Television series
Medici
A lavish Italian drama following the Medici dynasty's rise in Renaissance Florence. Medici spins political intrigue, art patronage, and family ambition into episodic throne-craft, anchored by gorgeous production design and a cast who understand the weight of power. It's prestige television for people who find *Game of Thrones* too grimdark and want their scheming served with actual beauty.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you like period dramas built on power, money and art, where politics and painting share the same tense rooms, and you enjoy watching ambition play out slowly.
Skip it if you want a tight, fast-moving costume epic; its pace is deliberate, its intrigue sprawls across three seasons, and its romance and scheming can feel melodramatic.
What it asks of you: Expect an hour an episode across twenty-four episodes, with patient set-up and lots of characters to track, so it rewards steady attention more than channel-surfing.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
The Borgias2011
Jeremy Irons as a Machiavellian pope, orchestrating Rome's most lethal family through sex, poison, and faith. Same era, same ruthlessness, same Renaissance excess—but sharper dialogue and darker spiritual rot.
But Cancelled after three seasons on a cliffhanger. The final year dips in focus and some plot threads feel abandoned.
Peaky Blinders2013
Criminal dynasties, family loyalty tested by ambition, a leader brilliant enough to outwit everyone except his own demons. The structure mirrors Medici's political chess, just transplanted to post-war Birmingham with better suits.
But Very stylised; the dialogue can feel more mannered than naturalistic, and the violence is sudden and graphic.
The Crown2016
Power sustained not through warfare but through protocol, image, and the slow erosion of personal freedom. A different century and throne, but the same meditation on duty crushing desire—and whether it's worth it.
But Moves at a measured, sometimes glacial pace. Episodes focus on political abstraction rather than plot momentum.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Medici
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
A Prophet2009
Both are about young men methodically building power structures through alliance and intellect rather than birthright. Medici shows ambition ascending; Prophet shows it in its rawest, most stripped-down form. Same engine, no ornament.
A 120-minute masterpiece about a nobody who builds a criminal empire inside prison through intelligence, cruelty, and the ruthless assembly of loyal men. The DNA of Medici—ambition, power structures, loyalty weaponised—distilled into pure cinema with zero dialogue wasted.
But French language film with subtitles. Prison brutality is unsparing and the pacing deliberately slow; no scene is wasted, but some will find it austere.
More like this (7)
Succession2018
Modern empire under siege from within. Succession mirrors Medici's core tension: brilliant, ruthless people who love each other and would murder each other, all fighting for the same crown. Absolutely savage writing.
But Contemporary setting may feel less epic. Some viewers find the characters too despicable to root for anyone.
The Tudors2007
Henry VIII's reign rendered as kinetic melodrama with excellent production value. Similar period, similar ambition and bloodshed, similar willingness to prioritise spectacle and human drama over historical accuracy.
But Heavily sexualised; some find it exploitative. Later seasons lose focus as the show chases shock value.
Wolf Hall2015
Thomas Cromwell's rise in Tudor England. Subtler than Medici, more intellectually rigorous, with dialogue that actually sounds like the Renaissance. A masterclass in costume drama for people who want substance with their silk.
But Paced for readers of dense historical fiction. Two seasons with long gaps between them; second season is gentler and slower.
Borgia2011
A grittier, lower-budget Italian take on the same Borgia family. Raw and unglamorous compared to The Borgias, it finds the tragedy beneath the scheming—what corruption costs the corrupted.
But Production values nowhere near Medici's level. Some non-English language seasons; dubbing can be patchy.
Knightfall2017
Medieval political intrigue laced with genuine theology and historical weight. Knights, templar secrets, power brokers—the same machinery of ambition and faith grinding away in a different century.
But Tone wavers between serious drama and pulp adventure. Cancelled on a cliffhanger after two seasons.
The Serpent2021
True-crime historical thriller about a charismatic sociopath. Tightly plotted, gorgeous to watch, with the same eye for period detail and character performance that makes Medici work.
But A serial killer narrative; graphic violence and sexual predation. Entirely different genre—less political dynasty, more true-crime procedural.
The Leopard1963
Both are Italian stories about the Medici era's legacy—how beauty and power become inseparable, and how dynasties preserve themselves through style and taste when force alone fails. Prophet is ambition at its hungriest; Leopard is ambition at the moment it realises it's dying.
Visconti's three-hour meditation on Italian aristocracy facing obsolescence. Decadent, painterly, slow—a film about power as a way of seeing and being, not just holding office. A ballroom scene more politically complex than most shows' entire seasons.
But A 1963 Italian film in subtitles, 205 minutes long, built on atmosphere rather than plot. Requires patience. Many cuts exist with different colour grading; hunt for the restored version or accept the image you're given.
People
Cast
Writing
- Frank SpotnitzCreator
- Nicholas MeyerCreator