Netflix has just released the teaser trailer for the upcoming dark comedy The Decameron. The show is a limited series that is set to run for eight episodes and is slated to hit the streamer on July 25. The cast includes an ensemble of actors, which features names like Amar Chadha-Patel, Leila Farzad, Lou Gala, Karan Gill, Tony Hale, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Zosia Mamet, Douggie McMeekin, Jessica Plummer and Tanya Reynolds. The teaser cheekily calls the subject of the show “The Party of the 14th Century” with New Order’s “Blue Monday” providing background for the madness.
The official synopsis reads,
“You are cordially invited to a wine-soaked sex romp set in the Italian countryside. The Decameron is a soapy dark comedy that examines the all-too-timely theme of class struggles in the season of a pandemic. In the year 1348, the Black Death strikes hard in the city of Florence, and a handful of nobles retreat with their servants to a grand villa to wait out the plague with a lavish holiday. But as social rules wear thin, a scramble for survival ensues, brought to life by a cast of characters both cunning and outrageous.
Created by Kathleen Jordan, who was very loosely inspired by the 14-century story collection The Decameron, the eight-episode series is through Jenji Kohan’s Tilted Productions. Kohan serves as an executive producer, alongside Jordan, director Michael Uppendahl, and Tilted’s Blake McCormick and Tara Herrmann.”
Tony Hale explained to Tudum what intrigues him about the project, “When something like a plague comes along, the ground goes even. It doesn’t matter. So what am I investing in? What relationships am I investing in? How am I treating people? That’s the stuff that matters.” Executive Producer Jenji Kohan boasted the show’s creator and showrunner, “Kathleen Jordan is the real freakin’ deal. I am so excited and grateful that I get to work with her and we get to make this awesome, funny, timely, weird show together for Netflix.” And Jordan also spoke about working with the creative team on the show, “I’m absolutely thrilled that I get to work with Jenji, Tara, Blake, and Netflix again. I can’t wait for people to meet this ridiculous group of characters. I’m sure Giovanni Boccaccio would be … confused?”