Italian television is making its mark on the international community releasing TV series whose success is captivating the public abroad
Only a month ago the famous Italian TV series “Suburra” was renewed by Netflix for another season. If you loved “Narcos” you should definitely watch it, so that you can mix business with pleasure, improving your Italian vocabulary and comprehension skills.
Suburra
Before the birth of the series, the movie “Suburra” was released in 2015 and it was inspired by the novel, written two years earlier, by Carlo Bonini and Giancarlo de Cataldo. The three stories are quite different: inasmuch as the TV series represents a prequel to both the book and the movie, even though they show the same story with a different perspective, different characters and details.
This place has not changed in 2,000 years. Patricians, plebeans, politicians and criminals, whores and priests… Rome.
What does the term “Suburra” mean and what is its plot?
Suburra was an area of Rome that in ancient time was crowded by the lower class and it has always been the place where power, violence, crime and corruption coexisted.
The series is a drama set in modern day Rome, where an intricate mafia-corruption plot, based on real events, takes place. It also includes scandals, political corruption, collusion, intimidation and negotiations among prominant families, the government and the Vatican, who are all strictly interwined.
Suburra is intense but each episode will keep you glued to the screen. You will love the writing, intricate relationships, locations, cinematography, and the cast which includes the talented and beautiful Claudia Gerini and the well-known Alessandro Borghi.
Gomorra
Another addictive Italian series is “Gomorra”, a crime drama about kjd modern Mafia set in the suburbs of Naples.
It is said that it is the Italian equivalent to the American series “The Wire” because of the topics and the analysis of different levels of crimes and hierarchy, from the top with the boss to the streets with toadies, drug dealers and ordinary people.
The reference of the series is the non-fiction book “Gomorra”, released in 2006 by the Italian writer Roberto Saviano, who sold over 2 million copies.
Just like Suburra, “Gemorra” the book was transformed into a movie and then into Gomorra the series, which shows us an unknown, dark world represented in all its authenticity.
You should watch it if you are interested in true stories and realism, discovering how criminal organizations run.
Il Commissario Montalbano
If you are interested in crimes and detective stories, you will love “Il Commissario Montalbano,” one of the longest Italian TV dramas (the first episode came out in 1999), based on the bestselling novels written by Andrea Camilleri.
The series focuses on Commissario Montalbano and his adventures both in solving crimes and balancing his personal life with work in the beautiful scenery of Sicily.
Other series
Or, you may also like “Don Matteo,” starring Terence Hill as a priest with a natural ability to solve crimes and help people.
On the other hand if you are particularly keen on history “I Medici, Masters of Florence” is definitely the right TV series for you. It tells the rise of the powerful Medici family in a breathtaking renaissance Florence, focusing on the story a young Cosimo de Medici, who, after the poisoning of his father, has to lead the empire and the prosperity of the family.
Last but not least, a masterpiece directed by Paolo Sorrentino, “The Young Pope” which has won 5 awards and received 27 nominations. Lenny Belardo, played by Jude Law, is a young American cardinal who is nominated Pope with the name of Pio XIII. But the newly elected Pope defies Vatican expectations as he begins his reign, never yielding to threats or conspiracies.
Watching Italian TV series could help improve your Italian, discover new places — for future holidays — and learn about different realities existing in Italy.
And, who knows, you could be a pioneer discovering new series before they become famous worldwide!