Suburra: Blood on Rome

Suburra: Blood on Rome follows competing interests in Rome and Ostia, where criminal ambition, property, politics and religious influence meet. Its three seasons give the wider struggle a personal focus through relationships that are rarely straightforward.

Alessandro Borghi and Giacomo Ferrara, as Aureliano and Spadino, are the main attraction. Their scenes have a restless quality: neither man feels entirely predictable to the other. Claudia Gerini and Francesco Acquaroli help give the negotiations beyond them their own pressure.

I particularly like the sense of place. Rome is beautiful, but the series lets it feel lived in rather than merely admired. Ostia's streets and the city's grander surroundings belong to the same uneasy world. The recent-past setting also leaves space for people to experience a conversation or a place without a constant technological interruption.

I recommend watching with subtitles, although dubbing is an option. If you enjoy this, Gomorrah is an essential next choice. The separate Suburra film shares material and characters but should not be treated as the next chapter of the series.