Desperate Lies: Cast, Plot, and Release Date - Netflix Tudum

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    Desperate Lies: Everything You Need to Know About the Telenovela

    A woman desperate to save her marriage becomes pregnant with twins from two different fathers.

    By Ingrid Ostby
    July 5, 2024

Occupational therapist Liana is overjoyed to discover that she’s pregnant with twins. That is, until she finds out each twin was fathered by a different man: her cheating husband, and the man who raped her. Over the years, she fights to hide the truth about her sons’ paternity — but how many secrets can she carry … and for how long? The Brazilian melodrama Desperate Lies, from Angela Chaves (Dark Days), stars Juliana Paes, Vladmir Brichta, and Felipe Abib.

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    A younger man and an older woman stand together indoors, smiling at the camera, with his arm around her shoulders. The background features glass bubble decorations and soft, colorful lighting.

When will Desperate Lies be released?

Stream it now.

Where can I find the trailer for Desperate Lies?

Check it out at the top of this page. 

The ensemble cast sits at a table in an image from the series ‘Desperate Lies.’

Antonio Grassi, Vladimir Brichta, Juliana Paes, Palomma Duarte, and João Vitti in Desperate Lies

Marcos Serra Lima

Who’s in the cast of Desperate Lies?

  • Juliana Paes (Edge of Desire) as Liana
  • Vladimir Brichta (Bingo: The King of the Mornings) as Tomás
  • Felipe Abib (Magnífica 70) as Oscar, Débora’s sister and a nightclub owner
  • Palomma Duarte (Another Power) as Sílvia, Tomás’ sister
  • João Vitti (All the Same ... or Not) as Vicente, Liana’s doctor 
  • Martha Nowill (All the Women in the World) as Débora, Liana’s best friend
  • Yohama Eshima (The Path) as Cláudia, Tomás’ mistress
  • Enzo Diniz (Mar do Sertão) as young Marcos, Liana and Tomás’ son
  • Theo de Almeida (Novo Mundo) as young Mateus, Marcos’ twin brother
  • José Beltrão as teenage Marcos
  • Pedro Manoel Nabuco as teenage Mateus
  • Antônio Grassi (Pureza) as Jonas, Tomás’ father
  • Mario Borges (Dangerous Liaisons) as Cezar, Oscar and Débora’s father
  • Vitor Valle as Inácio, Tomas’s nephew, Sílvia’s son
  • Cláudia Porvedel (Above Justice) as Nina
  • Joana Kannenberg (Necrópolis) as Patrícia

What happens in Desperate Lies?

Occupational therapist Liana (Paes) has always dreamed of becoming a mother, but after two miscarriages, she’s worried that her chances are slim. Her focus on getting pregnant is also putting a strain on her marriage — her husband, a successful lawyer named Tomás (Brichta), feels like she’s no longer as committed to their relationship as she used to be. So when he cheats on Liana, she hits the club with her best friend, Debora (Nowill), and ends up going home with Débora’s overly flirtatious brother, Oscar (Abib), who later that night sexually assaults Liana. Weeks later, Liana finds out she’s pregnant … with twins. She’s overjoyed, until she finds out she has a rare condition: Each twin has a different father. One twin is Tomás’, and the other is Oscar’s. As Liana tries to keep this news from her husband, everyone else’s secrets and liaisons — Tomás’ affair, Oscar’s growing list of misdeeds, Debora’s split alliances — threaten their relationship and the futures of their twin boys. The telenovela follows Liana, Tomás, and their family and friends from 2006, when the twins are conceived, until 2023. 

Enzo Diniz as Marcos and Theo de Almeida as Mateus ride bikes in a park in an image from the series ‘Desperate Lies.’

Enzo Diniz and Theo Almeida in Desperate Lies

Marcos Serra Lima

Is Desperate Lies based on a book?

No, it’s an original story. 

Where was Desperate Lies filmed? Where does it take place?

The series was filmed in and takes place in Rio de Janeiro. 

Looking for more melodramas like Desperate Lies to stream now? Check out this guide to find your next fave. 

Shows About Perfectly Dysfunctional Families To Stream NowFrom 'Ginny & Georgia' to 'Dead to Me', these families are working through some things.

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