Looking for a new show to add to your watch-list? Do you want it to be quality, must-see television? Do you want it to air on Wednesdays so you can end hump day on a high note? Enter Gomorrah, a dark and gripping Italian crime drama now airing on SundanceTV.
Gomorrah
Based on Roberto Saviano’s book of the same name (which already got a movie adaption in 2009), the first season of Gomorrah aired in Europe in 2014. With an average of 1.2 million viewers per episode, Gomorrah is the most popular Italian television series of all time. And with good reason. Gomorrah has been a smash with viewers and critics alike and is often compared favorably to both The Sopranos and The Wire, sharing their street-level view of organized crime. Now, SundanceTV has brought this gritty European gem to the U.S.
Gomorrah follows the Savastanos, a fictional crime family based in Naples. The syndicate is led by the cunning and pragmatic Don Pietro Savastano (Fortunato Cerlino), his equally ruthless wife, Immacolata Savastano (Maria Pia Calzone), and their son, Gennaro Savastano (Salvatore Esposito), Pietro’s eager, if untested, heir apparent. Rounding out the cast is Ciro Di Marzio (Marco D’Amore), Pietro’s ambitious right-hand man, whose desires to take over the leadership throw the family into chaos.
If you are looking for romantic, sweeping Italian vistas, try The Wine Show instead. Gomorrah is violent and bleak. When characters are not killing each another in their separate bids for power, they are suffocating in the show’s atmosphere. Yet, while Gomorrah may never be a pretty show, it is always a beautiful one that is worth watching for the cinematography alone. Even if you struggle to keep up with the subtitles and lose track of the plot, Gomorrah never ceases to be a treat for the eyes.
Gomorrah has already completed its second season in Italy and a third is on the way, but thanks to SundanceTV, you can finally enjoy the first season with quality English subtitles. Treat yourself to one of the better parts of Italian culture – no plane ticket required.
