The new installment of the audio fiction created by Chilean screenwriter Julio Rojas stars Leonor Watling, Alejandro García, and Abril Zamora, joining a cast that once again includes Isak Férriz and Alberto San Juan. The production brings together more than twenty actresses and actors, fifteen of whom are Canarian, and features La Palma as the main setting, along with La Gomera and El Hierro. Canarian sound designer Alejandro Doreste was responsible for collecting 1,500 sound recordings from the landscapes of these three islands, which are heard in the second season.
«With ‘Simulacro’ we tell the story of the islands in a different and novel way, through audio fiction where their landscapes and sounds are an essential part of the story and accompany the listener on this journey», states the Minister of Tourism and Employment, Jéssica de León. The minister highlights how through the podcast «we reach new audiences with a cultural proposal that invites them to discover the destination with a formula based on quality entertainment».
The launch of the new installment has had a significant ripple effect on the first season, which has seen a 47% increase in listens. ‘Simulacro’ ranks among the most listened-to podcasts in Spain, holding the first position on iVoox and second on Apple Podcasts. The average retention per episode is 93%, and six out of ten listeners from the first season have continued with the second.
98% of the reviews for the story are positive, with an average score of 4.8 out of 5 stars. Listeners particularly highlight the production quality, the story's ability to maintain suspense, and the prominence of the Canarian landscapes.
The ten episodes of the second season of ‘Simulacro’ are now available on platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iVoox, Amazon Music, Podimo, and YouTube Music. Additionally, the audio fiction has its own dedicated page on Holaislascanarias.
The first season, co-produced by Turismo de Islas Canarias and El Extraordinario, premiered in April 2024 and received the iVoox award for Best Branded Podcast and the Ondas Global Award for Best Branded Content. It also won the Gold award for Best Branded Content Campaign at the W!N awards, and was included in Apple Podcasts' Top 10 New Shows of 2024 and Spotify's selection of Best New Shows.
‘Simulacro’ combines suspense, science fiction, and reflection on reality with an immersive audio experience, using the sea, volcanoes, stars, and forests of the islands. The plot of the second season is set in 2026, three years after the disappearance of Marcos Oliveira (Alberto San Juan), a scientist specializing in Artificial Intelligence. Journalist Irene Arizmendi (Leonor Watling) arrives in La Palma for a travel report and meets the 'seekers' who follow Oliveira's map, becoming involved in the search alongside Gonzalo (Alejandro García), a local camera operator.
