs.com.br/cultura-e-lazer/tv/noticia/2020/06/zumbis-no-rio-de-janeiro-terror-trash-e-referencias-ao-bbb-conheca-reality-z-nova-serie-de-ficcao-brasileira-ckb9bqrjz002c015n9gn1qoka.html) • [2](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/41974/reality-z)
Netflix's promotional material described the set as a self-sustaining fortress threatened by zombies outside and by "the vile nature of human beings" inside, with other survivors willing to do whatever it takes to take the Greek palace for themselves.[1](https://about.netflix.com/pt_br/news/welcome-to-olympus-unprecedented-reality-z-trailer-reveals-disputed-fortress-in-the-middle-of-a-zombie-apocalypse) The show's host, Divina, is played by Sabrina Sato, who first became famous on *Big Brother Brasil* itself, now on the other side of the studio.[6](https://gauchazh.clicrbs.com.br/cultura-e-lazer/tv/noticia/2020/06/zumbis-no-rio-de-janeiro-terror-trash-e-referencias-ao-bbb-conheca-reality-z-nova-serie-de-ficcao-brasileira-ckb9bqrjz002c015n9gn1qoka.html)
The main cast includes Ana Hartmann as Nina, Luellem de Castro as Teresa, Guilherme Weber as Brandão, Emílio de Mello as Deputy Alberto Levi, Ravel Andrade as Léo, João Pedro Zappa as TK, Julia Ianina as Cristina, Pierri Baitelli as Robson, Jesus Luz as Lucas, and Carla Ribas as Ana in a guest role.[1](https://about.netflix.com/pt_br/news/welcome-to-olympus-unprecedented-reality-z-trailer-reveals-disputed-fortress-in-the-middle-of-a-zombie-apocalypse)
### Season and renewal status
All ten episodes were released on June 10, 2020, and the series is listed as ended after one season.[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/41974/reality-z) As of mid-June 2020 Netflix had not officially confirmed the show's future, but commentary on its renewal prospects noted three obstacles: the story was written as a single season, the finale kills off every character, leaving no survivors just as *Dead Set* did, and the source miniseries offers no further material to adapt. A second season, if any, would have required either an entirely new cast around a separate reality series or a new group of survivors trying to reach and liberate the Olympus compound.[5](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/why-reality-z-wont-return-for-a-second-season/) No second season was produced.
## Adaptation of Dead Set
*Dead Set*, the British source series, ran for five episodes, half the length of *Reality Z*, and followed a zombie outbreak during a *Big Brother*-style series with the contestants locked inside, unaware. The Brazilian version relocates the story from Britain to Rio de Janeiro and extends the premise into ten episodes, adding new plotlines; reviewers have described it as both a remake and a sequel to the original.[5](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/why-reality-z-wont-return-for-a-second-season/) • [7](https://bloody-disgusting.com/reviews/3620065/review-netflixs-reality-z-works-remake-sequel-dead-set/)
Director Cláudio Torres, a partner at Conspiração Filmes known for *Redentor* (2004), *A Mulher Invisível* (2009), and *O Homem do Futuro* (2011), said in an interview that the studio's in-house visual effects division let him widen the scope beyond the original's confinement and show the effects of a zombie apocalypse across Rio de Janeiro.[8](https://www.purebreak.com.br/noticias/netflix-diretor-de-reality-z-conta-o-que-trouxe-dos-seus-antigos-trabalhos-para-a-nova-producao/94426) Netflix billed the result as combining British irony with Brazilian tropicalist anthropophagy, set in Rio.[1](https://about.netflix.com/pt_br/news/welcome-to-olympus-unprecedented-reality-z-trailer-reveals-disputed-fortress-in-the-middle-of-a-zombie-apocalypse)
