Gomorrah

S1: Gomorrah is pretty good indeed but Saviano’s chosen angle (confirmed) to only show the sociopathic and dark side of the mafia is, albeit pretty exciting, ultimately a pedagogical one, and seems to me pedantic and moralizing. Omitting crucial elements of a criminal clan like social cohesion, friendship, fun, is at odds with the claims to realism Gomorrah makes. Surely maffiosi are attracted to other things than killing and getting killed?

First season, ok Second season, meh Third season, started going downhill, stopped watching

First seasons very good, after that it lost it's power.

A solid B tier show that centers around the Naples Mafia and the constant power struggles surrounding that area. The first two seasons are excellent but the third and fourth while still good suffer a little bit mainly from the amount of bodies that have piled up over the seasons leaving you with less characters you are invested in.

[S01] Solid and different (especially in pace) from your usual Hollywood fluff. Narration is slow and elaborate and the aesthetics show with equally elaborate, naturalistic precision all the dirt and the ugliness of Naples suburbs (which is to stress the moral dirt and ugliness of their inhabitants). I don't buy everything that happens plot-wise though (i.e. one central character twist in the middle) and it was both too slow and violent for my linking.

Was ok at the beginning, last season was a joke.

Season 1-2: 86 / Season 3: 80.

S4

It's a bit pulpy and lightweight, but it's fun - impressive night photography, and daring use of colour.

Plus: it has (or wants to have) a very realistic depiction of the Naples mafia-mob (la Camorra), without building a good vs evil narrative, without moral judge. Just depict a reality, of course in a story that can be entertaining to see. Minus: The same above; telling about only the world saw by this mafiosi, it will never have the great society/city description of a series like The Wire, or of many noir/crime classics in general: it can be a bit claustrophobic. First 2 seasons: 95; 3-5: 70.