Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): O realizador anterior dessa série mudou o argumento e parte do elenco. - The previous director of that series changed the plot and part of the cast.

In Portugal:
- realizador = director of films and TV
- encenador = theatre director (stage productions)
- diretor/director = manager, head of a school, department, company, etc.

In Brazil, people normally say diretor for a film/TV director, not realizador. So o realizador anterior dessa série is specifically the previous film/TV director of that series, not some administrative director.

Why is anterior after realizador instead of before it?

In Portuguese, most descriptive adjectives normally come after the noun:

realizador anterior = previous director
série interessante = interesting series

Putting the adjective before the noun often adds a more subjective, emotional, or stylistic nuance. With anterior, the neutral and most common position is after the noun: o realizador anterior.

You could see o anterior realizador in some contexts, but it sounds more marked/stylistic and is less natural in everyday speech than o realizador anterior.

What is the difference between anterior and antigo here?

Both can relate to something that came before, but the nuance is different:

anterior = previous / immediately before in sequence
- o realizador anterior dessa série = the director who did the series before the current one.
antigo = old / former, often with a longer time span or more emotional distance
- o antigo realizador dessa série = the former director of that series (no clear sense that it is the one just before the current one; could be older in the past).

In this sentence, anterior is better because it suggests the director directly before the current one.

Why is it dessa série and not da série or desta série?

All three are grammatically possible, but they have slightly different nuances:

da série = of the series (just definite, no explicit notion of distance; relies on context that both speakers know which series).
dessa série = of that series (linked to something just mentioned or known, somewhat closer to the listener or the shared context).
desta série = of this series (closer to the speaker, or very much the current focus).

In practice, in European Portuguese:

dessa série works well when the series has just been mentioned in the conversation or text.
desta série can put a bit more emphasis on this very series we are talking about now.

Here, dessa série simply picks up a series that is already known in the conversation: that series (we’re talking about).

Grammatically, what exactly is dessa?

dessa is a contraction of the preposition de and the demonstrative essa:

de + essa = dessa
It agrees in gender and number with the noun série (feminine singular).

Similar contractions:

de + esta = desta
de + aquela = daquela

So dessa série literally is of that series.

Does argumento mean an argument like a quarrel?

No. Argumento here is a false friend for English speakers.

In European Portuguese:

argumento (in the film/TV context) = script, screenplay, or story outline, sometimes plot.
For a quarrel or heated discussion, you would use discussão, zanga, or briga (more Brazilian).

So mudou o argumento means changed the script/plot, not changed the argument in a debate.

Is argumento closer to script or plot, and is this usage specific to Portugal?

In European Portuguese film/TV language:

argumento commonly means screenplay or script, especially in a more literary or film-theory context.
It can also refer to the storyline/plot in a broader sense.

In Brazilian Portuguese:

roteiro is the usual word for script/screenplay.
argumento there often refers more to a treatment or story outline (a more basic version of a script), or to reasoning in a debate.

So in Portugal, mudar o argumento is very natural for change the script/plot of the show.

Why is it mudou o argumento and not mudou de argumento?

Mudar can be used in two main ways:

mudar + direct object (transitive)
- mudou o argumento = changed the script (altered it).
- Focus: modifying that thing.
mudar de + noun
- mudou de argumento = switched to a different script/argument (changed from one to another).
- Similar pattern: mudar de roupa (change clothes), mudar de ideia (change one’s mind), mudar de canal (change channel).

In the sentence, mudou o argumento emphasizes rewriting or altering the existing script of the series, not just swapping one script for another.

What does elenco mean exactly? Is it only for actors?

Elenco means cast – the group of actors in a film, series, or play.

It typically refers to actors as a group.
By extension, sometimes it can include presenters or performers in other types of shows, but its core meaning is still cast.

So parte do elenco = part of the cast (some of the actors).

Why do we say parte do elenco and not uma parte do elenco?

Both are possible, but there is a nuance:

parte do elenco
- More neutral, often used when it is clear from context that we are talking about some portion.
- Sounds a bit more concise and typical in this kind of sentence.
uma parte do elenco
- Slightly more explicit: a portion of the cast.
- Can sound a bit more emphatic about the fact that it’s one part among others.

In practice, mudou o argumento e parte do elenco is very natural and means he changed the script and (some of) the cast. Adding uma would not be wrong; it just slightly changes the rhythm and emphasis.

Why is it parte do elenco and not parte de elenco?

do is the contraction of de + o:

parte do elenco = part of the (specific) cast.

We use the definite article o because:

The cast is the specific cast of that series, not just any cast.
Portuguese tends to use definite articles more than English when referring to specific groups or things.

parte de elenco (without the article) would sound odd here; it would feel like part of cast in English, which is not natural.

What tense is mudou, and why that one?

Mudou is the pretérito perfeito simples (simple past) of mudar.

It corresponds to changed in English.
It presents the action as a completed event in the past.

So O realizador anterior dessa série mudou o argumento e parte do elenco describes a finished action: at some point in the past, that previous director did this.

Other tenses:

tinha mudado (pluperfect) = had changed, used if you are relating that change to another past event.
mudava (imperfect) would suggest an ongoing or repeated action: was changing / used to change, which does not fit this context.

Does anterior describe realizador or série? Could it be ambiguous?

In this sentence, anterior clearly describes realizador:

O realizador anterior dessa série
- Structure: [O realizador anterior] [dessa série]
- First, you identify the director (realizador) and say he is the previous one (anterior).
- Then dessa série tells you which series he belongs to.

If anterior were meant to describe série, the sentence would need to be structured differently, for example:

O realizador dessa série anterior… (even then, it would still sound a bit awkward and need more context).

As written, the natural reading is the previous director of that series, not the director of the previous series.

What is the difference between série and séria?

They are different words:

série (with an acute accent on é and final e)
- Noun, feminine: a série
- Means series (TV series, set of things in sequence, etc.)
séria (with an acute accent on é and final a)
- Adjective, feminine form of sério: serious
- uma pessoa séria = a serious person
- uma conversa séria = a serious conversation

So in dessa série, it must be série (the television series), not séria.

Could we say O anterior realizador dessa série instead of O realizador anterior dessa série?

You could encounter O anterior realizador in some written or very formal styles, but:

The most natural, neutral form in everyday European Portuguese is O realizador anterior dessa série.
Placing anterior after realizador follows the standard pattern for descriptive adjectives and avoids sounding marked or overly stylistic.

So while O anterior realizador dessa série is not strictly wrong, O realizador anterior dessa série is what you would normally say.