“Medici: Masters of Florence” wants to be the definitive story of the Medici family’s rise in Renaissance Florence, and for the most part, it succeeds. The series, created by Frank Spotnitz and Nicholas Meyer for Rai 1, spans three seasons and 24 episodes, tracing the Medicis from humble merchants to the rulers who shaped both the city’s economy and its culture.
The show balances political intrigue with personal drama, and its central performance anchors the whole enterprise. Daniel Sharman plays Lorenzo de’ Medici, the young heir who must navigate the shifting alliances of Florence’s merchant class while protecting his family from enemies who see the Medicis as a threat to their own power.
Trailer, via Big Light Productions.
The Medicis Rise From Merchants
The series opens with the Medicis as successful but unremarkable traders, and it tracks their slow accumulation of influence through financial acumen and strategic marriages. The show does not shy away from the ruthless side of power, showing how the family’s wealth comes from careful investments and shrewd business deals rather than inherited nobility.
Clarice Orsini, played by Synnøve Karlsen, appears early in the story as a key figure in the Medicis’ ascent, and her scenes give the series some of its most compelling character work. Alessandra Mastronardi’s Lucrezia Donati brings a sharp intelligence to the show’s early episodes, and Sebastian de Souza’s Sandro Botticelli provides a creative counterweight to the family’s political machinations.
Enemies Multiply As Power Grows
As the Medicis gain influence, so too does their list of enemies grow. The show builds tension by introducing rival families and factions who resent the Medicis’ growing dominance, and it does not offer easy resolutions. The political landscape is constantly shifting, and the show rewards viewers who keep track of the various alliances and betrayals.
The series also explores the cultural impact of the Medicis’ rule, showing how their patronage of artists and thinkers helps spark a period of unprecedented creativity in Florence. This is less a story of battles than one of ideas, and the show finds room for both the brutal and the beautiful within its narrative.
A Cast Built For Scale
The ensemble is large, and the show manages to give each actor enough screen time to make their presence felt. Sean Bean’s role is listed in the credits, though the source material does not specify what character he plays. Johnny Harris’s Bruno Bernardi, Gualtiero Burzi’s Fra Quintino, Francesco Montanari’s Girolamo Savonarola, Jacob Dudman’s Giulio de’ Medici, Marco Foschi’s Alfonso II di Napoli, Mirko Filippi’s Nobile and Franco Filippi’s Popolano all populate the show’s world, giving it a rich sense of the city’s social hierarchy.
The show’s production design is lavish, recreating Renaissance Florence with attention to detail that adds weight to the story’s historical setting. Costumes, architecture and lighting all contribute to a sense of place that feels lived-in rather than staged.
What Works And What Doesn’t
The pacing can drag in later episodes, particularly during extended sequences of political maneuvering that rely heavily on dialogue to convey stakes. Some viewers may find the middle stretch of the series less gripping than its opening chapters.
The show also leans on familiar tropes of historical drama, which can make its twists feel predictable at times. Despite these moments, the overall arc remains engaging, and the final season delivers a satisfying conclusion to the family’s story.
| Season | Episodes | First Aired | Last Aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | 2016-10-18 | 2016-12-14 |
| 2 | 8 | 2017-10-17 | 2017-12-12 |
| 3 | 8 | 2018-10-16 | 2019-12-11 |
“Medici: Masters of Florence” is a confident, ambitious historical drama that mostly earns its ambition. Its central performances are strong, its world-building is detailed, and its handling of the Medicis’ rise is compelling. The pacing issues and occasional predictability keep it from greatness, but the series remains a solid entry in the crowded field of historical television.
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