Carlo & Malik

Okay - I really thought a lot about this crime show... Many here think it's a good show that covers also the racism Malik is confronted every day. One could think that's an interesting plot that gives room for a lot of social and political discussions - BUT - there is basically NO real reflection or controversy regarding this topic. Quite the contrary - racism is shown and lived in every single episode in such an normal and regularly way, that one starts to think, it is completely OKAY and nothing out of the ordinary... Also some of the acting is really poor. I rolled my eyes so many times my head is spinning ;) Bottom line - the show is ok, but nothing really special.

Is racism that archaic in Italy? Goodness, I hope not. Maybe it's just the translation? Well, barring that wretched part, it's a pretty good cop show.

This show has a decent plot and actors and I am enjoying it. Glaring is the portrayal of overt racism against the cop Malik...every 10 minutes someone either refuses to believe he is policeman, and asks for a "real cop", girls run up to "see the black cop" and then run away, people don't believe his partner would ever agree to have a black partner...it just goes on and on....like watching something out of the '60s. Is it really that bad in Italy? Wow. depressing. And of course, they have to keep repeating that he was way at the top of his detective class...as that seems the only way he would get a job like this...yikes.

Nothing frantic, sans car chases (if Luc Bresson did this series, the adrenaline would be higher). The pace of this show seems more life like than most North American 'cop' shows of a similar ilk. The actors are very watchable, the show does scratch are the underling racism Europe - most particularly I think this part (Italy, France, Germany) are suffering from. I very much like that this show doesn't use the glamorous European locations they could, instead, we see the graffiti laden buildings, the squalor of the immigrant sections. In North America this show would probably never get made, guns aren't pulled and shot a few times an episode, the pace - IS SLOW. A nice change of pace. I am 2/3 thru season one, I don't know if there are other seasons.

To much of racism though, far too much. Take that away and it will be a hit.