The best Italian crime series take viewers far beyond a murder scene. They explore family loyalties, local rivalries, political influence and the uneasy relationship between power and justice. Along the way, they reveal very different versions of Italy: coastal Sicily, snowy Aosta, historic Matera, industrial Turin and the crowded streets of Naples and Rome.
Some follow detectives who gradually untangle a mystery. Others enter the world of organized crime, where every alliance carries a price. Between these extremes are legal dramas, historical investigations and police stories with humor, romance or a supernatural twist.
This selection brings together ten Italian crime series worth discovering. It is a guide by mood and subject rather than a strict ranking, with no major plot spoilers. For more viewing ideas, explore Italia Mia’s Italian TV section.
1. Inspector Montalbano: The Essential Sicilian Detective
Few series offer a more inviting introduction to Italian mysteries than Inspector Montalbano, known in Italy as Il commissario Montalbano. Adapted from Andrea Camilleri’s novels, it follows police commissioner Salvo Montalbano in the fictional Sicilian town of Vigàta.
The appeal lies in the balance between investigation and everyday life. Montalbano navigates difficult witnesses, tangled relationships and the demands of his colleagues. Meals, conversations and moments of irritation give the cases room to breathe.
This is a strong choice if you enjoy a detective with an established routine and a recognizable world around him. The Sicilian setting also provides a distinctive atmosphere, although the crimes prevent the landscape from becoming a simple holiday backdrop.
Best for: classic detective stories, literary adaptations and Sicilian atmosphere.
Where to watch: RaiPlay’s Montalbano page in Italy; MHz Choice’s Montalbano guide for U.S. viewers. Check the available episodes and subscription requirements before subscribing.
2. Imma Tataranni: A Sharp Investigator in Matera
Imma Tataranni – Sostituto procuratore centers on a deputy public prosecutor in Matera. Her exceptional memory and unconventional methods make her an investigator who is difficult to ignore.
Imma brings a different energy to the genre. Her directness can be funny, uncomfortable or revealing, especially when people expect her to accept an easy explanation. The series combines criminal investigations with the pressures of work and family life.
Matera is another reason to watch. The city gives the stories a sense of place, while the investigations look beneath its striking appearance. If you enjoy personality as much as puzzle solving, Imma offers an engaging alternative to the reserved television detective.
Best for: a forceful lead character, humor and mysteries rooted in a local community.
Where to watch: RaiPlay in Italy and MHz Choice in the United States. Season availability can differ between services.
3. Rocco Schiavone: A Darker Detective in Aosta
In Rocco Schiavone, a Roman police officer finds himself transferred to Aosta for disciplinary reasons. The cold, the snow and his unfamiliar surroundings create an immediate contrast with the life he has left behind.
Schiavone is sarcastic, cynical and difficult to work with. Nevertheless, his instinct helps him understand cases that confuse other investigators. The interest comes partly from that tension: a capable professional whose behavior often complicates his own position.
Choose this series when you want a more abrasive central character and a colder atmosphere than Montalbano provides. Its humor has an edge, and the mountain setting offers a refreshing change from the southern locations associated with many Italian crime dramas.
Best for: flawed detectives, sharp dialogue and Alpine settings.
Where to watch: RaiPlay’s Rocco Schiavone page provides the Italian viewing route. Outside Italy, search your local streaming catalog under the original title; this guide does not confirm a current U.S. provider.
4. The Bastards of Pizzofalcone: A Police Team in Naples
I bastardi di Pizzofalcone, often presented internationally as The Bastards of Pizzofalcone, shifts attention from a single investigator to a police ensemble. Its cast includes Alessandro Gassmann and Carolina Crescentini.
The team format gives the series several sources of tension. Colleagues must work together while carrying their own difficulties, and their relationships become part of the attraction. Viewers who enjoy following a group across multiple cases will find plenty to engage with.
It also provides another perspective on Naples. Here, the emphasis falls on police work and the people attempting to deliver justice. That makes it a useful companion to the city’s more severe organized crime dramas.
Best for: ensemble mysteries, workplace relationships and a Neapolitan setting.
Where to watch: start with RaiPlay’s official series page. U.S. viewers can check MHz Choice’s current catalog; its published guides include the series, but confirm the seasons available before paying.
5. Inspector Ricciardi: Historical Mystery with a Supernatural Twist
Il commissario Ricciardi brings an unusual premise to detective fiction. Its central investigator can see the ghosts of people who died violently and hear their final thoughts.
Those fragments do not simply solve the crime for him. Instead, they add an emotional burden to the search for justice. The series combines investigation with a more melancholy interest in what the dead have left behind.
The Naples of the 1930s gives the stories a historical framework, while the supernatural element distinguishes Ricciardi from a conventional police procedural. It is an appealing choice if you want atmosphere and emotion alongside the mystery, particularly if you enjoy literary detective characters.
Best for: historical settings, melancholy mysteries and restrained supernatural elements.
Where to watch: RaiPlay’s Inspector Ricciardi page. International catalogs may use Inspector Ricciardi rather than the Italian title.
6. Non uccidere: Psychological Crime in Turin
Non uccidere, also known internationally as Thou Shalt Not Kill, follows Valeria Ferro, a Turin homicide investigator driven by a persistent need to uncover the truth.
The series offers a more severe mood than the lighter detective entries on this list. Valeria’s own family history complicates her relationship with the cases she investigates, bringing personal experience into the search for answers.
This is a good choice when you want a mystery built around emotional pressure and difficult relationships. Its Turin setting also broadens the geographical picture of Italian television crime, moving away from coastal landscapes toward a northern urban environment.
Best for: psychological investigations, family secrets and a somber atmosphere.
