The Decameron is an American medieval black comedy television series created by Kathleen Jordan. It was inspired by the 14th century Italian short-story collection The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio. The series was released on Netflix on July 25, 2024, to critical acclaim as well as mixed reviews.[2]
Premise
In 1348, as the Black Death ravages Florence, a group of nobles and their servants retreat to the countryside Villa Santa. As they attempt to wait out the plague in the hills of Tuscany with wine and sex, the protagonists eventually must fight for their survival.
Cast
- Amar Chadha-Patel as Dioneo, Tindaro's doctor
- Leila Farzad as Stratilia, one of the remaining servants at the villa
- Lou Gala as Neifile, Panfilo's religious wife
- Karan Gill as Panfilo, Neifile's husband
- Tony Hale as Sirisco, one of the remaining servants at thee villa
- Saoirse-Monica Jackson as Misia, Pampinea's loyal servant
- Zosia Mamet as Pampinea, a spoiled noble
- Douggie McMeekin as Tindaro, a noble hypochondriac
- Jessica Plummer as Filomena, a spoiled noble
- Tanya Reynolds as Licisca, Filomena's servant
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by [1] | Original release date [3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Beautiful, Not-Infected Countryside" | Michael Uppendahl | Kathleen Jordan | July 25, 2024 |
| 2 | "Holiday State of Mind" | Michael Uppendahl | Kathleen Jordan | July 25, 2024 |
| 3 | "By Homer, It's a Winner's Wreath!" | Andrew DeYoung | James Rogers III | July 25, 2024 |
| 4 | "The Mood is Soiled" | Andrew DeYoung | Anthony Natoli | July 25, 2024 |
| 5 | "Switcheroo" | Anya Adams | Megan King Kelly | July 25, 2024 |
| 6 | "A Stony Brook Away" | Anya Adams | Marie Hanhnhon Nguyen | July 25, 2024 |
| 7 | "This is Awful, And You'll Never Recover" | Michael Uppendahl | Zoe Jarman | July 25, 2024 |
| 8 | "We've Had a Good Cry" | Michael Uppendahl | Kathleen Jordan and Stephen Unckles | July 25, 2024 |
Production
In August 2022, Netflix announced that it had ordered a television series loosely inspired by the 14th-century short stories of The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio. The series was created by showrunner Kathleen Jordan, and Jenji Kohan would executive produce with Jordan. Michael Uppendahl was set to direct four of the eight episodes.[4] The cast was announced in December 2023, including Zosia Mamet, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Tanya Reynolds, Amar Chadha-Patel, Leila Farzad, Lou Gala, Karan Gill, Tony Hale, Douggie McMeekin, and Jessica Plummer.[5]
Pre-production for the series began at the end of 2022. Filming began on January 10, 2023, with plans to continue through June.[6] Filming in Rome took place at the Cinecittà Studios, where the interiors of Villa Santa took up Stage 5, with additional portions of the villa utilizing Stage 4 and 11.[7] Additional on-location filming also took place in locations throughout the province of Viterbo, such as the gardens of Castello Ruspoli and having the San Pellegrino quarter serve as 14th-century Florence by covering and hiding modern features such as gutters, cables, windows, and flues.[8]
Release
The Decameron was released on July 25, 2024.[3]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 66% of 29 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.8/10.[9]
References
- ^ a b "The Decameron". Writers Guild of America West. August 9, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
- ^ VanArendonk, Kathryn (2024-07-26). "There's Nothing Quite Like The Decameron". Vulture. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ a b Burack, Emily (June 10, 2024). "Watch a Trailer for Netflix's Adaptation of 'The Decameron'". Town & Country. Hearst Magazines.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (August 18, 2022). "The Decameron: Netflix Orders 14th Century Soapy Drama from Kathleen Jordan & Jenji Kohan". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation.
- ^ Porter, Rick (December 14, 2022). "Netflix's Black Death Dramedy The Decameron Sets Cast". The Hollywood Reporter. Penske Media Corporation.
- ^ Ciarlante, Marianna (January 20, 2023). "The Decameron, cosa sappiamo sulla serie Netflix ispirata alle novelle di Boccaccio" [The Decameron, what we know about the Netflix series inspired by Boccaccio's novels]. Today (in Italian). Citynews.
- ^ Vivarelli, Nick (January 19, 2023). "Netflix's The Decameron Period Soap Starts Production at Rome's Cinecittà Studios (Exclusive)". Variety. Penske Media Corporation.
- ^ "Netflix a Viterbo: San Pellegrino si trasforma nella Firenze del '300 per The Decameron | Foto" [Netflix in Viterbo: San Pellegrino transforms into 1300s Florence for The Decameron | Photo]. ViterboToday (in Italian). Citynews. February 15, 2023.
- ^ "The Decameron: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
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