In 2020, people were talking about The Decameron a lot (relatively speaking). Giovanni Boccaccio’s 14th-century tale about a bunch of nobles telling each other stories to pass the time while the Black Death raged seemed, well, somewhat more relevant than maybe most of us expected.
Now, four years later, Netflix has a Decameron series—with a bit of a twist. According to Tudum, “as time goes on and social rules wear thin, the orgy of riches and liquor collapses into a struggle for survival. Wealthy citizens escaping a plague by engaging in a lavish and insular display of wealth? Doesn’t sound like this could be relevant at all!”
The trailer for the series is an odd mix of actually funny and just mildly awkward, but with this cast, one can only assume that Netflix is saving the best bits for the show itself. Yes, that’s Arrested Development’s Tony Hale in a wig as Sirisco, who is described as “the affable, ill-prepared, and eager-to-please steward of Villa Santa.” Girls’ Zosia Mamet plays Pampinea, a lady who is “full of hope and absolutely lacking in self-awareness.”
Amar Chadha-Patel (The Wheel of Time) is a “cocksure physician”; Jessica Plummer (The Girl Before) is “spoiled oddball” Filomena. Derry Girls’ Saoirse-Monica Jackson plays a codependent servant, and Harlots’ Douggie McMeekin an insufferable bachelor.
The Decameron is created by Kathleen Jordan (the showrunner of Teenage Bounty Hunters), and produced by Jenji Kohan’s production company; Kohan created Weeds and Orange Is the New Black. Join the party July 25th on Netflix.
