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8 shows like The Decameron to watch next
If you enjoyed the Netflix series, here are other shows to watch…
Who would have thought that a mid-14th century plague-ridden setting in the sumptuous Italian countryside would be so ripe for comedy? The Decameron on Netflix sees a group of uppity nobles and their servants retreat from Florence to beat the pestilence raging in the city.
Loosely based on Giovanni Boccaccio's collection of short stories, the new eight-part period drama (of sorts) sees its ensemble cast invited to the grand Villa Santa, where they presume the Viscount Leonardo will be entertaining them once he gets back from all that glass-buying he's off doing. In the meantime, they get on with the fun, wine-soaked times without him.
But as the days conspicuously go by without Leonardo making himself known, our high society and their servants let the customs of class dynamics in the Middle Ages wear thin. They all begin to vie for the top spot in the villa.
Related: Netflix's new TV show is an unhinged Love Island-style sex-romp
The eight-part dark comedy on Netflix is a great way to pass the time, as we wait out the pandemic with the mad but thoroughly charming cast of characters. But you may already know all of that if you're here after a swift binge of the new show. In which case, we're here to help you fill up your newfound time.
If you're in the market for something to match the fun of The Decameron, we've assembled a list of possible picks for TV shows to dive into next, with several period dramas and comedies alike. Go forth and binge!
Miracle Workers
Miracle Workers is one possible port for wayfaring fans of The Decameron to take refuge in. The second season in particular, subtitled 'Dark Ages', has a fairly similar premise to the Netflix dark comedy.
The TBS anthology series stars Daniel Radcliffe, Geraldine Viswanathan and Steve Buscemi. The second season shares class politics DNA with The Decameron, with Viswanathan playing Alexandra Shitshoveler, who is – you guessed it – a shit shoveler. Radcliffe meanwhile plays a prince who has suddenly decided it's time to do right by the masses.
Mary & George
Set in a series of frigid, dankly lit stately homes, this seven-parter stars Julianne Moore and Nicolas Galitzine as an upstart mother-son duo who worm their way to the centre of power in the 17th-century royal court.
Mary & George pulls no punches for the sake of modesty or chaste period drama expectations: salty language, sex, blood, other bodily fluids and the blackest of humour abound.
The Great
Like The Decameron, The Great is another sex- and death-filled period drama that doesn't take sticking to the facts too seriously. Huzzah! Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult are clearly having a blast with this bawdy romp, which only sort of tells the story of the rise of Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia.
The highly acclaimed show was recently cancelled – more fool whichever TV executives made that decision – but at least we got three seasons of this bonkers, very funny show.
The Great is streaming on Channel 4.
My Lady Jane
Like The Great, My Lady Jane takes elements of the historical record and juices them up with liberal storytelling. This Prime Video dramedy gives Henry VIII's great-niece Lady Jane Grey (Emily Bader) an alternative ending where she makes it out alive.
Co-showrunner Gemma Burgess has described the show as "The Princess Bride meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Blackadder." With Rob Brydon, Anna Chancellor and Dominic Cooper playing lords and a lady of the royal court, you'll have a laugh watching this one.
My Lady Jane is on Prime Video.
Plebs
The sitcom Plebs ran for five seasons, so if you're looking for a comedy with enough episodes to get lost in, this could be it.
Touted as Horrible Histories meets The Inbetweeners, there's also some flavours of Blackadder in the mix, alongside plenty of puerile humour here. If that's not your bag, perhaps scroll on.
The ITV comedy follows three luckless lads – Marcus (Tom Rosenthal), Stylax (Joel Fry) and their dense house-slave Grumio (Ryan Sampson) – as they take on the big city of Rome circa 26BC. Chaos, hijinks and plenty of humiliating hiccups ensue.
Plebs is on ITVX.
The White Lotus
Much like the residents of Villa Santa, the second season of The White Lotus has sex on its mind. The dark prestige drama's second outing sees a group of holidaymakers descend on the Italian coast for a lavish and luxurious stay. Are you seeing the similarities now?
The zeitgeist-y drama comedy is one of the best shows on the air at the moment, with a third season promising more soapy murder mystery and sharp satire, set against the cobalt blue sea of Thailand.
Upstart Crow
Fans of Peep Show can see David Mitchell playing the Bard in this BBC sitcom of yore. Mitchell stars as the great Shakespeare: a slightly annoying man with a tendency to use many, many more words to say something that might have just required a handful. Writers trying to hit a word count may be able to relate.
Creator Ben Elton – of Blackadder, which could probably be on this list, but who hasn't seen that already? – returned to the world of sitcoms for Upstart Crow. Come for the period drama detail and stay for the script packed with jokes.
Upstart Crow is streaming on BBC iPlayer.
Renegade Nell
Another fun period drama! It turns out TV of late has been flooded with them. This 18th-century one comes from Happy Valley creator Sally Wainwright.
If you enjoyed seeing one Derry Girls star in The Decameron with Saoirse-Monica Jackson then here, you can see Louisa Harland in quite a gear shift from kooky Orla, playing the titular Nell. She's a young widow turned highwaywoman robber who is periodically granted supernatural powers.
The Disney+ show unspools a tale of action, adventure, fantasy and the supernatural into eight jaunty and tremendously fun episodes.
Renegade Nell is streaming on Disney+.
Previously Deputy TV Editor at Digital Spy and, before that, a TV Reporter at The Mirror, Rebecca can now be found crafting expert analysis of the TV landscape, when she's not talking on the BBC or Times Radio about everything from the latest season of Bridgerton or The White Lotus to whatever chaos is unfolding in the various Love Island villas. When she's not bingeing a boxset, in-the-wild sightings of Rebecca have included stints on the National TV Awards and BAFTAs red carpets, and post-match video explainers of the reality TV we're all watching.
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