Where to watch: RaiPlay’s Non uccidere episodes in Italy. Search both titles when checking availability abroad.
7. The Law According to Lidia Poët: Stylish Historical Investigations
The Law According to Lidia Poët, or La legge di Lidia Poët, combines legal mysteries with the struggle of a woman seeking a place in the legal profession. It draws on the historical figure of Lidia Poët while presenting a fictionalized dramatic story.
Compared with the bleakest series here, it offers a more accessible blend of investigation, period atmosphere and personal relationships. Its appeal extends to viewers who enjoy historical drama but would not normally choose a police series.
Treat it as entertainment inspired by history rather than a documentary account. The cases create opportunities to explore whose testimony is believed, how reputations influence judgment and what happens when professional ambition meets social resistance.
Best for: historical legal mysteries, period style and a broader alternative to gangster drama.
Where to watch: Netflix’s official title page. Check the audio and subtitle options offered in your country.
8. Gomorrah: A Relentless Organized Crime Drama
Gomorrah, known in Italy as Gomorra – La serie, enters the world of Camorra clans and their struggle for power. Sky’s series draws on Roberto Saviano’s book and follows criminal alliances that can collapse as quickly as they form.
This is a much harsher viewing experience than a traditional whodunit. The central question often concerns who will control territory, survive a betrayal or gain an advantage. Violence shapes the world of the characters and narrows the choices available to them.
It belongs on a list of essential Italian crime television, but its specific subject matters: the Camorra is not interchangeable with every other Italian criminal organization. Nor should the series be treated as a portrait of all Neapolitan life.
Best for: intense serialized drama, criminal power struggles and a bleak tone.
Where to watch: consult Sky’s official Gomorrah page for Italy. Outside Italy, check current local listings under both Gomorrah and Gomorra. The television series is separate from the film adaptation.
9. Romanzo Criminale: Rome’s Criminal Underworld
Romanzo Criminale – La serie follows a criminal group seeking control of Rome. Based on Giancarlo De Cataldo’s novel, its story draws on the history of the Banda della Magliana and the atmosphere of the 1970s and 1980s.
Friendship, ambition and rivalry supply the emotional engine. As the group pursues power, the story expands toward the connections between organized crime and wider institutions.
It is a strong choice for viewers who want a sprawling criminal saga with a historical setting. Watch it as a dramatization, however, rather than a complete explanation of the real events behind its inspiration.
Best for: period gangster drama, competing ambitions and long character arcs.
Where to watch: consult Sky’s Italian crime series catalog. Search for the television series specifically when checking international services, because the title also belongs to a separate film.
10. Suburra: Blood on Rome: Crime, Politics and Ambition
Suburra: Blood on Rome connects criminal interests with political and religious power in Rome. Its appeal lies in the overlapping ambitions of people who need one another while remaining potential rivals.
This is another choice for viewers who prefer a continuing story to a case resolved within an episode. Relationships and alliances matter as much as individual crimes, and the city becomes the prize around which those struggles develop.
Start with the original series before exploring the follow-up, Suburræterna. Also distinguish it from the film Suburra: the shared name can make browsing confusing, especially when a streaming search returns several versions together.
Best for: serialized intrigue, shifting alliances and contemporary Roman crime drama.
Where to watch: Netflix’s Suburra: Blood on Rome page. Confirm availability through your local account.
Which Italian Crime Series Should You Watch First?
Start with Montalbano for a classic detective, Imma Tataranni for an investigator with humor and force, or Lidia Poët for historical legal mysteries. Choose Rocco Schiavone or Non uccidere when you prefer a darker police story.
For an ensemble, try The Bastards of Pizzofalcone. For an unusual historical mystery, choose Inspector Ricciardi. If you want organized crime drama, begin with Gomorrah, Romanzo Criminale or Suburra, depending on whether Naples, period Rome or contemporary Rome interests you most.
There is also an older title worth exploring: La piovra. Its early seasons follow Commissioner Cattani’s investigations and provide a valuable point of comparison with later Italian mafia dramas. RaiPlay lists the series here; check which seasons are available.
Watching Italian Crime Series in the USA and Abroad
Availability changes by country and season. An official title page confirms a listing, but it does not guarantee that every episode will play from your location. For the United States, MHz Choice is a useful starting point for Montalbano and Imma Tataranni. Netflix provides direct pages for Lidia Poët and Suburra.
For the other titles, check a country-specific service such as JustWatch before subscribing. Keep subscription streaming, digital purchases and DVD editions separate: finding a title for sale does not mean it is included in a streaming plan.
If you prefer physical editions, browse Italian crime series on Amazon.com or Italian crime series on Amazon.it. These are search links, not confirmed stock listings. Check the season, subtitles and disc region before buying.
For information about connection privacy and regional viewing restrictions, read Italia Mia’s guide to NordVPN and Italian television. A VPN does not guarantee access to a broadcaster’s catalog; viewing remains subject to rights restrictions and the service’s terms.
Affiliate disclosure: Italia Mia may earn a commission from qualifying purchases through affiliate links, at no additional cost to you.
External Sources
- RaiPlay: Inspector Montalbano
- RaiPlay: Imma Tataranni
- RaiPlay: Rocco Schiavone
- RaiPlay: The Bastards of Pizzofalcone
- RaiPlay: Inspector Ricciardi
- RaiPlay: Non uccidere
- Sky: Gomorrah
- Sky: Italian Crime Series
- Netflix: The Law According to Lidia Poët
- Netflix: Suburra: Blood on Rome
- MHz Choice: Montalbano
- MHz Choice: Imma Tataranni
- RaiPlay: La piovra
