Mandrake is an original series created for the Brazilian branch of the HBO Latin America. The series was produced by HBO's local partner, Conspiração Filmes, with a budget of US$6.5 million. It first aired on October 30, 2005, being broadcast on Sundays at 11 O'clock pm (local Brazilian time: UTC -3).

The first ever HBO original series produced in Brazil, Mandrake was adapted from the character created by Brazilian novelist, Rubem Fonseca. Fonseca is known for his analysis of Rio de Janeiro's diverse society in his book A Grande Arte (The Great Art). Fonseca was actively involved in the adaptation of his work for TV, and the general direction of the project was entrusted to his own son, José Henrique Fonseca.

The series was met with great enthusiasm by critics. A second batch of five episodes was produced in mid-2007, and began airing on November 18, 2007. This is expected to complete a 13-episode first season. A second season was, at first, neither confirmed nor denied, with HBO quoted as saying they would be focusing on producing an international series immediately after the Mandrake first season ends. Finally, on May 20, 2007, HBO announced that it was beginning production of a 5-episode second season of the showAs part of a broader plan of distribution, the episodes were immediately dubbed in Spanish, so that HBO could distribute the show to its other Latin American branches.