Scripted

Rai 1 aired La rosa dell’Istria (Tr. The Rose of Istria) on Monday 5 February. Based on the novel Chi ha paura dell’uomo nero? by Graziella Fiorentin, it tells the story of the Istrian Exodus in 1943 when, under the regime of Tito, many Italians were forced to live in Istria (now Croatia). Produced by Rai Fiction, Publispei and VeniceFilm. Distributed by Rai Com. The series recorded 2.8mln viewers with an audience share of 17.8%.

Rai 1 will broadcast the miniseries Mameli - Il ragazzo che sognò l'Italia (Tr. Mameli: The Boy Who Dreamed of Italy) on Tuesday 12 and Wednesday 13 February. The biopic tells the story of Goffredo Mameli, poet and hero of the Risorgimento, and the author of the song that became the national hymn of the Italian Republic. Produced by Pepito Produzioni and Rai Fiction. The first part reached 4.2mln viewers with an audience share of 23.5%, and the second episode on Tuesday, February 13, closed with 3.3mln viewers and an audience share of 19%.

Rai 1 premiered the biopic Califano on Sunday 11 February in prime time. The story is focused on the life of Franco Califano, documenting his rise, fall and creative resurrection. It is based on the novel Senza manette (Tr. Without Handcuffs) written by Califano and TV journalist Pierluigi Diaco. Produced by Greenboo Production in collaboration with Rai Fiction. The movie starring Leo Gassmann (the young son of actor Alessandro Gassmann) recorded a very good result with 4.1mln viewers and an audience share of 22.8%.

Sky and NOW premiered the romantic series Un Amore (Tr. A Love) on Friday 16 February. The drama tells the story of Anna and Alessandro, who met for the first time on a holiday in Spain in 1997. It was clearly love at first sight but something kept them apart. For more than twenty years they continue to write to each other without ever meeting, as their paths part but a strong bond remains. Many years later they meet again for real in Bologna. The six-part series is produced by Sky Original with Cattleya (ITV Studios).

Detective drama Màkari returned to Rai 3 for a third series on Sunday 18 February. Saverio Lamanna and his team find themselves faced with a series of mysterious murders that disturb a quiet town. It won its slot with an audience of 3.9 million (22.7% share). Produced by Rai Fiction and Palomar.

Rai 1 launched 6x50’ series Gloria on Monday 19 February, with the remainder of the series airing next Monday and Tuesday (26– 27). Based on the novel Vorrei vedere (Tr. I Would Like to See You) written by Roberto Proia, the series looks at the life of Gloria Grandi, an unforgettable diva of Italian cinema, convinced that her talent is wasted on television serials. Her agent has a plan to get her back into the limelight, but it isn’t quite what she had in mind. It won its slot with 4.04 million viewers (22.7% share). Produced by Eagle Pictures and Rai Fiction.

Call My Agent - Italia returned to Sky Studios on Friday 22 March. The six-part comedy is an adaptation of the best-selling French format Dix pour cent. Produced by Sky Studios and Palomar (Mediawan).

Turkish series Terra Amara (Bitter Lands) continues to be a huge success on Canale 5, both in daytime (Monday to Friday, 2.15pm) and prime time (9.30pm on Sundays). The show managed 2.9 million viewers during its daytime run (a 22.3% share). The series tells the story of a couple who, facing difficult circumstances, move to a small town where they pretend to be siblings and work on a farm. Produced by TIMS&B. Distributed by Inter Medya.

Mare Fuori returned on the linear TV on Rai 2 on Wednesday, February 14 in prime time and recorded 1.3mln viewers with an audience share of 8.3%. Bear in mind that the fourth season launched on the streaming service RaiPlay and has since than become the top TV show on RaiPlay with 40 million legitimate streams. In the first two hours of availability, the first episode alone tripled the views of the first episode of the third season last year.