User Reviews

This show has a decent plot and actors and I am enjoying it. Glaring is the portrayal of overt racism against the cop Malik...every 10 minutes someone either refuses to believe he is policeman, and asks for a "real cop", girls run up to "see the black cop" and then run away, people don't believe his partner would ever agree to have a black partner...it just goes on and on....like watching something out of the '60s. Is it really that bad in Italy? Wow. depressing. And of course, they have to keep repeating that he was way at the top of his detective class...as that seems the only way he would get a job like this...yikes.

This my first time writing a review. It's a good crime show with a concept of a racial issue in Italy but it has little bit of everything so give it chance.

It features a base background kind of like soap opera story, which on top attaches one crime intrigue foreground tale with quick resolution in each single episode. The base story with attractive characters is what makes it compelling, it resurfaces in full force during the last two episodies where it takes over. Leaves some channels open to make a second season.

I am usually into Scandinavian and British crime series, but from time to time, for widening my horizon, I try to keep up with related productions from other countries. Nero a metà included no performer known to me and the focus was more on colleague relations than on solving crimes, but it was somehow pleasant, seemed realistic (features of Italians still on the surface though). The "racism issue" did not distract me at all.

True, the creators have evidently watched BBC Crime and not all cases were of even interest, but unless you think that only e.g. Bron/Broen and The Millennium series are worth watching, the series in question can be well recommended. At least, Rome seems a more realistic crime scene than a small English village...

PS Season 2 was somewhat more protracted, the disbalance of the "main crime" and other crime episodes bigger, personal feelings of the main characters too confusing -- so 7.5 points meaning still 8. And I have plans to watch Season 3.

No one would credit Italian tv with any quality so this is something of an achievement The stories and plots are pretty thin and riddled with gaps of process and impossible results from really poor policework ...yet,yet ..its quite fun to watch ..largely as the characterisations of the various members of the police squad are well drawn and interesting and mostly believable .Also the acting is really good .. a great ensemble . The pace of the police procedural is fast ..the pace of the character development is slow and dense and interesting . Worth watching ...worth developing .

Nothing frantic, sans car chases (if Luc Bresson did this series, the adrenaline would be higher). The pace of this show seems more life like than most North American 'cop' shows of a similar ilk. The actors are very watchable, the show does scratch are the underling racism Europe - most particularly I think this part (Italy, France, Germany) are suffering from. I very much like that this show doesn't use the glamorous European locations they could, instead, we see the graffiti laden buildings, the squalor of the immigrant sections. In North America this show would probably never get made, guns aren't pulled and shot a few times an episode, the pace - IS SLOW. A nice change of pace. I am 2/3 thru season one, I don't know if there are other seasons.

I am almost finished watching this series and hoping there will be more than one series.

Set in Italy with dubbed American voices but the dubbing is very well done.

Alba, one of the main characters and daughter of the main policeman is a very attractive girl and plays her part very well.

I had no idea that racism was so bad in Italy. It features regularly in the show regarding the black policeman. The fact that one suspect refuses to talk to a coloured person is pretty awful to watch. Interesting stories and good acting all around make this an entertaining show.

If I have one complaint it is the soundtrack. As soon as people start talking, they play really loud music over the dialogue. It is very distracting and annoying and really spoiled the show for me. This seems to be a trend and is happening in a lot of tv shows and movies lately. It is a trend they need to drop.

I would happily recommend this show for anyone who likes police shows. The scenery is realistic and not glamorous. There is mild profanity and some nudity. All in all, a good show.

To much of racism though, far too much. Take that away and it will be a hit.

Okay - I really thought a lot about this crime show... Many here think it's a good show that covers also the racism Malik is confronted every day. One could think that's an interesting plot that gives room for a lot of social and political discussions - BUT - there is basically NO real reflection or controversy regarding this topic. Quite the contrary - racism is shown and lived in every single episode in such an normal and regularly way, that one starts to think, it is completely OKAY and nothing out of the ordinary... Also some of the acting is really poor. I rolled my eyes so many times my head is spinning ;) Bottom line - the show is ok, but nothing really special.

Is racism that archaic in Italy? Goodness, I hope not. Maybe it's just the translation? Well, barring that wretched part, it's a pretty good cop show.

The show isn't half bad except for the constant references to Malik's race and some silly scenes that go nowhere. So if the scenario improves a bit, the premise is good and the cast is talented enough to turn this into an interesting police show with a sweet love story unfolding in the background.

I did like it a, b and c lot!! Very good acting and story line. Very exciting and good action moments too. The one negative for me is the chick flick love story, or stories, on the side.. ... took some action off and destracted me a little from the real story. But if you like crime thrillers...one2see!! No doubt!! Love Italian language!!

It's a great series if you enjoyed Inspector Montelbano. Beautiful settings, gorgeous women (all Italian policewomen and morticians are also models) and plenty of action all draped around a rather thin plot. But it's funny and heartening with lots of little romances developing among the detectives. It's amazing they ever solve a case but they usually get there one way or another.

I'm looking forward to the second season

Not a fan of Malik! He's a terrible actor! Period.

I love all the other characters mostly even though they are dubbed.

The sets are great ! There is enough drama regarding the lives of the people that we have come to know.

I just find Malik not plausible as he just doesn't get any sympathy for me.

I love Carlos! Just a great character.

This Italian police drama is centred on two Rome police officers; veteran Carlo Guerrieri and younger Malik Soprani, who transfers from vice. Malik was born in the Ivory Coast but has lived in Italy since he was five; because he is African many people have difficulty believing he is a policeman. In fact his new colleagues thought he was a criminal when they first met him. Most episodes feature a single main case but there are plot strands which last longer. The most important of these is a cold case where the discovery of a body might be linked to the disappearance of Carlo's wife many years before; in a second strand Malik starts to show an interest in Carlo's daughter.

I enjoyed the first season and hope we get the second soon. The main characters are interesting and there are some good mysteries; each of which provides a number of suspects and motives to keep the viewer guessing. The longer threads are interesting to; particularly the mystery of what really happened to Carlo's wife and who killed the man many years before. It must be stated that there is a surprising amount of racism directed at Malik; in each case he is just expected to deal with it rather than being helped to confronting the issue. The acting is good throughout; particularly the main characters. I'd certainly recommend this to fans of Euro-crime drama.

These comments are based on watching the series in Italian with English subtitles.

Good storyline, and credible characters, but ruined for me by the "English " dubbing. Why the heck give the African born character a New York accent , like listening to Ice T.!

And what's with the Dollars, Euro currency, and in Italy they have Autumn not Fall.

Excellent cast and acting. Good interplay between the characters. Interesting plots. Not quite in the "Montalbano" bracket but I am now enjoying watching the series for the second time ....

Its agood ashowa! decent italian crime show with lovable characters

My wife and I enjoyed the storyline, the settings, the characters and acting, the scenery and the suspense generated by the main plot. What let the series down in our opinions were the subplots (eg: the different murders). The outcomes were achingly predictable. We just finished the first season last night but Netflix hasn't offered us the second series so I guess it's another Netflix letdown. I wish they'd stop this irritating habit leaving a show unfinished when there is another series.