Penoza

... really a series to have been watched week to week when first aired, for streaming makes it increasingly-repetitive, tending towards very boring when viewing more than a couple episodes at a time... and there is no 'crime-family'-story, just the female lead character continually saying she-wants-out but never leaving her life of crime-death-suffering

... what the show does do to some degree is to showcase the absurdity of wars-on-drugs, as they are futile beyond any-all measure... as with any class of drugs billions of dollars are involved, and whenever a small, unscrupulous-element seizes control, there will always be unending numbers of others wanting to take over... bodies piling up very quickly

... there are several very strong as well as weak performances, the weaker ones don't really sink the couple early seasons, but eventually the entire production suffers under their negative weight... so watch the early years, enjoy them for what they are, then quit or you'll-get-what's-coming-(to-you)

Fantastic. The best series I have seen in a very long time. Neither given to write reviews, nor watch two entire series in two sittings yet here I am. Often brutal but utterly communicative with a sensational lead performance, this is a story of good people doing very bad things in an ever desperate downward spiral toward oblivion. The juxtaposition of the viewers empathy toward a mother utterly betrayed and her acts increasingly destitute of all morality, is perfectly poised.

I was only able to view the first two series here in the UK, so any further series are an unknown quantity to me.

This is not The Sopranos, and has only the theme of crime families in common. Like the Sopranos, this is quality TV of the very highest calibre.

Most recommended.

The first two seasons of Penoza are definitely worth the while. Good story, good cast and they kept everything somehow realistic. However, the decision to give the kids of the main character Carmen a more prominent role from season 3 on really killed the show for me. They are such poor actors (especially the girl) that I found myself not able to watch the show anymore. Twice I have tried to finish season 3 but everytime I just find myself so annoyed about these actors performances that I have just given up. Too bad because I held the show in such high regards the first two seasons.

This series is by far the best Dutch tv serie ever made. I've watch season one to three for at least 10 times. This series gives a good view into the Dutch crime scene. Since i'v worked as a prison guard i know this series gives a good inside view into Dutch crime. Not all the actors are that good but over all the character build up is pretty good. You really feel sorry for Carmen when she does everything to protect her family. Season one,two and three are really good. But after that it is getting real bad. And to complete the mess they cldsed it up with a really bad movie. But still i love the first seasons very much and will watch it again in the future because it still amazes me.

'The Godfather' explored the problems of an essentially good man trying to escape from his criminal family; 'The Sopranos' explored how such a family might live amongst the ordinary upper-middle classes. Dutch drama 'Black Widow' blends both these themes, as its protagonist is a mafia widow who finds herself lumbered by her murdered husband's criminal debts. It's strength is in displaying the ambiguous relationship that such this person (and the other non-combatants in the family) might have with their bread-winning relatives. But it lacks the operatic quality of the Italian drama 'Gomorrah' (my favourite mafia story of the year), and it's also lacks that drama's rich portrait of how organised crime permeates civil society. Overall, it feels mostly plausible, and well-plotted, but I found it a little hard to care about Carmen, our semi-innocent heroine who merely wants to continue her good life without having to pay for it.