Fantasmas (TV series)

Fantasmas
Genre	Surrealist comedy
Created by	Julio Torres
Written by	Julio Torres
Directed by	Julio Torres
Starring	Julio Torres Martine Gutierrez Tomas Matos Joe Rumrill
Music by	Robert Ouyang Rusli
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	6
Production
Executive producers	Julio Torres Emma Stone Dave McCary Alex Bach Daniel Powell Olivia Gerke
Producers	Charles Miller Neha Simon
Cinematography	Sam Levy
Editors	Jacob Secher Schulsinger Nolan Jennings
Running time	28-30 minutes
Production companies	Fruit Tree Irony Point 3 Arts Entertainment
Original release
Network	HBO
Release	June 7, 2024 (2024-06-07) – present

Fantasmas is an American surrealist ^[1] comedy television series created, directed, and written by Julio Torres, who also stars in it. It follows Torres on the search for a golden oyster earring, and the people he encounters on the way.

It had its world premiere at the ATX Television Festival on May 30, 2024. ^{[2] [3]} It premiered on June 7, 2024, on HBO. ^[4]

Premise

Julio Torres goes on the search through New York City, for a golden oyster earring, encountering people along the way.

Cast and characters

Main

• Julio Torres as himself
• Martine Gutierrez as Vanesja
• Tomas Matos as Chester
• Joe Rumrill as the voice of Bibo

Supporting

• Eudora Peterson as Amina Roberts, a teacher
• Bowen Yang as Dodo, an elf from Santa's workshop
• Greta Titelman as Gina, an aspiring actress
• Ikechukwu Ufomadu and Sydnee Washington as Oscar and Vicky, siblings running a business together
• Michael Graceffa as Derrrick, a fitness instructor
• Spike Einbinder as Carl, a superhero fan
• Bernardo Velasco as Edwin, a food delivery worker
• Ana Fabrega as Trish, an actress

Guest

• Jaboukie Young-White as Skyler, an influencer
• Paul Dano and Sunita Mani as a sitcom husband and wife
• Steve Buscemi as Q
• Evan Mock as Z
• Alexa Demie as Becca, a customer service rep for an insurance company
• Ziwe Fumudoh as a customer service rep for an airline
• Dominique Jackson as the Algorithm
• Julia Fox as Mrs. Claus
• Aidy Bryant as Denise, a saleswoman for toilet dresses
• John Early, Aaron Jackson, and Josh Sharp as the voices of hamsters
• Kim Petras and Princess Nokia as mermaids
• Tilda Swinton as the voice of water
• Kate Berlant as a theme park superhero actor
• Tommy Dorfman as a commercial director
• Dylan O'Brien as Dustin, one of Vanesja's clients
• Amy Sedaris as Vanesja's former art teacher
• Natasha Lyonne as Suzanna, a Zappos executive
• Patti Harrison as the voice of a goldfish named Deedra
• Rachel Dratch, Cole Escola, Rosie Perez, and Emma Stone as cast members of the reality show The True Women of New York
• James Scully as the producer of The True Women of New York
• Sam Taggart as Bryce, assistant to Deedra the goldfish

Episodes

No.	Title  [5]	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	"Cookies and Spaghetti"	Julio Torres	Julio Torres	June 7, 2024 (2024-06-07)
2	"Valued Customer"	Julio Torres	Julio Torres	June 14, 2024 (2024-06-14)
3	"Toilets"	Julio Torres	Julio Torres	June 21, 2024 (2024-06-21)
4	"Looking4Twinks2S**k"	Julio Torres	Julio Torres	June 28, 2024 (2024-06-28)
5	"The Little Ones"	Julio Torres	Julio Torres	July 5, 2024 (2024-07-05)
6	"The Void"	Julio Torres	Julio Torres	July 12, 2024 (2024-07-12)

Production

Development

In February 2022, it was announced that Julio Torres would write, direct, executive produce, and star in the series for HBO, with Emma Stone and Dave McCary set to produce under their Fruit Tree banner. ^[6] In December 2022, HBO greenlit the series. ^[7]

Casting

In April 2024, it was announced Martine, Joe Rumrill, Julia Fox, Ziwe, Alexa Demie, Steve Buscemi and Kim Petras would appear in recurring and guest roles. ^[8]

Reception

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 94% of 31 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.8/10.The website's consensus reads: "A colorful succession of sketches made cohesive by Julio Torres' one-of-a-kind sensibility, Fantasmas is another vivid variation on the wunderkind's imaginative themes." ^[9] On Metacritic, the series holds a weighted average score of 84 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". ^[10]

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
2025	Independent Spirit Awards	Best New Scripted Series	Julio Torres, Emma Stone, Dave McCary, Olivia Gerke, Alex Bach, and Daniel Powell	Nominated	[11]
		Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series	Julio Torres	Pending

References

1. "'Fantasmas' Review: Julio Torres' New HBO Comedy Is Another Slice of Hilariously Surreal Whimsy". The Hollywood Reporter. 2024-06-06. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
2. "Fantasmas". ATX Television Festival . Retrieved April 30, 2024.
3. Bergeson, Samantha (March 27, 2024). "ATX TV Festival 2024 Lineup: 'Industry' Season 3 Premiere, 'Girls5Eva' Karaoke, and Julio Torres' 'Fantasmas' Debut". IndieWire . Retrieved April 30, 2024.
4. "HBO Original Comedy Series FANTASMAS Debuts June 7". Warner Bros. Discovery . May 23, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
5. "HBO TV Schedule". HBO . Retrieved June 21, 2024.
6. Del Rosario, Alexandria (February 10, 2022). "Julio Torres To Write & Star In Comedy Series 'Little Films' As Part of First-Look Deal With HBO & HBO Max". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved April 30, 2024.
7. Hailu, Selome (December 15, 2022). "Julio Torres Comedy 'Little Films' Greenlit at HBO". Variety . Retrieved April 30, 2024.
8. Coggan, Devan (April 30, 2024). "Julio Torres shares first look at his dreamy HBO comedy Fantasmas". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved April 30, 2024.
9. "Fantasmas". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved December 7, 2024.
10. "Fantasmas: Season 1". Metacritic . Retrieved June 18, 2024.
11. Lang, Brent; Moreau, Jordan (December 4, 2024). "Spirit Awards 2025 Nominations: 'Anora' and 'I Saw the TV Glow' Lead Film Categories, 'Shōgun' Rules TV". Variety . Retrieved December 5, 2024.

External links

• Fantasmas at IMDb