RADIO GOLD – From the historical drama of ‘M – The son of the century‘ to the sci-fi and nostalgic fifth season of ‘Stranger Things‘, 2025 confirmed how the television seriality remains one of the most vital spaces of the contemporary imagination. Between highly anticipated returns, productions capable of surprising and new narrative languages, the series that sparked discussion throughout the year were not limited to entertaining, but intercepted cultural tensions, collective fears and storytelling desires deeply rooted in the present.
Among the titles that have marked this year there isM – The son of the century‘: the series Sky Original directed by Joe Wright, presented as a world premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival and included by ‘Hollywood Reporter’ in the ranking of the best series of 2025. Adaptation of the novel of the same name by Antonio Scurati, winner of the Strega Prize, the series tells the story of the birth of fascism in Italy and the rise to power of Benito Mussolini, played by Luca Marinelli. The actor – one of the brightest talents of our cinema – managed to embody Mussolini by seducing the public as the Duce had done in the past with the people. The breaking of the fourth wall, the use of archive images and a highly expressive direction transform History into a universal warning: the banality of evil does not belong to the past, but continues to question the present. It is precisely this ability to disturb, rather than explain, that has allowed the series to leave its mark.
From social media to real life, from dinners with friends to those with family, from offices to schools: everyone – or almost everyone – has found themselves discussing at least once ‘Adolescence’, available on Netflix. The British miniseries – competing for the Golden Globe for Best miniseries, anthology series or TV film – won over audiences and critics for having been able to tell the story of today’s adolescence without filters, without rhetoric and without narrative shortcuts. And he did it through the sequence shot. It was not a simple technical virtuosity, but a narrative device that eliminated any distance between the audience and the characters. There are no breaks or pauses: the viewer is forced to stay within the real time of the story, sharing the characters’ anxiety, confusion and sense of suffocation. Especially that of the adults in the story dealing with the emotional fragility of those young people they thought they knew. ‘Adolescence’ left its mark because it opened a public debate on urgent issues – youth violence, mental health, educational responsibility and lack of communication between young people and adults – demonstrating how seriality can still be a powerful tool of social observation.
After ‘ER – Doctors on the front line’, ‘Dr. House – Medical Division’ and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, just to name a few, a new medical drama has conquered the public. It’s about ‘The Pitt‘, a series by HBO Max and available on Sky and Now. The show made its way into the hearts of the public by renewing the genre without distorting its identity. And it did so by describing the hospital as a place of constant pressure, made up of tiredness, difficult choices and human frailty. The series focuses on doctors and nurses not as heroes, but as individuals forced to deal with ethical and personal limits every day. Addressing current issues such as burnout, inequalities in access to care and resources, ‘The Pitt’ transformed the clinical story into a broader reflection on the present, establishing itself as one of the titles destined to stand the test of time.
From the lights of the operating room to those of the film sets with ‘The Studio‘, available on Apple TV+. Thanks to the series by and with Seth Rogen, Hollywood also has its ‘Boris’. At the center of the story there is one it satirizes the film industry and, at the same time, celebrates it through the behind-the-scenes story. And the mind immediately goes to ‘Call My Agent Italia’ and, above all, to ‘Boris’: a cult series much loved for its sharp satire towards Italian television production by showing the misadventures on the set of the soap opera ‘Gli occhi del cuore’ and for its jokes which have now entered everyday language (“Come on, come on, come on”, “Genio!”, “Smarmella”, A damn dog”, “F4, stunned”, “Bitch maledetta”, “Li mortanguerieri”, “It’s coffee break gentlemen”, “I don’t feel Africa”, just to name a few). ‘The Studio’ – like the Italian ‘Boris’ – has been able to have an impact on the public’s imagination thanks to the lucid and self-deprecating story it tells about the state of the industry amidst the obsession with numbers, algorithms and branding, in which creativity is constantly balanced between artistic ambition and commercial compromise.
And then there is Rai which made itself heard with the roar of the famous Malaysian tiger. Born from an idea by Luca Bernabei of Lux Vide and broadcast on Rai 1‘Sandokan‘ – adaptation of the historic saga of novels by Emilio Salgari – returned to the small screen 50 years after Sergio Sollima’s 1970s drama of the same name starring Kabir Bedi. A monumental role, which the Turkish star Can Yaman defines as “a rarity in the life of an actor. An “intense journey from a physical and sentimental point of view” which made him “not only an interpreter but also a better person”, the actor told Adnkronos when speaking about one of the most important roles of his career. It divided the public, but the ratings spoke clearly. And the reason for the success is not only to be found in the choice of Can Yaman, an actor much loved by the Italian public, but also in the choice to bring to the screen a story from the past that speaks to the present through this romantic hero who fights colonial oppression and defends freedom: an archetype that speaks to every generation, because it combines adventure, justice and passion.
We close and start the year with fifth and final season ‘Stranger Things’. After the debut of the first part on November 27, the second (episodes 5-7) on December 26, the grand finale (episode 8) arrived on January 1stat 2 in the morning (Italian time). It won’t be goodbye. The creators, the Duffer brothers, have other projects set in the world of ‘Stranger Things’ in mind. Since its debut, it has been much more than a television series: it has become a true cultural phenomenon, revolutionizing the world of seriality. She was able to launch an imaginary shared and loved by audiences of all ages, made up of 80s nostalgia, coming-of-age stories, horror, science fiction and drama. Through a group of friends, the series told about growth, fear and all the difficulties associated with growing up, always remembering the importance of never losing the sense of wonder in every moment of life.
By Lucrezia Leombruni
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