Everything We Know About ‘The Decameron,’ Netflix’s Upcoming Comedy (!) About The Bubonic Plague

Have you ever wanted to party medieval-style? If so, The Decameron may be just what you have been looking for. The upcoming series is promising some wild times, possibly mixed with a bit of bubonic plague. This eight-episode adaptation of the classic short story collection could be the next historical comedy to put on your watch-list. So get ready for some 14th century style madness.

What is The Decameron About?

This series is an adaptation of the group of short stories by the same name. The short-story collection was written by Giovanni Boccaccio in 1353 in Italian, with an English translation not made available until 1620. The Decameron is about ten noble and servants who flee from Florence during the Black Plague and escape to a villa in the countryside. When they are in this villa, each of the fleers tell a new story every night, which is what makes up the 100 short stories. Their stories involve tales of sex, violence, drunken adventures, greed, royalty, love and more. That storytelling will naturally be a large part of the television series, but there will also be another element added. There will be more of a fight for survival between the fleers. Anything can happen to these storytellers, whether they like it or not.

Who is in The Decameron?

The upcoming television series has a stacked cast playing the nobles and servants. The series’ stars include Zosia Mamet, fan-favorite from Girls, as future lady-in-waiting Pampinea, and Saoirse-Monica Jackson, star of Derry Girls, as Pampinea’s servant Misia. The cast also has Tony Hale, two-time Emmy winner for Veep, as the steward Sirisco, Tanya Reynolds, who was previously in Sex Education, as servant Licisca, singer Jessica Plummer as the noble Filomenia, and more. There is a fun group of actors in the spotlight in The Decameron, and that group is helping to build up the anticipation of this series.

When Does The Decameron Premiere?

The recent teaser trailer is bringing this upcoming series to everyone’s attention. Fortunately, those curious about the series will not have to wait too long. The series is set to premiere on Netflix on July 25th. Mark your calendars, that date could come up sooner than people think.

Why Are We Excited?

In recent years, historical comedies have risen in popularity. Audiences fell in love with shows like The Great and Our Flag Means Death, shows that put a hilarious spin on well-known historical periods. Both of those series ended relatively recently, meaning their fans could use a new historical comedy series to add to their watch-list. While The Decameron takes place in a completely different time period than the other two series, it should be able to show that people in the 14th century had some great thrills through salacious stories.

The Decameron collection of short stories is a timeless classic that people could even find intriguing today. Therefore, audiences should look forward to watching these riveting stories play out. Even though these stories take place over half a millennium ago, we should still be able to find them humorous and entertaining today.