''Block 181'' () is an Italian

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

television series that premiered on 20 May 2022 on

Sky Atlantic Sky Atlantic is a British pay television channel owned by Sky Group, Sky Group Limited that launched in 2011 and broadcasts in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The channel airs original British-produced dramas like ''Fortitude (TV series), F ...

. The series is set in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

and follows a ''ménage à trois'' between two men and a woman. The second season, advertised as ''Gangs of Milano - Le nuove storie del Blocco'', premiered on 21 March 2025.

Plot

The peripheral area of Block 181 is controlled by the boys of the Block, led by the boss, Nicola Rizzo. The arrival of the Misa's ''pandilleros'' upsets the balance and leads to a clash for supremacy in the territory in an increasingly growing rivalry. Within this rivalry, a love is born that unites the factions: Bea, the Misa boss's sister, Ludo, one of the couriers of cocaine lord Lorenzo, and Mahdi, Rizzo's nephew. Thanks to this relationship, the three carve out their place in the neighbourhood criminal system.

Cast and characters

* Laura Osma as Bea: The most important woman in the Misa, Ricardo's sister. * Alessandro Piavani as Ludovico "Ludo" Bellini: Works as a courier for Lorenzo Curzi, delivering cocaine, before starting on his own with Bea and Mahdi. * Andrea Dodero as Mahdi: Rizzo's nephew. He collects the rent for the apartments in Block 181. *

Salmo ''Salmo'' is a genus of ray-finned fish from the subfamily Salmoninae of family (biology), family Salmonidae, and is part of the tribe (biology), tribe Salmonini along with the sister genera ''Salvelinus'' and ''Salvethymus''. Almost all ''Salmo ...

as Snake: Lorenzo Curzi's right-hand man. * Alessandro Tedeschi as Lorenzo Curzi: He is the area's cocaine kingpin, who also grew up in Block 181. * Alessio Praticò as Nicola Rizzo (season 1), the

boss Boss may refer to: Occupations * Supervisor, often referred to as boss * Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier * Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization * Fire boss, ...

of Block 181

gang A gang is a social group, group or secret society, society of associates, friends, or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over Wiktionary:territory#Noun, territory in a ...

and has always been Lorenzo Curzi's friend and partner. * Juan Cely Delgado as Ricardo: the Misa's

and Bea's brother. * Sergio Andrade Saavedra as Victor: Ricardo's right-hand man and the boss while Ricardo's in jail. * Anna Manuelli as Isabella "Isa" Bellini: Ludo's sister.

Release

The series was announced on 3 February 2022, during the premiere of the eighth episode of the eleventh season of '' MasterChef Italia'', where the contestants took part in an outdoor test on the set of ''Blocco 181''. On 28 March 2022,

Sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the planetary surface, surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from ...

released the first

teaser trailer A teaser trailer, also shortened to teaser, is a short trailer (promotion), trailer and a form of teaser campaign advertising that focuses on film and television programming. It is a videography pre-release film or television show advertisement. Sh ...

and announced that it would debut the following May on

. A second trailer, releasead on 27 April 2022, revealed the release date, May 20, 2022. The second season of the series, advertised as ''Gangs of Milano - Le nuove storie del blocco'', was broadcast from 21 March 2025 on Sky Atlantic Italy. The sixth episode, centered on the character of Snake, was previewed on 2 December 2024 at the Cinema Arlecchino in Milan as part of the annual, Noir in Festival.

References

External links

* {{Sky Atlantic 2020s crime drama television series 2020s LGBTQ-related drama television series 2022 Italian television series debuts Gay-related television shows Television shows filmed in Italy Male bisexuality in fiction Television shows set in Milan Television series about organized crime