The Trial: Season 1 – Netflix Review [Il Processo]

THE TRIAL is a new crime series on Netflix. The series is from Italy (org. title Il Processo) and features murder and court drama. If that’s your kind of thing, then you should check it out on Netflix. It’s full of great twists. Read more in our full The Trial season 1 review here!

The Trial is a new Netflix series. It’s in the crime genre but we’re not dealing with a true-crime this time around. Not in any official capacity anyway. This is an Italian production that previously aired on TV in Italy prior to this Netflix release.

In case you’re not familiar with Italian TV series, I would highly recommend checking out My Brilliant Friend on HBO. It’s absolutely breathtaking and works almost as a period piece. It’s not a genre production, but just very good.

For the record, this new series on Netflix is a genre-production in terms of being a crime-thriller series that revolves around a murder. Season 1 of The Trial has eight episodes and we’ve watched the first two episodes for this review.

Continue reading our season 1 The Trial review below.

The cast of Il Processo

The real star of this series is Vittoria Puccini who plays the prosecutor Elena Guerra. Vittoria Puccini is a very well-known Italian actor. Especially known for working on several TV series though she has also done many movies. This includes the mystery-thriller The Place from 2017 which I highly recommend checking out!

Elena Guerra is a total badass in this series and immediately made me want to keep watching.

Francesco Scianna is the defense lawyer Ruggero Barone. He has actually done some international productions, so you may find him familiar. These include Timur Bekmambetov’s Ben-Hur from 2016 and Mary Magdalene (2018) which starred Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix.

In this series, his character is a real show-off who only wants to use this case to make a name for himself. He isn’t particularly likable but he is doing his best to win, which is his job as a defender.

Camilla Filippi stars in a key role as Linda Monaco. She’s the one accused of having murdered the 17-year-old girl Angelica. I wasn’t familiar with Camilla Filippi prior to watching her in The Trial but she does a great job.

Should you watch The Trial on Netflix?

I know the main reason for reading reviews is often to find out whether you should spend time watching it. In this case, you’re trying to find out if watching The Trial on Netflix is worth your time. In my opinion, the answer is a resounding yes!

Especially if you find the basic plot interesting, of course.

The Trial does deliver a lot about the actual trial, which is something we’re used to with many crime movies and series. I mean, the Netflix anthology Criminal even took place entirely in an integration room and its immediate surroundings. And it was awesome – for the most part anyway.

You’ll probably like: Our review of all four Season 1 national segments of the Netflix series Criminal here >

This kind of series is usually all about telling a story more than showing it. However, for The Trial, we get to see things happening as both the prosecutor and the defense lawyer go through the evidence. It’s done in a very respectful and realistic way that stays true to the high production quality of this series.

Still, I know these legal dramas are not for everyone, but you should give it a try if you’re the least bit intrigued. Also, if you’re okay with watching something with subtitles. Dubbing really doesn’t do it justice so unless you’re already used to the off-kilter vibe of watched dubbed productions, then please don’t do that for this series.

Watch The Trial on Netflix now!

The Trial was created by Alessandro Fabbri who has worked on several TV series in the past – and even created some of them. I’m not really familiar with any of his previous work, but it certainly tells me that he has a lot of experience.

Something I would say is obvious when watching The Trial (org. Italian title Il Processo). Both in terms of pace and character development. Whether you like this style and pace is another thing.

The heart of this story is a murder, but much of the storyline revolves around a court drama. I mean, this is a series titled “The Trial”, so I would assume as much. Also, if you’re watching a lot of true crime documentaries, then this is a nice break from “real life” while staying with something familiar.

You can watch all eight episodes in season 1 of The Trial on Netflix now.

Season 1 of The Trial is out on Netflix from April 10, 2020.

Details

Creator: Alessandro Fabbri
Stars: Vittoria Puccini, Francesco Scianna, Camilla Filippi, Alessandro Averone