Jezabel is a soap opera about a princess who takes over a kingdom and tries to impose her will upon it. The Brazilian series ran for one season of 84 episodes, airing from April 23, 2019 through August 12, 2019 on Record TV. It follows Jezebel, played by Lidi Lisboa, as she marries Prince Acabe and becomes the most dangerous queen of Israel. The show is based on the biblical character Jezebel, and it treats her as a full, cunning force rather than a simple villain.
Jezebel’s Rise
The premise is simple: Jezebel, princess of Phoenicia, agrees to marry Prince Acabe after an arrangement between two kingdoms. She arrives in disguise, and once the marriage is sealed, she drops the mask and begins her rule. Her husband is weak and submissive, and she uses that weakness to take charge. She calls herself a great priestess and divine spokeswoman, and she backs that title with public human sacrifices to show her power.
Her allies are easy to track. Hannibal, the general of the Phoenician army, is her lover. Thanit, a vain and ambitious priestess, is her best friend and pushes her toward ever more cruel plans. The queen’s main enemy is the prophet Elias, played by Iano Salomão, who tries to expose her and remove her from power. He gets help from Obadias, the palace administrator who works as a spy for the prophets, and from Micaías, another ally inside the royal palace.
The Enemy Within
Elias is the one trying to bring Jezebel down. He attempts to expose her and remove her from power, and he brings in other allies both inside and outside the palace walls. That opposition sets up the show’s central conflict, a struggle between a queen who believes she is above the law and a prophet who believes she is below it.
Jezebel hires Dido, a young woman described as a nymphet, to seduce Eliseu, the disciple of Elias. The goal is to learn his plans, and the show spends time building the tension between Jezebel’s desire for information and Dido’s position as a tool in her hands. Obadias, the palace administrator, works as a spy for the prophets and tries to hide them from their oppressors. His loyalty to the prophets puts him directly in Jezebel’s crosshairs.
“She has allies including her lover Hannibal, general of the Phenician army, and her best friend, Thanit.”
The Cast Carries the Weight
Lidi Lisboa plays Jezebel with a mix of charm and cruelty that makes her feel alive rather than cartoonish. André Bankoff plays Acabe, the weak and submissive husband who can barely keep up with his wife. Iano Salomão plays Elias, the prophet who refuses to back down. Adriana Birolli plays Aisha, Juliana Knust plays Queila, Juan Alba plays Obadias, Rafael Sardão plays Hannibal, Sthefany Brito plays Raquel, Guilherme Dellorto plays Micaías, Ronny Kriwat plays Eliseu, Juliana Xavier plays Dido, and Juliana Schalch plays Temima.
The show leans heavily on its actors to carry the weight of its story, and the cast delivers across the board. Their performances are strong enough that even the weaker scripts hold together.
What Works, What Doesn’t
The show excels at atmosphere. The kingdom of Israel feels real, and Jezebel’s court is full of color and menace. The sacrifices and rituals are staged with care, and the show knows how to build dread without losing its sense of spectacle. The performances are strong enough that even the weaker scripts hold together.
Where the show stumbles is in its pacing. With 84 episodes spread across four months, some storylines drag. Jezebel’s rise takes longer to unfold than it needs to, and the middle stretch of the season slows down as the show repeats its central conflict without adding new stakes. The resolution, when it finally comes, feels rushed.
A Season Worth Watching
Despite its flaws, Jezabel succeeds as a bold, ambitious soap opera. It takes a familiar biblical figure and turns her into a fully realized antagonist. The show is at its best when it trusts its cast to carry the emotional weight, and it rewards viewers who stick with it through the slower stretches.
The final season is a mixed bag, with highs and lows that keep it from being a perfect watch. The show’s ambitions are large, and it sometimes struggles to match them. But the result is a compelling, often thrilling look at a queen who will not be stopped.
Jezabel earns a score of 7.4 out of 10.
Key Dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| April 23, 2019 | Premiere on Record TV |
| August 12, 2019 | Final episode |
The Verdict
Jezabel is a bold, ambitious soap opera that occasionally loses its way but never loses its nerve. It deserves credit for taking a familiar biblical figure and turning her into a fully realized antagonist, and it rewards viewers who are willing to ride the highs and sit through the lows. It is a show that knows what it wants to be, even when it cannot quite get there.
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