I knew nothing about this series and wasn't sure what to expect - I happened on it by chance while browsing through Amazon Prime selections, and I'm very glad I did! The basic premise is nothing new: a police chief inspector, Luca Manara, arrives at his new post in the sleepy district of Maremma in Tuscany, and is something of a fish out of water, having been transferred from a much more exciting position in the big city of Milan. He is clearly not happy being in this non-urban locale. He has a reputation as a playboy - in fact the reason for his transfer, we find out, was his romantic dalliance with his (unrealized-by-him-at-the-time) boss' wife. He also has a track record of not doing things "by the book" at work. So far fairly standard, but the clever writers immediately throw some spice into the pot by having his forensics expert also be a new transfer into the district: Lara Rubino, who was a classmate of Manara's at the Police Academy, and who, upon encountering him again at their new place of work, greets him wordlessly with a slap across the face, in front of the rest of the squad. What gives? Well if you stick around, you'll not only find out, you'll have a very fun time along the way.
This is far from the angsty noir of northern Europe-set detective entries like Vera or Wallander. There are stylistic elements reminiscent of Moonlighting and Death In Paradise, but Il Commissario Manara is really a unique creation of its own. The overall tone of the show is light-hearted (for instance, a running gag depicts how people often don't believe Manara is a policeman when they meet him and think he's a messenger or delivery person), but the writers and actors do give their characters a lot of depth, which is the main reason the show works so well. There is a new crime investigated each episode - the cases are interesting without being overly complicated, and the resolutions are often surprisingly sad and emotional, which offsets the more comedic aspect of the show. The first season focuses on developing the character relationships between Manara and his team - Manara gradually comes to like his new post, and his slightly bumbling but well-meaning underlings quickly recognize his capabilities - and particularly, the past and present relationship between Manara and Rubino. The episodes are all tightly scripted and expertly filmed, and the stories are very engrossing, building nicely to the climax of the season 1 finale, a definite high point.
The acting is superb across the board. Guido Caprino as Manara and Roberta Giarrusso as Rubino are excellent - both are extremely attractive without being artificially "glammed up" Hollywood-style, both excel at playing both comedy and drama, and together they achieve an easy sexy chemistry that makes their characters' relationship totally believable. The supporting cast is equally good, in particular Jane Alexander (not to be confused with the American actress of the same name) as the attractively forthright coroner Ginevra who dresses like a Bond girl, and Valeria Valeri as Rubino's aunt Caterina, who together with her German Shepherd "Brigadiere" contributes some admirable sleuthing in her own right. All the regular characters - and there are quite a few of them - are very engaging. The photography is also beautiful, and the theme music is absolutely great. And speaking as an Italian-American and current student of the Italian language, listening to the dialogue is a total delight, even if the actors do speak molto rapidamente! (There are English subtitles, of course)
While the first season is pretty much perfect, the second season suffers from the too-long absence of Roberta Giarrusso. Not sure if she was written out due to some other work conflicts she had, but she is sorely missed while she is gone. The writers do come up with a plausible excuse for Rubino to go to Milan temporarily - she has been selected to attend a prestigious course which will enhance her police career - and she does still make sporadic "long-distance" appearances, but the replacement character Marta Rivera, played by Anna Safroncik, is never as interesting, despite the writers' attempts to give her a "mysterious" past. And when Rivera's old boyfriend (played by an inexplicably dubbed Francesco Quinn) shows up as something of an adversary to Manara, things get too soap opera-ish on the romantic front. Thankfully Rubino does return in the flesh, though not soon enough for my taste. Another downside is that the writers turn new parents Toscani and Sardi into more of a henpecked husband/shrewish wife combo, which detracts somewhat from their previous appeal. The good news is that Guido Caprino really gets to drive the second season himself as Manara, and he is more than up to the task, displaying some very impressive physical skills in addition to his wonderful acting chops.
The growth of Manara's character is probably the best thing about the series. We do realize early on that although he is extremely gifted dealing with "the ladies" (who just can't seem to keep from throwing themselves at him), he is far from being an empty womanizer - he clearly has a big heart and excellent moral compass, in addition to his extraordinary police smarts, and the writers and Caprino both succeed in making him a very sympathetic soul. Rubino, although having less screen time in season 2, is also developed well with a wonderful combination of sweetness and strength, and it would have been really nice to see them both, as well as all the other lovable regulars, continue into a third season. Alas, it was not to be - apparently a new season was green-lighted at one point and the writers went ahead and laid out their plans for the characters, only to have it scrapped at the last minute. Ah, well... our loss. But, at least we can enjoy the two seasons that were filmed.
