Il Commissario Manara
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is an Italian
police procedural The police procedural, police show, or police crime drama is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasises the investigative procedure of police officers, police detectives, or law enforcement agency, law enforcement agencies ...
television series. It is a
spin-off Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...
from the 2005 series, . Like that earlier series, the show is a
romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...
and
police procedural The police procedural, police show, or police crime drama is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasises the investigative procedure of police officers, police detectives, or law enforcement agency, law enforcement agencies ...
. Guido Caprino plays the titular police officer, Luca Manara. The series consists of two seasons of twelve episodes each: the first was broadcast from 8 January to 12 February 2009 on
Rai 1 Rai 1 () is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's Flagship (broadcasting), flagship television channel and is known for broadcasting ...
, while the second aired from 3 March 2011 on the same network. A third series, of which the story arc had already been laid out, was not completed.


Production

The show is a spin-off of the 2005 television series , in which the actor Guido Caprino, who plays Luca Manara, appeared in a secondary role in the fifth episode titled "Biscotti al Veleno". For the new series in which he plays the protagonist, Caprino claimed to have been inspired by
Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...
for the behavior and the facial expressions he used in portraying Manara, the actor being an admirer of the Italian-American composer and guitarist. The episodes are set in a fictional, non-specific location between
Orbetello Orbetello is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Grosseto (Tuscany), Italy. It is located about south of Grosseto, on the Lagoon of Orbetello, which is home to an important Natural Reserve. History Orbetello was an ancient Etruscan set ...
and the Argentario promontory in Tuscany. The first season was actually filmed about away, in the towns around
Lake Bracciano Lake Bracciano () is a lake of volcanic origin in the Italian region of Lazio, northwest of Rome. It is the second largest lake in the region (second only to Lake Bolsena) and one of the major lakes of Italy. It has a circular perimeter of appr ...
(
Bracciano Bracciano is a small town in the Italian region of Lazio, northwest of Rome. The town is famous for its volcanic lake (Lake Bracciano, Lago di Bracciano or "Sabatino", the eighth largest lake in Italy) and for a particularly well-preserved medie ...
,
Trevignano Romano Trevignano Romano is a small town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio, central Italy. With a population of about 5,000, it is located on the volcanic Lake Bracciano. It is about away from Rome. History The presence of people ...
, and Anguillara). In particular, the town hall of Trevignano Romano was transformed into the police station run by the commissioner Luca Manara. The second season of the series, announced in 2010, was shot in the
Maremma The Maremma (, ; from Latin , "maritime and) is a geographical region located between Lazio and Tuscany, Central Italy. The biggest city is Grosseto. The region, with a long history, is traditionally populated by the '' butteri'', mounted c ...
and in
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
. Filming lasted 19 weeks, from May to October 2010, for a total of 105 days. In July 2012 the third season did not appear in the Rai production plans, and the creator of the series Alberto Simone began to fear that the series had met its end, and commented on Facebook: In August 2013, following the change of management of Rai Fiction (from Fabrizio Del Noce to Eleonora Andreatta), the production of a third season was confirmed, and the broadcast was scheduled for autumn 2014 on Rai 1. In the first months of 2014, however, it was confirmed that the series was definitively cancelled.


