Masantonio : Bureau des disparus

I'd so wanted to like this as the premiss seemed so interesting. A programme about a missing persons unit that had a licence to operate in unorthodox ways. This seemed so interesting. The reality was far more mundane however.

Things were going to be formulaic - they have to be in this type of series! So we had our usual pair of mismatched cops one of whom was methodical and the other intuitive. However Masantonio was so intuitive that it was impossible to work out the endings or guess why and where the particular person had disappeared and would be found.

I'd find myself watching more and more reluctantly until i gave up in episode 6.

Just one more thing. Episode two was impenetrable - the murdered person ran out of the shop meaning that for much of the time it was impossible to work out what was gong on at all. That's not a spoiler - this is the first scene.

This show can take you from sorrow to laughter. He's snarky, eccentric, and brilliant. The dynamic between the 2 detectives really build throughout the episodes in a non rushed natural way. There really need to be more seasons to fully see the back story of each character especially the lead. This is a show with so much dynamic and room for deeper development. It's the type of show I could see continuing as long as Monk did.

Witty and Brilliant dialogue good acters play, fascinating plot!!!The Director 's handling of the conversations with the missing persons is gordeous ! Crime stories told with humour are good for the mind. Italian cinema knowns how to ask questions! Very professional operator's work! Screen play is at hi level. It's a pleasent surprise in that comersial movie industry to watch so warm,human ,old fashioned stile of storie's telling. The ironing look at human's flaws is also a merit of the film. I sincerely hope the autors will make more that one season. Let's more people to have chance to watch that work ! Nice European filming!

Masantonio is a fascinating character. In the tradition of brilliant, yet haunted sleuths, he reaches heights in both. He'd vanished for 17 years without explanation, making his return to Genoa as much a cause of resentment, as hope by his superior that he will be able to lead a new section designated for finding the area's missing persons.

Throughout the season, we gradually learn bits of his backstory that account for much of his current hangdog mood and some of why he's so exceptional at the tasks assigned to him and his extremely patient partner. The suspense factor is solid, with complex plots to keep you guessing about the outcome until the end of each episode. Even better, they don't all wind up as happily as most mainstream tales of this sort do. That puts extra meat on the bones of scripts.

Fine series, but the warning is that the season ends with a significant cliffhanger, and I don't know if a second season is coming. If that's acceptable, enjoy an intriguing character and the fine supporting cast around him.

Masantonio is a troubled Italian missing persons detective

I actually like this show a great deal, despite not speaking Italian, the subtitles are ok!

The show is fresh, different, challenging, entertaining and at times extremely funny, I really love the dry humour!

The characters and their development are engaging, I have so far watched 8 episodes, and am not looking forward to the series ending! As for some inane reason some moron decided to cancel a show that was apparently well received! 😢 We are continually spoon feed American shows that seem to come off a conveyer belt, boring and soleless, I wish that there were more shows like Masantonio!