Globoplay gives the green light to Instinct, a new erotic police thriller from Mixer

João Daniel Tikhomiroff and Alex Medeiros
Globoplay, the streaming platform of Brazilian giant Globo, has given the green light to new series Instinct, an erotic and police thriller developed and produced by local production company Mixer Films.
As revealed exclusively by both parties to C21, the series seeks to innovate in the genre by combining thriller, empowerment and female self-discovery, with a background of the Japanese community in Brazil the largest in the world outside its borders.
The story follows a young woman who, while trying to help her sick grandmother financially, becomes involved in the world of eroticism and discovers a dangerous connection with organised crime in Brazil, which in turn is connected to the oriental community.
Created by Camila Raffanti and Julia Ianina, and directed by Michel Tikhomiroff, the scripts to the 10×40’ series are currently being written. The plan is to go into production in 2025 and premiere in 2026.
“The series is set in the Japanese neighborhood of Liberdade in São Paulo. It occupies half of São Paulo, it’s our Chinatown,” explained João Daniel Tikhomiroff, managing partner of Mixer. “Nothing has ever been done in this format. It’s a very interesting theme, very original and very fresh.”
“There are millions and millions of people in Brazil who come from Japanese families. Even several scriptwriters are on the team of this series, and that is very important for the project,” added Globoplay’s head of drama and original documentaries, Alex Medeiros.
The executive also highlighted the international potential of the series, not only because of its format but also because it is “a thriller with many cliffhangers” but above all with “very complex and intense” characters.
In times of reboots and remakes, Instinct is a new and original idea, a theme Globoplay seeks to maintain.
“It is a Globo tradition to always want to be very close to the creators. And our most important series have all been original,” said Medeiros.
“Our priority is to find original stories. And for that we need the independent market. At Globo we have our studios, which are huge, and we do a lot of commissions for them, but the market is an ecosystem, and we really need agreements with producers like Mixer,” he continued.
The production company has already collaborated with Globo on titles such as the children’s series Escola de Genios, a Mixer IP that has been converted into a six-season franchise and has just hit the big screen with its first film.