Cidade dos Homens (English title: City of Men) is a Brazilian television show created by Kátia Lund and Fernando Meirelles, the directors of the film City of God. The series was watched by 35 million viewers in Brazil and was released internationally on DVD shortly after the film. In 2007, a feature-length film based on the series (produced by Fox and TV Globo) was released. It is often cited as a "spin-off" of the film: City of God ; City of Men is a less violent and more light-hearted affair with dramedy elements (the film adaptation is darker, sharing its roots of City of God). However, the two do share some common aspects: the directors, some of the actors, and the setting of the Brazilian favela with its background of gangsters and poverty. The show tells the stories of Luis Cláudio and Uólace, better known by their nicknames Acerola (Douglas Silva) and Laranjinha (Darlan Cunha), respectively, who are two best friends who live in a notorious Rio slum, in a community of drug-dealers, hustlers, and teenagers struggling to fulfill their dreams. Production A co-production of Meirelles (through his studio, O2 Filmes) and Globo TV, the largest TV channel in Brazil, the show aired Fridays, at 11 p.m. (local Brazilian time: -3 UTC) for four seasons. Each season aired roughly one year after the previous one, and the characters, as it happens with the actors who portray them, are shown to age from one season to the next. As a result, the stories of each season reflect the struggles of poor kids from Rio de Janeiro in the appropriate age group: in Season 1, the characters are about 13 years old, that is, barely out of childhood and into adolescence; Season 4 (the final season) shows them age 17, on the verge of adulthood, and the evolution of their dilemmas. A movie with Laranjinha and Acerola turning 18 has now been released in Brazil and in the United States. Silva and Cunha starred in the 2000 short film Palace II, directed by Meirelles, a dry run for the film City of God. In the short, Silva played Larinjinha and Cunha played Acerola. Episodes The dates listed below are the original air dates on Globo TV and original DVD releases in Brazil (except for the international DVD release). Season 1 Produced in 2002 (aired between October 4 and October 18), released on