Der Kommissar und die Alpen

Taken from Manzini's series of novels, the TV show depicts fairly well the humor and the dark moods of inspector Schiavone. The actor Giallini is absolutely perfect for the part, the filming is good and the plots well transposed from the book series. The similarity with Montalbano is only superficial: Schiavone character is sad and disillusioned while Montalbano deeply believes in his duty and loves life (and to eat well) but of course they are both excellent detectives... So far the three seasons are very good.

The detective makes this show. His outlook on life with his dead wife haunting him for 7+ years is incredibly realistic. He cares deeply for people but hardly cares about himself at all and isn't afraid to cross a few lines along the way. The show takes a hit with the stupid detective comic routines, but if you're a bit melancholy yourself you won't be disappointed by this one. It could also help if you speak Italian. I only found English subtitles. I found the dangerous battle against organized crime realistic as as well. In many countries there are criminal organizations that are nearly as powerful as the government and they are not afraid to assassinate cops. Overall, very entertaining.

/refers to all 4 Seasons and episodes/

Well, I mean, no constant sunshine, lambent sea, people with a few sexy clothes, but high snowy mountains, cold and moisture - this is Aosta, almost Switzerland, far away from Rome, a real hinterland... But crimes occur there as well, although not often, so the personnel is not too gifted and experienced. So Mr. Schiavone (splendidly performed by Marco Giallini, who was before unknown to me) has to deal with both current crimes and his "demons" from the past, sometimes helped by some dubious childhood friends and balancing on a thin line of right and wrong...

In spite of some evident exaggerations in depicting some officials, the Series is pleasant to watch, gloomy crimes are stressed by the bad weather, and the wrongdoer is not revealed too soon. Schiavone´s past enables to include leitmotifs in addition to the cases to be solved (usually 1 per episode), thus being part of the modern, 21st century approach and moving beyond Poirot-Wallander type of series.

These comments are based on watching the first season in Italian with English subtitles.

Protagonist Rocco Schiavone is a cop from Rome who has been demoted and sent to the alpine town Aosta; he hates the mountains, he hates the cold and he hates most of his new colleagues. As the series starts he is in a relationship but it is clear that the only woman he truly loves is his late wife. He also smokes cannabis, in the office and isn't above a little breaking and entry to obtain evidence! Other regular characters included younger officer Italo Pierron, who Rocco usually works with; the competent Caterina Rispoli and Michele Deruta and Domenico D'Intino, a duo dubbed 'Laurel and Hardy' by Rocco thanks to their infuriating behaviour. Each episode contains a self-contained murder mystery, which often forces Rocco to head into the mountains he so dislikes after a few episodes longer plot arcs start to emerge with cases being linked and Rocco being in considerable danger.

I really enjoyed this series; each mystery is intriguing in its own way but it is the characters that make it such fun, once the longer plot arc begins the tension rises nicely. Marco Giallini is great as Rocco; a grumpy character could so easily be unlikable but he makes the character easy to like. The rest of the cast are impressive too. I can see why this series is compared to earlier Italian export 'Inspector Montalbano'; there are many similarities, with scenic alpine settings replacing the scenic Sicilian settings and some character similarities; however it doesn't feel like a copy of that show. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of subtitled crime drama or those who understand Italian. I hope we don't have to wait too long for more seasons to be released in the UK; I need to know what happens next.

Funny, touching, good stories with great characters: American cop shows could take lessons from Rocco!