Manetti Bros.
L'Ispettore Coliandro

THE REVIEW

I have to admit that I'm not a fan of TV shows/series with a vertical storyline, meaning those that don't advance the plot. But with "L'Ispettore Coliandro," I've always made an exception. Because in this TV series, the plot is not a fundamental element; rather, it's all a backdrop to the adventures of the clumsiest inspector on Italian television. Exactly, Italian television. How many prime-time TV shows can be considered good products in our national landscape? Few, especially if we exclude pay-per-view, where there's more creative freedom (examples include "Gomorrah" and "Romanzo Criminale," and recently "Suburra" on Netflix). "Coliandro" is the exception that proves the rule.

The Manetti Bros, along with Carlo Lucarelli, the writer of the books, have been able to create a product accessible to everyone or almost everyone (perhaps not for the very young, given the language and some violent scenes). A fun product without any pretense of realism, mainly focused on the protagonist's character, which is excellently outlined, with his desire to emulate American movie cops, both in mannerisms and through quotations.
Then honestly, I can't see anyone else portraying Coliandro other than Giampaolo Morelli. Morelli is Coliandro, Coliandro is Morelli. An absolutely spot-on choice, Morelli is a good actor, but he gives his best here and probably it's the role of his life. The other actors also do a great job, and all their characters are excellently characterized. From Gambero to Gargiulo, from Bertaccini to Longhi. Time passes, colleagues evolve their stories and careers, Coliandro always remains the same, the last cog in the wheel of the Bologna police. His superiors often leave him in the dark about the cases, but he always finds himself in the midst of them.

The rating (overall for all the series) might be excessive, but personally, I can't give it anything less. Since 2006, I've watched every episode and it never tires me. It's true, there are imperfections, like some approximations of the plot and at times certain action scenes aren't very believable, but these aren't particularly annoying flaws. The other protagonist of the series is undoubtedly Bologna, shown like never before, with many night scenes in the center and also in more peripheral parts, including the countryside towns.