User reviews

This was one of the best things I have watched on HBO in a long time. So special - I couldn't get enough and was so sad when it was over. In an age when everyone is making super hero and action movies, this is so refreshing and brilliant. The characters are so well developed and almost haunting. The settings so pure and simple that it is genius. This is real storytelling at it's finest.

I have just finished season 1 and I loved it. It absolutely has the feel and pathos of neo-realism. All the despair, rage, and violence of post-war Italy is there that Rossellini, Di Seca and Fellini brought to their work. Every aspect of the production, the sets, the casting, the particular method of acting, the direction, gives the sense that it was filmed 60-70 years ago. The difference is that it's focus is on the inner lives of women, although the men play heavily in it as well. Because I love Italian neo-realism, I was enraptured by it. Because the story is about girls and their transformation into women under oppressive and desperate circumstances, I am all in.

A masterpiece. A big thank you to HBO. When I see comments like "stale" or "ugh" I actually feel sorry for the reviewers who have become so jaded by bad writing, bad acting, car chases and cgi that they missed the beauty of this story.

The perfection of this masterpiece breaks my heart. I fell in love with its every detail. From the very beginning of the story I knew this show is something special. With the sweetness of marvelous Italian it flusters your mind making you live the story with the characters And music, such a wonderful soundtrack. Just watch it, taste it.

They understood the source material. Acting and mood also impecable

I´m kind of surprised that there´re so few people actually watching this show, despite how great it is. This show is the perfect adaption of Elena Ferrante´s Neapolitan Novels. Every line and every detail is showing respect to Ferrante´s original words. If you´re a female, go watch it. If you're a male, you should watch to get to know females.

From the first episode I was hooked. Definitely one of the best series I have ever watched.Highly recommend it to everyone. Now I am reading the 4 books.

There are no words to describe this gem. This series hits you deeply in your heart like no other. So many authentic feelings,i was deeply moved. I've never seen such intensity,duration,acting,adaptation even in the old gems of Roberto Rossellini and Vittorio De sica.

A million thanks to the producers,the exceptional director Saverio Costanzo and director Alice Rohrwacher,the two unbelievable little girls/protagonists (i think Ludovica Nasti and Elisa del Genio),the two again unbelievable main protagonists Margherita Mazzucco and Gaia Girace,of course Elena Ferrante, and to all the crew and members of this magnificent accomplishment.

After watching the first four episodes, I can't stop thinking about this series. Very engaging and entertaining yet beautifully shot. All the actors are believable, especially the children.

While the subtitles are in English, the Italian is like music to your ears. The way the town is filmed brings you into the story even more.

Now I want to read the book. And probably rewatch the episodes just to keep track of all the names.

This is a lovely, thought provoking series. It's very, very good. Bellissimo!!

It's raw and magical at the same time. I would say that it is a breath of fresh air among epic fantasy, Sci-Fi, hyperrealism and other subgenres popular nowdays. It is a beautiful coming-of-age story. Young actors are shockingly good in their roles. I have seen only three episodes, but I hope it will only get better with time.

What a disappointment that the main actors were changed for Season 4. I makes no sense. How did they age 20 years from one day to the next? Is this science fiction now? There is no jump in time in the story but a huge jump in time with the ages of the main characters! We fell in love with the two girls and now they are suddenly changed? Why? This was a great artistic blunder. I watched one and a half episondes of Season 4 but gave up. It was a great series until now. I'd really like to know why they did this big, illogical change. I've read interviews and they make it seem like everyone involved in this change is happy, but I doubt it.

The start of this story is fantastic. The coming of age of two young girls in gritty, tough post-war Naples. One is street smart and tough as nails, the other is book smart and more gentle in nature.

The first three seasons center around them growing up - one never leaves Naples, the other leaves and comes back. A theme repeated later in the story. They argue and at times don't see or speak for days, months or years - another repeated theme. But they are always best friends and always thinking of the other; though not always positively, quite often just the opposite.

It's a compelling story for those first three seasons. Then suddenly in one episode they go from 18ish to 35ish and the story crumbles. Almost like when HBO said that GOT had to end in 8 episodes, so too here. And just like GOT the ending is horrible, but at least GOT had some closure. No spoilers but the last season, especially the last episode, is a huge disappointment.

I absolutely loved this series until they switched the actors. It seems to be a popular trend that often doesn't translate. In this series between the time between seasons and the actor switch it lost the thread of the story. Even though I'm still watching it's distracting and I often feel lost with characters I thought I knew and understood. This is one time I haven't read the book, which adds to my frustration because at least in a book you don't lose connection with the characters. Even though the new actors are good in their own way, it's impossible to not feel frustrated as the series moves on with the storyline, especially with the opening credits reminding you each time your dealing with a new cast by flashing the old cast on the screen. I can understand switching actors when dealing with children who grow and age in the script or even transforming to very old age. That being said I love the storyline, but I refuse to give a higher rating because of the changes. Would I recommend this series, yes I would, with the caveat, be warned, the cast change is challenging.

Breathtaking drama, with remarkable attention to detail. Naples never looked so stunning. The central performances, especially Lenu are so captivating to watch. Loved it!

