The Decameron: Release date, cast, reviews, trailer & more
Giulia Parmigiani/NetflixWe’re all invited to the party of the 14th century. With The Decameron release date here, let’s look at who’s in the cast and the reviews it’s getting so we know just what kind of party it’ll be.
While the conveyor belt of pandemic movies has collapsed, Netflix rekindled the flames using 14th-century debauchery in the Italian countryside.
It may not be set in the modern day, but The Decameron tackles evergreen class struggles. Like Parasite, Triangle of Sadness, and The White Lotus, the new TV show takes aim at disparity during widespread strife.
Based on Giovanni Boccaccio’s book published in the mid-14th century, this adaptation has a great cast and plenty of bite.
The Decameron release date
The Decameron release date was 25 July 2024 on Netflix.
NetflixThe show isn’t on other streaming services, as it’s a Netflix Original. You’ll need a subscription to watch it.
Cast list
Tony Hale, Zosia Mamet, Saoirse Monica-Jackson, Tanya Reynolds, and more star in The Decameron.
- Amar Chadha-Patel
- Leila Farzad
- Lou Gala
- Karan Gill
- Tony Hale
- Saoirse-Monica Jackson
- Zosia Mamet
- Douggie McMeekin
- Jessica Plummer
- Tanya Reynolds
Hale is a prolific comedic actor most known for the political satire Veep and the classic, Arrested Development, while Mamet’s breakout role was on HBO’s GIRLS.
Jackson recently rose to fame in the Irish comedy Derry Girls, and Reynolds will be recognized from Sex Education.
Reviews and Rotten Tomatoes score
The Decameron has mostly positive reviews and a 75% score on the Tomatometer.
Dan Einav of the Financial Times wrote, “While it teeters on the brink of insanity, the series is partially redeemed by the cast’s commitment to hamming it up as required.”
Anita Singh of The Telegraph said, “It never feels as if it’s trying too hard, and the cast’s enthusiasm is — no pun intended — infectious.”
What’s the plot?
The Decameron is about a group of nobles and their servants sheltering in a Florence villa during the Black Death plague in 1348.
NetflixBoccaccio’s The Decameron follows nobles and servants in the Villa Santa, just outside of Florence, as the bubonic plague rages. To pass the time, they tell each other stories, revealing the chasm between the wealthy and the poor.
The Netflix series has a similar conceit, but as time passes and civility weans, the displays of wealth and tales of debauchery turn into a resentful struggle for survival.
Similar to shows like Yellowjackets, Class of 07, and The Wilds, this new series is interested in what happens when all bets are off and the playing field levels out away from traditional roles. Except, here, class rifts are the main focus.
Hale told TUDUM, “When something like a plague comes along, the ground goes even.”
NetflixCreator Kathleen Jordan thought of the source material as “short little horny tales.”
She took the bones of it and strayed, “when in times of crisis, the chasm between the haves and the have-nots grows wider and wider. That’s something we’ve seen in the last few years, in particular with Covid.”
Villa Santa will take a route similar to other projects previously mentioned, injecting dark humor and satire into the liquor-soaked bubble.
Jessica Plummer, who portrays noblewoman Filomena, compared the insular drama to a reality show. “Think Love Island, but back in the day. A lot of drama, a lot of sex, a lot of craziness.”
The Decameron trailer
A teaser trailer was released on 10 June 2024, followed by a full trailer on July 10.
We see the cast in their opulent costumes and isolated villa in the teaser. Hale’s Sirisco is the eager-to-please steward, Jackon’s Misia is a co-dependent servant, and Mamet as Pampinea is a naive soon-to-be lady.
A full trailer arrived two weeks before the premiere.
The Decameron is now streaming on Netflix.
For more socio-political turbulence, get ready for House of the Dragon Season 2. Or, find out about the new movies and TV shows streaming this month. You can also read our fun list of who should be in The White Lotus Season 3.