# Boris (2007)

> A hapless Italian television crew struggles to finish a melodramatic series while their own egos and blunders threaten the production.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/33275

## Facts

- Seasons: 4
- Episodes: 50
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy
- Created by: Luca Manzi, Carlo Mazzotta
- Network: Disney+, FOX
- Cast: Francesco Pannofino, Alessandro Tiberi, Pietro Sermonti, Carolina Crescentini, Caterina Guzzanti, Roberta Fiorentini, Antonio Catania, Antonino Bruschetta
- TMDB rating: 8.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1020116/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: sardonic, irreverent, deadpan, cringe, chaotic

## What critics say

Audiences broadly acclaim Boris as a sharp, cynical satire of the Italian television industry, with its behind-the-scenes chaos and ensemble performances widely celebrated.

## Synopsis

Boris (2007-present) is an Italian television satire series created by Luca Manzi and Carlo Mazzotta, a sharp backstage comedy about a television production. Francesco Pannofino plays René Ferretti, the harried director of a soap-style melodrama called Gli occhi del cuore 2, and he is surrounded by a volatile crew including Alessandro Tiberi as the young assistant Alessandro, Pietro Sermonti as the temperamental Stanis La Rochelle, and Caterina Guzzanti as the ambitious Arianna Dell'Arti. The engine of the show is simple and relentless: Ferretti wants to deliver a respectable product while network executives, egos, budget shortfalls and personal rivalries conspire to sabotage every shoot. Episodes unfold as sequences of on-set disasters, improvised fixes and petty power struggles, so the comedy lands through cringe and deadpan timing rather than plot twists. The series spans four seasons across fourteen-episode runs with a later eight-episode return, giving it a continuing storyline with recurring office politics. Its register is sardonic, irreverent and sharply observational, with a warm undertow of affection for its flawed characters. Fans of The Larry Sanders Show, Episodes and Extras will find resonance in its satire of television vanity and industry hypocrisy.

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