Created by Francesco Arlanch and Elena Bucaccio, ‘Hotel Costiera‘ follows Daniel De Luca (Jesse Williams), a former Marine who works as a fixer at a luxury hotel in Positano, Italy. When the hotel owner’s (Tommaso Ragno) daughter, Adele (Maria Chiara Giannetta), goes missing, Daniel is tasked with finding her. He brings along a team of locals to assist him with the job. They include British expat Genny (Jordan Alexandra), aristocrat Tancredi (Sam Haygarth), and trattoria owner Bigné (Antonio Gerardi). Prime Video’s action comedy drama limited series is a light-hearted watch set against the stunning background of the Amalfi Coast. If you wish to explore shows similar to ‘Hotel Costiera,’ the following list is curated for you.
12. The Twelve (2022-)
Based on the 2019 Belgian miniseries ‘De twaalf,’ ‘The Twelve’ by Sanne Nuyens and Bert Van Dael highlights the complexity of the lives of the jurors who sit in courtrooms. When Kate Lawson (Kate Mulvany) stands trial in the courtroom of Judge Brett Colby (Sam Neill), twelve anonymous people sit in on jury duty. However, each one of them bears their own personal histories and experiences, which are every bit as twisted as the one on trial. Like ‘Hotel Costiera,’ the crime drama is set in a scenic small town, delivering on thrilling twists as well as scenic locales.
11. Suburra: Blood on Rome (2017-2020)
Originally titled ‘Suburra – La serie,’ ‘Suburra: Blood on Rome’ is inspired by the novel ‘Suburra’ by Giancarlo De Cataldo and Carlo Bonini and the 2015 Italian film ‘Suburra’ directed by Stefano Sollima. The narrative focuses on power clashes between organized crime, politicians, and the Roman church, as all institutions are steeped in corruption. Ostian gang member Aureliano Adami (Alessandro Borghi), Sinti gang member Alberto “Spadino” Anacleti (Giacomo Ferrara), and the son of a police officer, Gabriele “Lele” Marchilli (Eduardo Valdarnini), get involved in a shady deal together, whose impact reaches the officials in the Vatican. The white collar crime set against the larger-than-life backdrop makes the series developed by Daniele Cesarano, Barbara Petronio, Ezio Abbate, and Fabrizio Bettelli comparable to ‘Hotel Costiera.’
10. Gomorrah (2014-2021)
Adapted for the screen by Roberto Saviano, based on his book of the same name, ‘Gomorrah’ revolves around the Savastano Camorra clan of Secondigliano, headed by Pietro Savastano (Fortunato Cerlino). Upon his arrest by law enforcement, an internal power struggle breaks out, with the gang divided into the old guard and the new guard. The latter faction is led by Pietro’s son, Gennaro Savastano (Salvatore Esposito). Alongside him is another ambitious member, Ciro Di Marzio (Marco D’Amore). Both of them find themselves at odds with their families and enter into several alliances while climbing the ladder of the Naples underworld. The organized crime in the Italian city makes the show relatable to ‘Hotel Costiera.’
9. ZeroZeroZero (2020)
Based on Roberto Saviano’s eponymous non-fiction book, ‘ZeroZeroZero’ follows a drug deal that goes down between a Mexican cartel and an Italian Mafia boss. The Lynwood family from New Orleans, who owns a shipping company, facilitates the trade between the Latino drug lords Enrique and Jacinto Leyra, and ‘Ndrangheta boss Don Minu La Piana. The cocaine getting shipped from Monterrey in Mexico to Gioia Tauro in Italy has the fate of all parties riding on it, as the Mexicans need the money for their private army, the Italian mob boss needs the product to maintain control over his fractured family, and the shipping company needs the deal to keep their business afloat. Much like ‘Hotel Costiera,’ the stakes are high in the action drama taking place on both sides of the pond.
8. The Recruit (2022-2025)
Created by Alexi Hawley, ‘The Recruit’ chronicles the adventures of Owen Hendricks (Noah Centineo), who gets recruited by the CIA right after graduating from law school. His first job upends his life, as Max Meladze (Laura Haddock), the Eastern European asset that he comes across, threatens extortion if she is not freed from a prison across the Atlantic. As international politics gets heated up, Owen struggles to keep his head barely out of the water while doing his job. He is forced to become a Jack-of-all-trades, similar to Daniel De Luca in ‘Hotel Costiera.’
