Five Italian TV shows worth watching right now
Whether you're just getting into Italian-language shows or are searching for something new to watch, here are five series we recommend streaming at the moment.
From the Neapolitan prison drama Mare Fuori to the mafia series Gomorrah and the HBO/Rai adaptation of the Elena Ferrante series My Brilliant Friend, Italian TV shows are garnering an increasing amount of international attention.
If those critically-acclaimed shows have left you with a hankering for more, try checking out these five lesser-known Italian-language streaming series.
Watch for... light relief: Incastrati
In the first season of the Sicilian comedy series Incastrati ('Framed!'), two hapless TV technician friends get swept up in the mafia's net after they stumble into a crime scene.
The recently-released second season further develops this storyline, following our heroes as they try to free themselves from Cosa Nostra's clutches and fix their ailing love lives, inevitably making things worse in the process.
READ ALSO: How to find English and original language film screenings in Italy
Will Salvo and Valentino save themselves and their relationships? Will Valentino's mum ever come to terms with the idea of her middle-aged children finding love and flying the nest? There's only one way to find out...
Where to stream: Netflix
Watch for... a history lesson: SanPa: Sins of the Savior
In the 80's, Italy was ravaged by a heroin epidemic, at one time topping the list of countries with the highest numbers of drug-related deaths in Western Europe.
Out of this grew San Patrignano, a rehab community for recovering addicts that quickly attracted national media attention and acclaim. But founder Vincenzo Muccioli's methods were controversial, and he ended up facing trial on charges of abuse and manslaughter.
This docuseries starts slow, using a combination of archival footage and interviews with the community's residents to provide a sweeping overview of the events, but the tension and pace ramp up as the story progresses.
Where to stream: Netflix
Watch for... unexpected pathos: Tear Along the Dotted Line and This World Can't Tear Me Down
In 2021, Zerocalcare - alias of the award-winning Italian comics artist and humourist Michele Rech - broke out of the page and onto the screen with his first animated Netflix series, Tear Along the Dotted Line, which follows a group of friends whose lives haven't turned out as they expected.
His 2023 follow up, This World Can't Tear Me Down, tackles the thorny issues of addiction, immigration and social discontent in Rome's neglected periferie (outskirts).
If you're new to Rech's work, his style - frenetic, fragmented, frequently veering off on absurd tangents - can make both series at first seem like fun throwaway comedies; which makes the emotional punch they ultimately pack all the more disarming.
Where to stream: Netflix
Watch to... find out what the kids are up to: Prisma
Set in the town of Latina, south of Rome, this teen drama centres on identical twins Andrea and Marco (both played by Mattia Carrano) and their friendship circle as the characters come of age and grow into their identities.
Touching on themes of sexuality, gender fluidity and drugs, Prisma has been described as Italy's answer to Euphoria, though it's less hyper-realistic, less grim, and more tender than the US series. Just when you think you have the characters pegged, they surprise you by doing something completely unexpected.
Where to stream: Amazon Prime
READ ALSO: Ten of the best TV shows and films to help you learn Italian
Watch for... a silly but enjoyable murder mystery: Il Processo
You know what you're in for with this Netflix detective drama when, within the first couple of episodes, you're presented with a coincidence so improbable it would make Dickens raise an eyebrow.
The contrivance doesn't make Il Processo ('The Trial') any less fun to watch, though: it has all the key elements of a modern-day courtroom drama, from the troubled but determined detective to the slimy and unscrupulous defence counsel, and a true mystery at its heart.
It doesn't hurt that the has the production values of a prestige drama and features beautiful moody shots of a foggy Mantua, where the series is set.
Where to stream: Netflix
Comments
See Also
From the Neapolitan prison drama Mare Fuori to the mafia series Gomorrah and the HBO/Rai adaptation of the Elena Ferrante series My Brilliant Friend, Italian TV shows are garnering an increasing amount of international attention.
If those critically-acclaimed shows have left you with a hankering for more, try checking out these five lesser-known Italian-language streaming series.
Watch for... light relief: Incastrati
In the first season of the Sicilian comedy series Incastrati ('Framed!'), two hapless TV technician friends get swept up in the mafia's net after they stumble into a crime scene.
The recently-released second season further develops this storyline, following our heroes as they try to free themselves from Cosa Nostra's clutches and fix their ailing love lives, inevitably making things worse in the process.
READ ALSO: How to find English and original language film screenings in Italy
Will Salvo and Valentino save themselves and their relationships? Will Valentino's mum ever come to terms with the idea of her middle-aged children finding love and flying the nest? There's only one way to find out...
Where to stream: Netflix
Watch for... a history lesson: SanPa: Sins of the Savior
In the 80's, Italy was ravaged by a heroin epidemic, at one time topping the list of countries with the highest numbers of drug-related deaths in Western Europe.
Out of this grew San Patrignano, a rehab community for recovering addicts that quickly attracted national media attention and acclaim. But founder Vincenzo Muccioli's methods were controversial, and he ended up facing trial on charges of abuse and manslaughter.
This docuseries starts slow, using a combination of archival footage and interviews with the community's residents to provide a sweeping overview of the events, but the tension and pace ramp up as the story progresses.
Where to stream: Netflix
Watch for... unexpected pathos: Tear Along the Dotted Line and This World Can't Tear Me Down
In 2021, Zerocalcare - alias of the award-winning Italian comics artist and humourist Michele Rech - broke out of the page and onto the screen with his first animated Netflix series, Tear Along the Dotted Line, which follows a group of friends whose lives haven't turned out as they expected.
His 2023 follow up, This World Can't Tear Me Down, tackles the thorny issues of addiction, immigration and social discontent in Rome's neglected periferie (outskirts).
If you're new to Rech's work, his style - frenetic, fragmented, frequently veering off on absurd tangents - can make both series at first seem like fun throwaway comedies; which makes the emotional punch they ultimately pack all the more disarming.
Where to stream: Netflix
Watch to... find out what the kids are up to: Prisma
Set in the town of Latina, south of Rome, this teen drama centres on identical twins Andrea and Marco (both played by Mattia Carrano) and their friendship circle as the characters come of age and grow into their identities.
Touching on themes of sexuality, gender fluidity and drugs, Prisma has been described as Italy's answer to Euphoria, though it's less hyper-realistic, less grim, and more tender than the US series. Just when you think you have the characters pegged, they surprise you by doing something completely unexpected.
Where to stream: Amazon Prime
READ ALSO: Ten of the best TV shows and films to help you learn Italian
Watch for... a silly but enjoyable murder mystery: Il Processo
You know what you're in for with this Netflix detective drama when, within the first couple of episodes, you're presented with a coincidence so improbable it would make Dickens raise an eyebrow.
The contrivance doesn't make Il Processo ('The Trial') any less fun to watch, though: it has all the key elements of a modern-day courtroom drama, from the troubled but determined detective to the slimy and unscrupulous defence counsel, and a true mystery at its heart.
It doesn't hurt that the has the production values of a prestige drama and features beautiful moody shots of a foggy Mantua, where the series is set.
Where to stream: Netflix
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.