Plot

The first season begins with the arrival of the new police (), Luca Manara ( Guido Caprino), to a small town on the coastal plain of Grosseto in the
Maremma The Maremma (, ; from Latin , "maritime and) is a geographical region located between Lazio and Tuscany, Central Italy. The biggest city is Grosseto. The region, with a long history, is traditionally populated by the '' butteri'', mounted c ...
area of Tuscany. Manara, whose nonconformity shows in his yellow
aviator sunglasses Aviator sunglasses are a style of sunglasses that was developed by a group of American firms. The original Bausch & Lomb design is now commercially marketed as Ray-Ban Aviators, although other manufacturers also produce aviator-style sunglasses. ...
, his penchant for jeans and his
motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...
, (a
Triumph Bonneville The Triumph Bonneville is a Types of motorcycles#Standard, standard motorcycle featuring a Straight-twin engine, parallel-twin four-stroke engine and manufactured in three generations over three separate production runs. The first two generation ...
), was transferred from
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 ...
due to his relationship with a superior's wife. Manara's promiscuity and flirtatious charm continue throughout the series, often causing office drama or helping to solve a case. On the same day, Inspector Lara Rubino (played by Roberta Giarrusso) also begins work at the station. Unlike Manara, Rubino is from the area; she has just moved back and lives with her aunt, Caterina Bentivoglio (who was Scarpati's mother in the series ) and her
German Shepherd The German Shepherd, also known in Britain as an Alsatian, is a German Dog breed, breed of working dog of medium to large size. The breed was developed by Max von Stephanitz using various Old German herding dogs, traditional German herding dog ...
Brigadiere, who often discover important clues. Bentivoglio is the first on the crime scene in the pilot episode. Rubino and Manara met during training at the
police academy A police academy, also known as a law enforcement training center, police college, or police university, is a training school for police cadets, designed to prepare them for the law enforcement agency they will be joining upon graduation, or to o ...
, and their evolving relationship serves as the show's central romance. The two solve most of the murders, with occasional assistance from their police subordinates or from Aunt Caterina. Like many
police procedural The police procedural, police show, or police crime drama is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasises the investigative procedure of police officers, police detectives, or law enforcement agency, law enforcement agencies ...
s or detective shows, each episode is devoted to a new murder case that is wrapped up by the end of the episode. The second season begins with the marriage between Luca Manara and Lara Rubino, which is interrupted by a murder. Because of this, Lara moves to Milan to attend a course for furthering her career and is temporarily replaced in the police station by Marta ( Anna Safroncik), a colleague with a dark past who falls in love with Manara. However, Manara still loves Rubino and at the end of the series, the couple reunites. Marta returns to Naples to the anti-
Camorra The Camorra (; ) is an Italian Mafia-typeMafia and Mafia-type orga ...
team together with a colleague (initially an enemy of Manara) who heads the
counter-terrorism Counterterrorism (alternatively spelled: counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, relates to the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, businesses, and intelligence agencies use to co ...
unit. Recurring characters include: Lara's aunt, Caterina Bentivoglio and Brigadiere; the married police couple Serena Sardi and Augusto Toscani, who in the first series fall in love and get married, while in the second will have a daughter named Alice; the officers Pio Buttafuoco and Mario Barbagallo; the
coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death. The official may also investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...
Ginevra Rosmini, a seductive ; the superintendent Casadio, who does not appreciate Manara's methods but is forced to recognize his talents; and Ada, the owner of the (farmhouse accommodation) where Manara lives. Bruno Gambarotta has a recurrent cameo in the role of the policeman Quattroni, who works at the station's front desk, and is known for his heavy
Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...
ese accent.


Cast

* Guido Caprino: Luca Manara * Roberta Giarrusso: Lara Rubino *
Valeria Valeri Valeria Valeri (born Valeria Tulli; 8 December 1921 – 11 June 2019) was an Italian actress and voice actress. Biography On stage A student of actress Elsa Merlini, Valeri began her professional acting career in 1948, working on stage with fe ...
: Caterina Bentivoglio * Anna Safroncik: Marta Rivera *
Jane Alexander Jane Alexander (née Quigley; born October 28, 1939) is an American-Canadian actress and author. She is the recipient of two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and nominations for four Academy Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards. From 1993 ...
: Ginevra Rosmini *
Lucia Ocone Lucia Ocone (born 3 May 1974) is an Italian actress and comedian. Life and career Born in Albano Laziale, at young age Ocone moved to Rome to study acting, following courses held by Francesca De Sapio and Lucilla Lupaioli. In 1992, she made her ...
: Serena Sardi * Augusto Fornari: Augusto Toscani *
Francesco Quinn Francesco Daniele Quinn (March 22, 1963 – August 5, 2011) was an Italian-born American actor. The first son of Oscar-winner Anthony Quinn and costume designer Iolanda Addolori (Anthony Quinn's second wife), Francesco is perhaps best known for ...
: Fabrizio Raimondi * Giulietta Revel: Annarita Casadio * Daniela Morozzi: Ada * Teresa Mannino: Teresa Manara * Michela Andreozzi: Tiziana Manara * Luca Calvani: Massimo Cenci *
Eleonora Mazzoni Eleanora or Eleonora may refer to: People * Eleanora (name) * Eleonora, three 17th century Swedish queens consort * Countess Palatine Eleonora Catherine of Zweibrücken (1626–1692), Swedish princess * Eleonora Luisa Gonzaga (1686–1741), Duch ...
: Alessandra * Isabelle Adriani: Agnese Mais


Notes


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Commissario Manara Italian crime television series 2009 Italian television series debuts 2011 Italian television series endings RAI original programming Television shows set in Tuscany