Penny on M.A.R.S.

***Penny on M.A.R.S.*** is a 2018 situation comedy, broadcast on Disney Channel Italy and directed by Claudio Norza. It is the spin-off of Alex & Co.

The series was announced on June 29, 2017, after the premiere of the last episode of Alex & Co. and the first season premiered from May 7 to May 25, 2018 on Disney Channel Italy.

Season 2 was announced on April 10, 2018 during the press conference of the first season. It premiered on February 18, 2019 on Disney Channel UK and on April 8, 2019 on Disney Channel Italy.

On October 1, 2018, the series producer announced a third season, planned for 2019. It premiered on February 17, 2020 on Disney Channel UK and was made available on Disney+ Italy on July 3, 2020.

## Plot

The series follows the adventures of Penny, a girl who has a big talent and a big passion: singing. She decides to enroll in the most famous performing arts high school, the M.A.R.S. Her passion will encourage her to fight for her dreams alongside her best friend Camilla. And soon, the arrival of a boy will complicate things.

## Cast and Characters

### Main characters

* **Penny Mendez**, played by Olivia-Mai Barrett
* **Camilla Young**, played by Shannon Gaskin
* **Sebastian Storm**, played by Finlay MacMillan
* **Nick Weber**, played by Damien Walsh
* **Mike Weber**, played by Luke Walsh
* **Sofia Hu**, played by Olivia Chan
* **Lucy Carpenter**, played by Jessica Alexander
* **Sasha Lukin**, played by Ryan Dean
* **Pete Swanson**, played by Giacomo Vigo
* **Tom Lauder**, played by Jack Christou
* **Rob Walker**, played by Keenan Munn-Francis
* **Vicky Bernhard**, played by Kira Malou
* **Martha Patel**, played by Amani Lia

### Recurring Characters

* **Bakìa**, played by Merissa Porter
* **Debbie Cornish**, played by Hanna Hefner
* **Freddy Wolf**, played by Ben Richards
* **Mitch Storm**, played by Charlie Gardner
* **Raul Storm**, played by Joseph Rye
* **Bruce Gold**, played by Michael Rodgers
* **Tosca Bauer**, played by Melanie Grey
* **Sean McDougal**, played by Yonv Joseph
* **Roberto Piccolo**, played by William Kenning
* **Ella Johnson**, played by Nathalie Rapti Gomez
* **Arianna Rossi**, played by Arianna Di Claudio

## Episodes

*Main article: List of Penny on M.A.R.S. Episodes*

## International releases

*Main article*: Penny on M.A.R.S.: International Versions

## Trivia

* In its script and clapperboards, the series is called "Penny on MARS", without dots.
* This series' director and some writers are the same as Alex & Co.
* This series also contains two songs from Alex & Co.: Live It Up (in its full version) and The Universe Owes You One.
* Although the series is in English, it is shot in Milan, Italy.
* The Italian voice actors of the characters that already appeared on Alex & Co. (Penny, Camilla, Bakìa and Freddy Wolf) were changed in this series.
	+ The dubbing studio also changed. The former is located in Milan whereas the latter is located in Turin.
	+ There is a small inconsistency between both dubs: Penny's nickname *Flamingo* was first translated as *Fenicottero* but in the spin-off the English word was used instead.
* The websites *Daadle* and *Sekiphedia* shown in the series are clearly a reference to Google and Wikipedia, respectively.
* The show is full of on-screen texts that can be seen in signs, posters and screens.
	+ These texts were localized in Italy and Spain. The other countries got the English version.
	+ Ending credits are also available in both Italian and English.
	+ On Disney+, all countries get the "international version" in with English texts, except Italy. That's the reason why the Italian audio track is only available in the Italian version.

## References

1. ↑ "A second season will be shot"
2. ↑ MIPJunior Spotlight: 3Zero2
3. ↑ Trailer Israel
4. ↑ Trailer Denmark
5. ↑ Trailer Norway
6. ↑ Trailer Sweden
7. ↑ Trailer Greece
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Trailer Middle East & South Africa
9. ↑ Trailer Poland
10. ↑ Trailer Hungary
11. ↑ Trailer Czech Republic
12. ↑ Trailer Romania
13. ↑ Trailer Bulgaria
14. ↑ Trailer France
15. ↑ Trailer Netherlands & Belgium
16. ↑ Trailer Spain
17. ↑ Trailer Portugal
18. ↑ Ici TOU.TV announcement on Instagram