Portuguese Kids exploring the possibilities of the 'Portuguese Problems' TV series renewal

FALL RIVER – The Portuguese Kids’ debut TV series “Portuguese Problems” on Portugal’s RTP international broadcasting service has been conquering fans across the globe, and discussions for a second season may “be happening soon,” according to Derick DeMello, one of the creative forces behind the Fall-River based Portuguese-American improv comedy group.

“The feedback has been absolutely amazing,” said DeMello, who co-founded The Portuguese Kids with Brian Martins. “Lots of people from all over the world have reached out to us, as far as New Zealand and even someone living in Thailand messaged us.”

More: READ MORE: The Portuguese Kids are getting their own TV series. When and where to watch

The last episode of the six-part series will air on Monday, April 22 at 8 p.m. on RTPi, which can be viewed through Comcast, Cox or satellite TV. But if you missed any of the episodes, you can view them on-demand, at no charge, using the RTP Play app.

“Our fans have really embraced the show and one big takeaway is how well the show tied in its storylines, people seemed to appreciate how we did these longer stories that stretch over the whole episode,” DeMello said.

Featuring Portuguese subtitles, ‘Portuguese Problems’ is the first American produced English spoken program RTP has ever aired.

Each 30-minute episode features a colorful cast of characters that explore family dynamics, culture clashes and everyday life of growing up first generation Portuguese-American.

José Fragoso, the director of RTP1 and RTP International, classified the series as “an innovative project” and said RTP is “very happy with the final result.”

“It has a very important symbolic and emotional value for RTP International as it is the first time that an original fiction format has been produced entirely outside of Portugal,” Fragoso said in a prepared statement.

Will “Portuguese Problems” return for season 2?

DeMello said the next step will be for The Portuguese Kids and RTP to discuss a potential second season.

“As far as a second season goes, neither party have committed to anything, but discussions will be happening soon,” DeMello said. “So, we are hopeful and very optimistic because of the initial success.”

But in the event the series fails to be renewed by RTP, The Portuguese Kids already have another project in the pipeline.

“We would likely start finishing our next project that we have yet to reveal - it was filmed in the Azores and we are editing it now. But down the road, we would absolutely do what we could to bring our fans a second season,” he said.

And there are other projects also to be explored.“We’ve gotten a few offers for sure, but nothing we can discuss publicly,” DeMello said. “But as always, we don’t count on offers, we create our own. This is why we’ve been around for nearly two decades, because opportunity doesn’t always knock on the door, but us being Portuguese we just build the door ourselves.”

Meanwhile, The Portuguese Kids will continue to hit stages around the country and abroad.

“Our live shows have been selling out all year and this show has only elevated that,” DeMello said. “In our hearts, we are always a live comedy group and love performing on the road and being able to visit all of these cities and listen to the feedback from fans about the show has been amazing as well.”

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Portuguese Kids exploring 'Portuguese Problems' TV series renewal