Christian De Sica and Claudio Santamaria lead a six-episode Italian series about a family, a bankrupt label and the hunt for one song that could save it.
A record label on the edge of bankruptcy, a patriarch who won’t hand over the keys and a single song that might fix everything: that is the setup of The Label, the new Italian series Netflix has just announced. The streamer calls it “coming soon”, and the first look and the cast list are already out. The cast is worth the attention.
A family business, with amplifiers
The Label runs six episodes and is set in the Italian music industry. At its centre is Label, described as Italy’s last major independent record label, which is living through the most turbulent year in its history. The trouble pulls in three generations of one family.
Christian De Sica plays Ade, a brilliant, overbearing patriarch who refuses to step aside. Claudio Santamaria is his son Carlo, who is under pressure from the banks and struggling with the weight of the family legacy. Sofia Conti plays Celeste, the granddaughter, who brings a new wave of artists into the business.
The conflict is easy to see. A founder who built the house and won’t leave it, a son who inherited the debts along with the name, and a young newcomer who hears something the older two may not. As the label nears bankruptcy and old collides with new, everyone goes looking for the song, or the artist, that could save it. Along the way, Netflix says, love affairs and creative partnerships form and fall apart amid the daily chaos of the music business.
The names on the poster
De Sica and Santamaria share the top billing, and the first-look image, credited to Sara Sabatino, puts the two of them together. Around them sits a deep bench. Ornella Muti and Cristiana Capotondi are in the cast, alongside Madior Giorgio Fall and Martina Gatti, as well as Conti.
Behind the camera, Luca Miniero directs. Be Water Film produces, with Mattia Guerra as producer. The series was created by Giacomo Bendotti, Stefano Bises and Davide Serino.
Where to watch
The format and the platform are settled: six episodes, available only on Netflix. The premise is a strong one. Music, money and family pressure each make good drama, and a failing independent label puts all three in the same room.
It also helps that the story is a generational one. An old guard and a new wave, both after the same hit, is a rich place to build six episodes, and an ensemble this seasoned should have plenty to do with it.
Via Netflix
