Likes for Sale 2023 / Though its satire could be sharper, it’s a quirky enough sitcom that pokes fun at social media and the entertainment industry

Likes for Sale, or Compro Likes in Portuguese, is as quirky and lighthearted as you’d expect from a half-hour sitcom. Its main premise, that of creating a fake persona in the age of online disinformation, also poses interesting questions. How ethical is it to buy likes to boost your career? And if you’re as desperate and rundown as Wagner, does the end justify the means? The ways in which Wagner and his team of frustrated artists navigate these dilemmas are what make the show relatable and interesting, but they’re also what make it frustrating at times. Some of their resolutions are questionable, and when they do tackle weighty matters, they seem too flippant to warrant serious thought. And the cast—as ebullient as they are—aren’t always convincing or charming enough to win you over. It’s admirable for the series to tackle such a novel concept (I’ve only ever seen it in the 2022 film Not Okay), but it looks like it’s something that needs to be lived in more to be fully fleshed out.