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The Decameron (TV series)

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The Decameron
Genre
Created byKathleen Jordan[1]
Inspired byThe Decameron
by Giovanni Boccaccio
ShowrunnerKathleen Jordan
Starring
Music byRuth Barrett
Country of originUnited States
Original languagesEnglish
Italian
No. of series1
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producers
Production locationItaly
Production companies
  • American Sugarcube
  • Tilted Productions
Original release
NetworkNetflix
ReleaseJuly 25, 2024 (2024-07-25)

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. It was released on Netflix on July 25, 2024 to mixed reviews. 

Premise

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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

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Main

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Recurring

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  • Alfredo Pea as Calandrino, a servant at the villa
  • Giampiero de Concilio as Andreoli, a messenger
  • Aston Wray as Jacopo, Stratilia's son
  • Dustin Demri-Burns as Arriguccio, a friend of Sirisco
  • Fares Fares as Ruggiero, a cousin of the viscount
  • Tazmyn-May Gebbett as Parmena, Misia's love
  • Reis Daniel as Stecchi, Ruggiero's friend
  • Logan Wong as Bruno, Ruggiero's friend
  • Davy Eduard King as Leonardo, Pampinea's betrothed

Episodes

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No.TitleDirected byWritten by [1]Original release date [2]
1"The Beautiful, Not-Infected Countryside"Michael UppendahlKathleen JordanJuly 25, 2024 (2024-07-25)
Several young nobles accept invitations to escape the Black Plague in the visconte Leonardo's countryside estate Villa Santa. Leonardo's betrothed Pampinea and her servant Misia are greeted by the steward Sirisco, who is trying to hide that Leonardo has passed away and most of the servants have died or fled. Filomena attempts to abandon her dying father Eduardo, but is pushed off a bridge by her servant Licisca, who decides to impersonate her. Pampinea receives Licisca, the pious and repressed Neifile and her husband Panfilo, as well as the hypochondriac Tindaro and his doctor Dioneo. Both Neifile and Panfilo lust after Dioneo, who flirts with Licisca but is dismayed that Tindaro displays interest in her. Dioneo gives Tindaro a tea that makes him ill. Pampinea becomes increasingly distraught by Leonardo's absence. Misia's lover Parmena dies of the plague; while burying her Misia finds Leonardo's corpse. The group survives an attack by bandits, one of whom is a former cardinal. A ragged Filomena arrives.
2"Holiday State of Mind"Michael UppendahlKathleen JordanJuly 25, 2024 (2024-07-25)
Filomena furiously attacks Licisca, but Panfilo, who had figured out Licisca's true identity, helps convince the others that Filomena is really the jealous and unstable handmaiden. Filomena agrees to pretend to be Licisca in hopes of securing a proposal from Tindaro, and begrudingly does housework under the cook Stratilia. Neifile, shaken by the cardinal's declaration that God has abandoned humanity, falls down a well and believes God will rescue her. Tindaro, assisted by Dioneo, tries to woo "Filomena" with history lessons. Pampinea demands to be taken to Leonardo; she, Misia and Sirisco plot to pretend she has married Leonardo while in town. Panfilo pays Dioneo to retrieve Neifile and claim he was sent by God; Neifile is aroused by the experience. Licisca visits Dioneo's quarters.
3"By Homer, It's a Winner's Wreath!"Andrew DeYoungJames Rogers IIIJuly 25, 2024 (2024-07-25)
4"The Mood is Soiled"Andrew DeYoungAnthony NatoliJuly 25, 2024 (2024-07-25)
5"Switcheroo"Anya AdamsMegan King KellyJuly 25, 2024 (2024-07-25)
6"A Stony Brook Away"Anya AdamsMarie Hanhnhon NguyenJuly 25, 2024 (2024-07-25)
7"This is Awful, And You'll Never Recover"Michael UppendahlZoe JarmanJuly 25, 2024 (2024-07-25)
8"We've Had a Good Cry"Michael UppendahlKathleen Jordan and Stephen UncklesJuly 25, 2024 (2024-07-25)

Production

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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.[3]  The cast was announced in December 2022, including Zosia Mamet, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Tanya Reynolds, Amar Chadha-Patel, Leila Farzad, Lou Gala, Karan Gill, Tony Hale, Douggie McMeekin, and Jessica Plummer.[4]

Pre-production for the series began at the end of 2022. Filming began on January 10, 2023, with plans to continue through June.[5]  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.[6] 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.[7]  

Release

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The Decameron was released on July 25, 2024.[2]

Reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 66% of 35 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.8/10.[8] Metacritic gave the first season a weighted average score of 66 out of 100 based on 21 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b "The Decameron". Writers Guild of America West. August 9, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Burack, Emily (June 10, 2024). "Watch a Trailer for Netflix's Adaptation of 'The Decameron'". Town & Country. Hearst Magazines.
  3. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (August 18, 2022). "The Decameron: Netflix Orders 14th Century Soapy Drama from Kathleen Jordan & Jenji Kohan". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation.
  4. ^ Porter, Rick (December 14, 2022). "Netflix's Black Death Dramedy The Decameron Sets Cast". The Hollywood Reporter. Penske Media Corporation.
  5. ^ 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 [it] (in Italian). Citynews.
  6. ^ Vivarelli, Nick (January 19, 2023). "Netflix's The Decameron Period Soap Starts Production at Rome's Cinecittà Studios (Exclusive)". Variety. Penske Media Corporation.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ "The Decameron: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  9. ^ "The Decameron: Season 1". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved August 2, 2024.Missing or empty |id=
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