“Gomorrah” is an Italian crime TV series crafted by Roberto Saviano, created for Sky Atlantic and distributed by Sky Vision. Derived from Roberto Saviano’s identically titled book, the series premiered on Italy’s Sky Atlantic on May 6, 2014. It has witnessed the rollout of four seasons, with the ongoing fifth season commencing on November 19, 2021, and concluding on December 17, 2021. Notably, the film adaptation of “Gomorrah” from 2008, although based on the same book, is not intertwined with the TV series.
Actor/director Marco D’Amore oversees the direction of the initial five and ninth episodes, having previously directed two episodes in the fourth season and “The Immortal,” acting as a transitional piece between the fourth and fifth seasons. Claudio Cupellini directs episodes six to eight and ten, maintaining involvement in the series since its inception.
In September 2021, it was announced that the fifth season would mark the conclusion of the series. Nils Hartmann, the senior director at Sky Italia, expressed that “there is a before and after Gomorrah.”
Despite fans eagerly anticipating the fifth season, they were taken by surprise to learn that the series would not continue beyond this point. Since its debut in 2014, the show has been distributed to approximately 190 countries, becoming an immediate success in both the United States and the European Union.
Why was ‘Gomorrah’ canceled?
In September 2021, it was announced that the fifth season would mark the conclusion of the series. Nils Hartmann, the senior director at Sky Italia, expressed that “there is a before and after Gomorrah.”
Despite fans eagerly anticipating the fifth season, they were taken by surprise to learn that the series would not continue beyond this point. Since its debut in 2014, the show has been distributed to approximately 190 countries, becoming an immediate success in both the United States and the European Union.
The series has officially concluded in the 5th and the ultimate season. Writer Leonardo Fasoli revealed, “When we arrived at the ending of the season, we decided it was the last season.”
In terms of the narrative, the final season revolves around its two major characters, Marco D’Amore (as Ciro Di Marzio) and Salvatore Esposito (as Gennaro Savastano or Genny), and their convoluted paths leading to extraordinary outcomes.
D’Amore and Esposito are described as “almost brothers, friends, enemies by turns. And both caught in their own perpetual fight for self-affirmation, for survival; for the biggest share; for power,” as emphasized by Cupellini.
Producer Riccardo Tozzi affirmed that the plan was always to conclude Gomorrah after five series. Producer Riccardo Tozzi also revealed that the primary reason for the series’ success is its deep focus on Italy’s idealist tradition, which was ‘advanced by adding genre codes and conventions that made it international.’
Executive Producer Gina Gardini furthermore said, “The starting point, especially for the head writers, was always to do an in-depth investigation and then build our story around that, the beauty of this long process, which has lasted for years, is that together with this powerful reality, this exclusively evil point of view, we also managed to build characters that are so meaty, so monstrously beautiful.”