11) Medici: Masters of Florence (Netflix, 2016-Current)
Medici: Masters of Florence is an Italian-British historical fiction series set in Florence, Italy in the early 15th century. Frank Spotnitz (The X-Files) and Nicholas Meyer (Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan) created the show, and with Dustin Hoffman and Game of Thrones alumnus Richard Madden in the cast, it has a real pedigree. The show has been renewed for a second season, with Thrones favorite Sean Bean (Ned Stark) set to appear.
Richard Madden plays Cosimo the Elder, who inherits the Bank of Medici financial empire upon the unexpected death of his father, who may have been poisoned. Shot in Italy and partially in the Vatican itself, the show doesn’t have to try hard to look great. Thrones veteran David Bradley (Walder Frey) also makes an appearance in season 1.
Medici: Masters of Florence was watched by a record 7.6 million viewers when it aired in Italy, but the International and American reception has been mixed. Independent.ie‘s Donal Lynch describes it as “a period piece that doesn’t depend on lush settings … and gorgeous costumes. Instead it is a type of whodunnit murder mystery, which takes place at the moment of changeover in the dynasty … There are outstanding performances from Hoffman and Madden and the pacing of the show means that it improves as it goes on.”
Lorraine Ali of The LA Times wasn’t impressed, writing, “As artful as the premise sounds, the story is too dense, wrought with too many players … It’s also near impossible to render banking sexy, no matter how many bodice-ripping scenes you throw at the problem — and there are many.”
Well, there you have it. Between The Tudors and Medici, we seem to have a lot of “bodice-ripping.” Rotten Tomatoes has no aggregate reviewer score for the show, but the audience score soars with a 90% approval. We leave the choice to you.