Penny on M.A.R.S.

Plot

Penny passes auditions to enter M.A.R.S., an exclusive performing arts school with strict rules and daily tests. She enrolls under a fake name to hide that she is the daughter of popular singer Bakìa, who had sent her to a boarding school in Switzerland for a normal childhood. Only her best friend Camilla knows her identity, but their sister-like bond is tested when they fall for the same boy. Penny also seeks to solve the mystery of her father's identity.

Production

In April 2017, The Walt Disney Company Italy announced plans for an English-language spin-off of Alex & Co., with shooting for the 17-part first season scheduled for autumn 2017. The series was produced in English to improve international sales. Characters from Penny on M.A.R.S. appeared in the final episodes of Alex & Co., and the spin-off was officially announced in a teaser on 29 June 2017. The first table read occurred on 20 September 2017, and shooting ran from 28 September to 15 December 2017 in Milan and surrounding areas; the M.A.R.S. school backdrop is the design department building of the Polytechnic University of Milan's Bovisa campus.

By October 2017, Rai Com acquired international sales rights alongside Alex & Co. In October 2019, Lagardère Studios Distribution acquired global distribution rights from 3Zero2, joining as co-producer with Disney, while Disney and Rai Com continued to own and distribute the show. International distribution rights later transferred to Mediawan and its Mediawan Kids & Family division in November 2020.