What’s The Decameron about? Netflix series explained
Netflix Netflix’s new historical The Decameron will help you escape the bore of mundane life — if you don’t mind sex, scandal, nobility, and the Black Death.
The Decameron was originally announced in 2022 after setting its leading cast, including Tony Hale, Zosia Mamet, Sex Education’s Tanya Reynolds, Willow star Amar Chadha-Patel, and others to round out the group lineup.
It is described as a “soapy dramedy” that tackles class systems, power struggles, and a really big problem with a touch of comedy and levity. Despite having waited so long for it to hit Netflix, many are excited to see what the series has in store after first-look images.
A lot will go on within the series that will pique interest and elicit a fit of giggles as a group of main characters get caught up in a nasty plague.
What is The Decameron about?
Set in 1348, a group of nobles and their servants escape to a villa outside of Florence to wait out the Black Death. But it soon turns into a fight for survival.
The beauty of having wealth and being noble is being able to leave peasants to fend for themselves as you take shelter far, far away from a horrendous plague that’s killing hundreds. The Decameron has the nobles and their servants tell stories that are a bit scandalous and unhinged.
“The series has a similar premise, but with a twist right out of Lord of the Flies — as time goes on and social rules wear thin, the orgy of riches and liquor collapses into a struggle for survival,” Netflix explained.
Plummer, who stars as Filomena, describes the series, “Think, like, Love Island, but back in the day,” she said. “A lot of drama, a lot of sex, a lot of, yeah, craziness.”
The Decameron cast
There will be a total of 10 main cast members with actors like Willow’s Amar Chadha-Patel. Read the full cast list below:
- Amar Chadha-Patel as Dioneo
- Saoirse-Monica Jackson as Misia
- Tony Hale as Sirisco
- Zosia Mamet as Pampinea
- Tanya Reynolds as Licisca
- Leila Farzad as Stratilia
- Lou Gala as Neifile
- Jessica Plummer as Filomena
- Karan Gill as Panfilo
- Douggie McMeekin as Tindaro
Chadha-Patel will play Dioneo, a physician whose job title puts him in a tough spot between the poor and the elite. Meanwhile, Farzad stars as Stratilia, a wise and smart woman who is the backbone of the villa and works hard to stay uninvolved and guard her secrets.
Joining them is Gala as Neifile, “who is God-fearing and highly libidinous. She’s a woman of paradoxes, whose time spent at the villa proves deeply transformative.” Gill takes on the role of Panfilo, a cunning and charming son of a wealthy political family who plays a big role within the villa. Derry Girls star Jackson will play the role of a serrvant to Pampinea who enjoys her work.
Is it based on a book?
Yes, the Netflix series is based on short stories from 14th-century Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio.
Die-hard literary fans or scholars would have caught on the premise behind the Netflix series. The original work by Boccaccio is 100 tales from seven women and three men as they take refuge secluded villa just outside Florence as the Black Death takes over the city.
Creator and showrunner Kathleen Jordan called Boccaccio’s work “short little horny tales.” Using the tales as a framework, Jordan wanted to explore class disparity in a time of crisis. How the wealthy deal with an extreme and dangerous plague versus the everyday commoner who doesn’t have the same means of survival.
Does The Decameron have a release date?
The Decameron will be released on Netflix in July, with an exact release date not confirmed yet.
The series will have a limited run of eight episodes, with each episode an hour long.
Is there a trailer?
No, Netflix hasn’t released a full trailer yet, but you can check out some photos from the series below:
With The Decameron releasing on Netflix, there are more series coming to the streaming platform this month, alongside some new K-dramas.