## Themes and style
The series is framed by Netflix as an ode to horror, humor, and pop culture.[1](https://about.netflix.com/pt_br/news/welcome-to-olympus-unprecedented-reality-z-trailer-reveals-disputed-fortress-in-the-middle-of-a-zombie-apocalypse) An academic account of Brazilian zombie fiction describes *Reality Z* as using metalinguistic satire to criticize "telereality" programs such as *Big Brother Brasil*, while deploying the genre's basic theme that humans can be worse than zombies to raise issues including homophobia, racial prejudice, and political opportunism through a diverse cast of characters.[9](https://arquivos.pedroejoaoeditores.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/20070425/ebook-entornos-do-gotico-e-do-fantastico.-vol.-ii.pdf) The zombie makeup and production design drew comparisons to *The Walking Dead* in the Brazilian press.[6](https://gauchazh.clicrbs.com.br/cultura-e-lazer/tv/noticia/2020/06/zumbis-no-rio-de-janeiro-terror-trash-e-referencias-ao-bbb-conheca-reality-z-nova-serie-de-ficcao-brasileira-ckb9bqrjz002c015n9gn1qoka.html)
## Reception
Critical response was mixed to negative. On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds a 17% Tomatometer from 6 reviews, with an average rating of 4.3/10, while the audience Popcornmeter stands at 51% from more than 50 ratings.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/reality-z) IMDb users rate the series 5.7/10 from about 3,300 votes.[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/reality-z) Reviewers split along familiar lines: Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting called it a well-executed show suited to viewers not yet tired of zombie stories, while Michael Hogan of *The Daily Telegraph* gave it 1/5 and found the carnage neither visceral nor creatively choreographed. Raphael Tsavkko Garcia of Remezcla argued that despite a seemingly high budget for effects, the series did not deliver the pointed critique of Brazil's media industry it promised.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/reality-z) Audience enthusiasm in Brazil was nonetheless strong enough that the series reached the top of Netflix's most-popular TV list in its home country in its debut week.[5](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/why-reality-z-wont-return-for-a-second-season/)
## References
1. [Bem-vindos ao Olimpo. Trailer inédito de Reality Z revela fortaleza disputada em meio a apocalipse zumbi, About Netflix (27 May 2020)](https://about.netflix.com/pt_br/news/welcome-to-olympus-unprecedented-reality-z-trailer-reveals-disputed-fortress-in-the-middle-of-a-zombie-apocalypse)
2. [Reality Z, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/41974/reality-z)
3. [Reality Z: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/reality-z)
4. [Reality Z (2020), JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/reality-z)
5. [Why 'Reality Z' Won't Return for a Second Season at Netflix, What's on Netflix (12 June 2020)](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/why-reality-z-wont-return-for-a-second-season/)
6. [Zumbis no Rio de Janeiro, terror trash e referências ao "BBB": conheça "Reality Z", GZH (10 June 2020)](https://gauchazh.clicrbs.com.br/cultura-e-lazer/tv/noticia/2020/06/zumbis-no-rio-de-janeiro-terror-trash-e-referencias-ao-bbb-conheca-reality-z-nova-serie-de-ficcao-brasileira-ckb9bqrjz002c015n9gn1qoka.html)
7. [Netflix's "Reality Z" Works as Remake and Sequel to "Dead Set", Bloody Disgusting](https://bloody-disgusting.com/reviews/3620065/review-netflixs-reality-z-works-remake-sequel-dead-set/)
8. [Diretor de "Reality Z" conta o que trouxe dos seus antigos trabalhos para a nova produção da Netflix, Purebreak (15 June 2020)](https://www.purebreak.com.br/noticias/netflix-diretor-de-reality-z-conta-o-que-trouxe-dos-seus-antigos-trabalhos-para-a-nova-producao/94426)
9. [Entornos do gótico e do fantástico, vol. II (academic chapter on Brazilian zombie fiction)](https://arquivos.pedroejoaoeditores.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/20070425/ebook-entornos-do-gotico-e-do-fantastico.-vol.-ii.pdf)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Web-native and streaming-original series › Genre web series: horror, thriller, science fiction, and mystery*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license