7. Safe (2018)
‘Safe,’ also stylized as ‘Harlan Coben’s Safe,’ is created by crime author Harlan Coben and centers around Tom Delaney (Michael C. Hall), a British paediatric surgeon and widower raising two teenage daughters by himself. Following the death of his wife a year back, Tom has been having a difficult time connecting with his daughters. When he ultimately starts to make some headway, the ground gets pulled away from underneath his feet once again, as his 16-year-old older daughter, Jenny (Amy James-Kelly), goes missing. The search for the missing girl takes him down a rabbit hole of buried secrets, much like Daniel De Luca experiences while trying to locate his employer’s missing daughter in ‘Hotel Costiera.’
6. Crime (2021-)
Adapted by Irvine Welsh and Dean Cavanagh from Irvine’s novel of the same name, ‘Crime’ follows Detective Inspector Ray Lennox (Dougray Scott) as he tries to locate a kidnapped schoolgirl in Edinburgh. The task is complicated by Ray’s constant struggle with his own inner demons, as well as a fractured police department. However, he is supported in his efforts by DS Amanda Drummond (Joanna Vanderham), as the two race against time to solve the very public, serious crime investigation. The search for the schoolgirl in the scenic locale brings to mind a similar situation in ‘Hotel Costiera’ arising over the hotelier’s daughter’s abduction.
5. Baptiste (2019-2021)
A spin-off to the anthology series ‘The Missing,’ ‘Baptiste’ continues the story of detective Julien Baptiste (Tchéky Karyo), an expert in missing persons cases. Following a brain tumor operation, Baptiste begins to doubt his faculties. However, when a 15-year-old enslaved sex worker goes missing in Amsterdam, his former boss manages to convince Baptiste to work alongside the Dutch Police. The search for the girl brings Baptiste into contact with a number of shady characters, including the girl’s uncle Edward Stratton (Tom Hollander), former criminal Kim Vogel (Talisa Garcia), and Romanian national Constantin (Alec Secăreanu). The search is reminiscent of what Daniel De Luca undertakes in ‘Hotel Costiera.’
4. Before We Die (2021-)
Based on the Swedish series ‘Innan vi dör,’ ‘Before We Die’ by Matt Baker revolves around Detective Inspector Hannah Laing (Lesley Sharp), a veteran police officer who is charged with investigating the murder of her colleague and lover Sean. Working beside her new partner, Detective Inspector Billy Murdoch (Vincent Regan), Hannah discovers that her son is an undercover informant in the investigation. She also gets drawn into the machinations of the Mimicas crime family as the case becomes increasingly convoluted. Similar to ‘Hotel Costiera,’ the investigation set in the serene locale has highly personal stakes.
3. Happy Valley (2014-2023)
From the mind of Sally Wainwright, ‘Happy Valley’ is set in Halifax, West Yorkshire, where divorced police sergeant Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) lives with her two children. She continues to grieve over the suicide of her daughter eight years ago, and raises her child born as a result of a brutal assault. When she is on the verge of letting go of the past, Catherine is pulled back into the pit of darkness when she hears that the person responsible for her daughter’s death, Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton), has been released from prison. Catherine’s mind gets consumed with the idea of confronting him, with her daughter serving as the motivator of her actions, similar to how Adele influences events in ‘Hotel Costiera.’
2. Reacher (2022-)
Based on Lee Child’s ‘Jack Reacher’ series of novels, ‘Reacher’ stars Alan Ritchson as the titular character, a former US Army military police major with a towering build and acute observational and combat skills. He prefers not to settle down and live the life of a drifter, carrying only his toothbrush as his worldly possession. Following the news of his brother’s murder, Reacher arrives in the rural town of Margrave, Georgia, to investigate the case. There, he teams up with local police officers Oscar Finlay (Malcolm Goodwin) and Roscoe Conklin (Willa Fitzgerald), as the stakes of the case keep getting higher. Much like Daniel De Luca in ‘Hotel Costiera,’ Reacher uses his military background to take on the investigation.
1. Bodyguard (2018)
Created by Jed Mercurio, ‘Bodyguard’ follows Police Sergeant David Budd (Richard Madden), who works in the Royalty and Specialist Protection branch. A war veteran who suffers from PTSD, David has been distrustful of politicians and prone to violent tendencies. He ends up being assigned as the principal protection officer (PPO) for Home Secretary Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes), with whom he does not hold any common ground on policies. A number of parallels can be drawn between the show and ‘Hotel Costiera,’ both set in European locales. David, like Daniel, has his army training to rely on as he executes his task.
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