In conclusion, I highly recommend this show - Il Commissario Manara will make you feel warm and happy! Viva l'Italia!
This is far from the angsty noir of northern Europe-set detective entries like Vera or Wallander. There are stylistic elements reminiscent of Moonlighting and Death In Paradise, but Il Commissario Manara is really a unique creation of its own. The overall tone of the show is light-hearted (for instance, a running gag depicts how people often don't believe Manara is a policeman when they meet him and think he's a messenger or delivery person), but the writers and actors do give their characters a lot of depth, which is the main reason the show works so well. There is a new crime investigated each episode - the cases are interesting without being overly complicated, and the resolutions are often surprisingly sad and emotional, which offsets the more comedic aspect of the show. The first season focuses on developing the character relationships between Manara and his team - Manara gradually comes to like his new post, and his slightly bumbling but well-meaning underlings quickly recognize his capabilities - and particularly, the past and present relationship between Manara and Rubino. The episodes are all tightly scripted and expertly filmed, and the stories are very engrossing, building nicely to the climax of the season 1 finale, a definite high point.
The acting is superb across the board. Guido Caprino as Manara and Roberta Giarrusso as Rubino are excellent - both are extremely attractive without being artificially "glammed up" Hollywood-style, both excel at playing both comedy and drama, and together they achieve an easy sexy chemistry that makes their characters' relationship totally believable. The supporting cast is equally good, in particular Jane Alexander (not to be confused with the American actress of the same name) as the attractively forthright coroner Ginevra who dresses like a Bond girl, and Valeria Valeri as Rubino's aunt Caterina, who together with her German Shepherd "Brigadiere" contributes some admirable sleuthing in her own right. All the regular characters - and there are quite a few of them - are very engaging. The photography is also beautiful, and the theme music is absolutely great. And speaking as an Italian-American and current student of the Italian language, listening to the dialogue is a total delight, even if the actors do speak molto rapidamente! (There are English subtitles, of course)
While the first season is pretty much perfect, the second season suffers from the too-long absence of Roberta Giarrusso. Not sure if she was written out due to some other work conflicts she had, but she is sorely missed while she is gone. The writers do come up with a plausible excuse for Rubino to go to Milan temporarily - she has been selected to attend a prestigious course which will enhance her police career - and she does still make sporadic "long-distance" appearances, but the replacement character Marta Rivera, played by Anna Safroncik, is never as interesting, despite the writers' attempts to give her a "mysterious" past. And when Rivera's old boyfriend (played by an inexplicably dubbed Francesco Quinn) shows up as something of an adversary to Manara, things get too soap opera-ish on the romantic front. Thankfully Rubino does return in the flesh, though not soon enough for my taste. Another downside is that the writers turn new parents Toscani and Sardi into more of a henpecked husband/shrewish wife combo, which detracts somewhat from their previous appeal. The good news is that Guido Caprino really gets to drive the second season himself as Manara, and he is more than up to the task, displaying some very impressive physical skills in addition to his wonderful acting chops.
The growth of Manara's character is probably the best thing about the series. We do realize early on that although he is extremely gifted dealing with "the ladies" (who just can't seem to keep from throwing themselves at him), he is far from being an empty womanizer - he clearly has a big heart and excellent moral compass, in addition to his extraordinary police smarts, and the writers and Caprino both succeed in making him a very sympathetic soul. Rubino, although having less screen time in season 2, is also developed well with a wonderful combination of sweetness and strength, and it would have been really nice to see them both, as well as all the other lovable regulars, continue into a third season. Alas, it was not to be - apparently a new season was green-lighted at one point and the writers went ahead and laid out their plans for the characters, only to have it scrapped at the last minute. Ah, well... our loss. But, at least we can enjoy the two seasons that were filmed.
In conclusion, I highly recommend this show - Il Commissario Manara will make you feel warm and happy! Viva l'Italia!