Remarkable coming of age story, very moving and caring. The two main characters are well written and realistic, could have been real people. Going in completely blind only knowing it's an HBO production, I didn't know what to think and I would compare it to Handmaid's Tale but now I see it's too different in a good way. The writing can't get any better, you cared for the characters after only an episode and after eight well written episodes with only important content we have seen a lot. With it being in Italian, the dialogue feels natural and immersive.

Everything, every scene is just gorgeous to look at, a masterpiece!

Edit: 12/11-24 I've now watched the series finale and I can gladly say My Brilliant Friend is one of the best dramas I've seen. We followed Lenu and Lila from children to adults, a friendship with ups and downs but something so real. The characters are three dimensional and extremely well written. This show feels like a four films, incredible films with focus on direction and aesthetics. There's so many things that the series gets right, the attention to detail are important to everyone working on the series. 'My Brilliant Friend' is one of the best dramas I've ever seen and probably the most underrated one, don't be scared of the Italian/Neapolitan language as it solely enhances the show and characters that exists in it.

Its not a tv series, its a saga. It will keep you engrossed & each character will become your personal concern. Very well made & source material is of high calibre. Must watch tv series in my opinion.

Such a tender and at the same time cruel story! Well, what would you expect when we are talking of one taking place in times of sheer poverty, as the case almost everywhere in Europe was after the W. W.2, in a place famous for its beauties and notorious for its "peculiarities": Naples, Italy! And not just Naples, but a poor suburb of the city, populated in general by hardworking and honest, yet backward -very conservative if you prefer- and sometimes very stubborn and tough people. The story line is developed in a most natural, unpretentious way and everything illustrated in it, characters, situations, setting etc looks as honest as in the classical neorealistic italian films of the 50s. And just as the sentimental power of films like De Sica's "Il ladro di biciclette" springs from the pure honesty and truth of the bitter story they tell, so in "L'amica geniale" is its truth and honesty that make me often cry watching it, and not any cheap or less cheap dramatic scenes trying to evoke emotion. In other words, its enormous emotional power is due to its honesty and truth, to waking up memories of a past common to a huge number of people just by honestly retelling and reminding it, in other words its tremendous emotional power is something you will find "between the lines" so to say, and not to any "melodrama" if you see what i mean.

For me, a man brought up not too far from the place where the story is being developed, not long after the period this story takes place and in a more quiet and peaceful yet in many other ways not too different environment, - and that is a neighborhood in Piraeus, Greece,- my identification with the characters of the story is inevitable, hence the shocks of emotion it makes me feel . After all, the name of the main character is Greco! Helena Greco. Let alone the place itself which "feels" by history and name as greek as it gets! Napoli-Neapoli =Newcity!

Thank you HBO for bringing this series to the USA and going ahead with the second season. Not since the epic Italian classics of the 1960s has life in Italy been brought to the screen with such beauty and characters. All four of the lead girls are fantastic.. As an Italian American it is great to see a slice of life non shoot em up mafia series.. viva hbo please plug it more in your ads. richard

Within 10 minutes I knew this was special and spectacular.

Can't get enough. Leaves you wanting more. Began to watch it by accident, but now I dread the wait for next week's episodes. Amazing storyline!

This is one of the best shows I have ever experienced. It takes place in Naples Italy from the early 1950s and onwards following the lives of two best friends Lili and Elena as they progress in their lives. The storyline is gripping and captivating. The characters are so interesting authentic yet complex and nuanced. The rendition of Italy in the 50s and 60s is so fantastic. Attention to all details is absolutely perfect. This is poetry and on a totally different level in comparison to most other good shows today. This series deserves much much more attention. I am so happy that I found this gem. Do yourself a favour and put this show on top of your list. You will be happy you did, I guarantee! I have seen most of the major series so I know what to compare with ( see my other reviews for a reference) Wow what an excellent series this is! Perfection.

I was surprised by the overwhelming positive reviews this series received - until I read the initial reviews more carefully and realized most of them were written by viewers who had only seen the first two episodes. If I had reviewed this show after the second episode, I would most likely have given it 10 stars, too. The juvenile stars (Elisa del Genio as young Elena and Ludovica Nasti as Lila) were very impressive, and I imagine we'll be seeing a lot more of them. These little girls made it easy to relate to Lila's impotent rage - which would be natural in a girl whose intellect is so far above those around her, and equally far above what she certainly must realize her future will hold - and Elena's strong attachment to her.

However, as the children aged and the cast changed accordingly, the tone of the drama changed as well. The depth of these two girls - now young women - was suddenly gone. Lila's frustration began to look more like petulance, and Elena became nothing more than a stiff and detached observer. As the season progressed, I found myself becoming less and less invested in the characters. Frankly, I just found them less likable. And half the cast changing in the third episode (making it hard to keep track of who was whom) did not help.

By the time the season concluded, I was bored by the slow pace of the show, disappointed by the acting, confused by the romantic choices of the girls, and not really interested in waiting to see if the next season would sort any of this out.

Season 4 is beyond horrible. If I could give it negative starts I would. They changed some of the actors but not others which makes no sense. The acting is awful and changed the whole dynamic of the characters. It was like watching a completely different and awful series. The writing is terrible and the story lines and stupid. The fourth season is just a total disaster. It's like the were rushing to get to the end. Which I was as well. I could barely even hate watch it because it was so unwatchable. Seasons 1-3 were amazing. Cast was incredible. They should have ended with season 3. So disappointing. What a waste of time.