Medici: Masters of Florence

Production by LuxVide, BigLight, Rai Fiction

Directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan

Medici: Masters of Florence is an Italian-British television drama series about the Medici dynasty set in 15th-century Florence, starring Dustin Hoffman as Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici, Richard Madden as Cosimo de' Medici, and Stuart Martin as Lorenzo de' Medici (The Elder). The series was co-created by Frank Spotnitz (The X-Files and Man in the High Castle) and Nicholas Meyer (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan). Sergio Mimica-Gezzan (The Pillars of the Earth) directed all eight episodes. Episodes 1 and 2 aired on Rai 1 (Italian TV) on 18 October 2016. According to Italian ratings compiler Auditel, it attracted a record 7.6 million viewers. The first season consists of eight episodes.

The series is set in the 15th-century Florence, and the protagonist is Cosimo the Elder, who was elected head of the Florentine Republic in 1434. Cosimo has inherited the Bank of Medici from his father Giovanni, who has been mysteriously poisoned. Through various flashbacks (20 years prior), we are introduced to Florence at the time of Giovanni, and to his relationship with his sons Cosimo and Lorenzo.

The show has been renewed for a second season, with Sean Bean appearing as Jacopo de' Pazzi. It is broadcast in several countries around the world, on SFR's premium SVOD service Zive in France and Sky 1 in Germany. Netflix carries the show in the US, Canada, Argentina on Fox Premium, the UK, Ireland and India. In Australia, the series was broadcast by SBS. In Portugal, the series was broadcast by RTP1. In Serbia the series was broadcast by RTS2.