Netflix today premieres season two of the acclaimed Portuguese series Rabo de Peixe (Turn of the Tide), continuing the thrilling saga that first placed the Azores on the global streaming map.
Produced by Ukbar Filmes in partnership with Netflix, the series has become one of the platform’s most-watched non-English shows, ranking in the Top 10 in over 30 countries.
Created by Augusto Fraga and directed alongside Patrícia Sequeira, the new eight-episode season deepens the show’s emotional and moral tensions, exploring themes of loyalty, power, and redemption against the striking Atlantic backdrop of São Miguel Island in the Azores.
Returning stars José Condessa, Helena Caldeira, André Leitão, and Albano Jerónimo are joined by celebrated newcomers José Raposo, Ricardo Pereira, and Paolla Oliveira. Early reviews from Decider and What’s on Netflix praise the new chapter for its “darker tone, heightened emotional depth, and cinematic scale.”
The second season of Rabo de Peixe opens three months after its explosive finale, following Eduardo (Condessa) and his friends as they return to a changed hometown — where loyalty and survival collide under mounting cartel pressure.
“Season two explores what happens when the dream of escape turns into a nightmare of control,” says Fraga. “It’s darker, more intense, but still rooted in the authenticity of the Azores — a place as beautiful as it is unforgiving.”
Filmed across multiple Azorean islands and mainland Portugal, season two reinforces the production’s commitment to visual realism, showcasing the rugged Atlantic landscapes that captivated international audiences.
Inspired by true events — the 2001 cocaine-trafficking incident off the coast of São Miguel — Rabo de Peixe continues to blend social realism and high-stakes crime drama, cementing Portugal’s growing presence in global streaming. Netflix has confirmed that a third season is already in post-production, ensuring that “the tide will keep turning” for this powerful Portuguese drama.
Controversy and community reactions
As global anticipation builds around the sequel, Azorean community leaders and cultural voices are calling for more balanced and inclusive portrayals of the fishing village that inspired the story.
The recent acclaimed publication Rabo de Peixe – Toda a Verdade by local author Rúben Pacheco Correia has reignited public dialogue about truth, dignity, and representation.
“We are more than a headline or a plot twist,” says Correia, whose book combines field investigation, interviews, and international research to reconstruct the real events surrounding the 2001 cocaine seizure. “This is a dignified parish with hardworking people — not a set piece for dramatic misrepresentation,” he claims.
His findings suggest that the main trafficker spent less than 24 hours in Rabo de Peixe, and that much of the cocaine shipment landed elsewhere — highlighting discrepancies between fiction and reality.
Beyond the book, residents have voiced concerns about tourism pressure, privacy violations, and the limited use of local actors and dialects. “What we want is not censorship but inclusion, consultation, and respect for our voice — especially when our identity is portrayed to the world.”
As the second season premieres, Azorean educators, artists, and civic groups are encouraging dialogue and creative initiatives to reclaim local narratives. Their message is clear: “The story of Rabo de Peixe belongs not only to global screens, but also to the resilient community that inspired it.”
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The Azores (population 250,000) is a region of Portugal composed of nine islands. The archipelago, discovered by Portuguese explorers in the 15th century, became an Autonomous Region of Portugal in 1976. The government of the Autonomous Region of the Azores includes the Legislative Assembly, composed of 57 elected deputies, elected by universal suffrage for a four-year term; the Regional Government and Presidency, with parliamentary legitimacy, composed of a President, a Vice-President and seven Regional Secretaries responsible for the Regional Government’s executive operations. The Autonomous Region of the Azores is represented in the Council of Ministers of the Central Government by a representative appointed by the President of Portugal. According to the latest US census, over 1.3 million individuals of Portuguese descent live in the United States, the majority with roots in the Azores. It is estimated that over 20,000 US citizens live in Portugal.
