Detective De Luca

I loved the earlier Italian series Inspector Montalbano (both the young and older versions), and already felt that the majority of young women were characters right out of a typical Italian man's fantasy/wish list. Here it's even more extreme, with only beautiful, over-sexed and stylish young women with no purpose other than to 'look good'. Very irritating and really too much focus on that aspect. The period details and the political and social issues of the time are nicely presented, but it really is a hodgepodge of some interesting plot lines and stories and just pure escapist entertainment. I never really bought into Luca's character and found the acting generally a bit overdone. It's ok as far as it goes, with nothing too demanding or complicated, but fails to have any real depth. The characters were just so stereotypical and what was truly missing was the general Italian population and how they fit into all this, including their unwavering support of the regime. The scenery, Italian details (food, cars, buildings, etc.) are what kept my attention more than the actual stories.