Suburra: Blood on Rome (2017 – 2020)

This show is fantastic, especially the first season. The music, the drama, and the criminal story are all fascinating and extremely compelling. It also helps that all of the actors and actresses are gorgeous! I binge watched this show when it first came out and now watch parts of it from time to time. This is one of my first recommended series when any of my friends are looking for a new show!

Suburra, I suspect, aspires to the heights of series like Gomorrah, without a full appreciation, of what made that series, so compelling. Gomorrah's characters had depth, complexity and contradiction.By contrast, the primary characters in Suburra come across as shallow, cynical, with little motivation, beyond the basest of self interest. The story revolves around the control of Rome. Its deep, rotten roots founded in corrupt politics, crime and religion.The mechanics of how the city and I'm sure many others, work is intriguing but somehow it never manages to take these compelling elements and make something more of them. I will say this series does see capable performances handed in from the actors. It can't be faulted in this respect. That said, this can not seal the deal, so to speak, on its own. In summary, a cold, almost clinical, take on crime and corruption, in modern Rome. The overly base motivations of key characters and sterile treatment of the back story, leaves little of depth and interest, for the viewer.