The BarLume crimes

The successes of Marco Malvadi, with millions of copies sold in Italy and abroad, became in 2012 the inspiration for a TV series: The Crimes of BarLume.

The mini-series tells the story of Massimo Viviani (Filippo Timi), the bartender of the fictional town of Pineta, located on the Tuscan coast between Pisa and Livorno. In each episode, the sarcastic and brooding manager of the BarLume finds himself investigating some crimes that occur in Pineta, helped unwillingly by his most loyal customers: Aldo Griffa (Massimo Paganelli), Pilade Del Tacca (Atos Davini), Gino Rimediotti (Marcello Marziali) - up to the eleventh season, Ampelio Viviani (Carlo Monni) - only in the first season - and Emo Bandinelli (Alessandro Benevenuti) - from the second season onwards.

The series is mainly filmed in Marciana Marina, which is transformed every year for a few weeks into a true film set where the production completely builds the Pineta bar: the “BarLume”. Over the years, other locations on the Island of Elba, such as Marina di Campo, Rio Marina, Monte Capanne, and Portoferraio, have also been used for the filming.

The protagonists of the series, in addition to the bartender-investigator Massimo Viviani (Filippo Timi) and the mischievous old men, are: the attractive waitress Tiziana (Enrica Guidi), Commissioner Vittoria Fusco (Lucia Mascino), and Marchino (Paolo Cioni), Tiziana’s ex.

In the second season, due to the death of actor Carlo Monni, Ampelio Viviani (Massimo’s uncle) was ideally replaced by Emo Bandinelli (Massimo’s former father-in-law), played by Alessandro Benvenuti.

From the fifth season, the BarLume family expanded again thanks to some high-profile new entries: Stefano Fresi, who plays Beppe Battaglia, Massimo's half-brother, and the special guest appearance of Corrado Guzzanti as Paolo Pasquali, an insurance agent of Venetian origin.

In the eleventh season, Marcello Marziali appeared for the last time in the role of Gino, who passed away in 2023.

The direction of the episodes is entrusted to Roan Johnson, writer, director, and screenwriter, known for “I primi della lista” (2011) and “Fino a qui tutto bene” (2014), who is also the creative producer of the stories. Since the tenth season, he has been joined by Milena Cocozza. The screenplay is written by Roan Johnson, Davide Lantieri, Ottavia Madeddu, and Carlotta Massimi. The miniseries is produced by Sky Original in collaboration with Palomar.

First season: The King of Games, The Highest Card
Second season: The Tombola of the Trojans, The Briscola in Five
Third season: The Telephone Without Wires, Action and Reaction
Fourth season: Sea Air, The Wild Boar's Lodge
Fifth season: One, Two, Three, Star!, Naval Battle
Sixth season: The Baptism of Ampelio, Hasta Pronto Viviani
Seventh season: Women with Balls, Return to Pineta
Eighth season: Sea Force Four, Hide and Seek
Ninth season: Gold Buyer, When the Balls Stop
Tenth season: Guess Who?, Resort Paradise, And Then Zumba
Eleventh season: The Well of Wishes, The Turn, On Top of the Bench
Twelfth season: It's Not a Place for Kids, Cats to Skin and Rock Paper Scissors - arriving in January 2025