The Decameron premieres in July on Netflix: Everything to know about the dark comedy

Two titans of past favorite HBO comedies are joining forces for a new Netflix original dark comedy series, and it's going to be one of the staples of the summer. Emmy Award-winning Veep star Tony Hale and Girls standout Zosia Mamet star in historical dramedy The Decameron.

On May 8, Netflix officially announced that the eight-episode series, which isn't being billed as a limited series, will make its premiere in July 2024. An exact release hasn't been announced yet, and the streamer hasn't revealed any teasers beyond photos, but we're sharing everything to know about the series, including its premise, the book its based on, and who stars in the cast.

Synopsis

The Decameron was created by Kathleen Jordan and executive produced by Weeds and Orange Is the New Black creator Jenji Kohan and Mad Men producer Black McCormick. The series takes place in 1348 as the Black Death hits the Italian countryside, forcing many nobles and their servants to hunker down in a lavish villa. From there, there's wine, sex, and comically soapy drama as they all attempt to survive the bubonic plague pandemic.

Here's the full official synopsis via Netflix:

"You are cordially invited to a wine-soaked sex romp set in the Italian countryside. The Decameron is a soapy dark comedy that examines the all-too-timely theme of class struggles in the season of a pandemic. In the year 1348, the Black Death strikes hard in the city of Florence, and a handful of nobles retreat with their servants to a grand villa to wait out the plague with a lavish holiday. But as social rules wear thin, a scramble for survival ensues, brought to life by a cast of characters both cunning and outrageous."

The series will tackle themes of class and social structures as the pandemic forces everyone to go through the same situation. As Hale explained in an interview with TUDUM, "When something like a plague comes along, the ground goes even. It doesn’t matter. So what am I investing in? What relationships am I investing in? How am I treating people? That’s the stuff that matters."

Jessica Plummer, who stars in the show in the role of "spoiled oddball" Filomena, provided TUDUM with probably the best description of The Decameron that will have everyone wanting to tune in when it premieres this summer. "Think, like, Love Island, but back in the day. A lot of drama, a lot of sex, a lot of, yeah, craziness.” Now, doesn't that some like an enthralling binge-watch?!

Book

The Decameron was based on Giovanni Boccaccio's collection of short stories of the same name, which was published back in the 14th century. The book centers around the same premise as the Netflix series and contains about 100 tales. However, Netflix has confirmed that the series adaptation will have a bit of a twist and diverge from the book and take a Lord of the Flies turn, the streamer says.

Jordan shared her inspiration behind the series, calling Boccaccio's work "short little horny tales," and using them as a jumping off point to tell a focused story about the disparity between classes:

"And when at times of crisis, the chasm between the haves and the have-nots grows wider and wider. Obviously, that’s something we’ve seen in the last few years, in particular with COVID."

- Kathleen Jordan, creator

If you would like to try your hand at reading the classic Italian novel, which has been translated to English, you can order your very own copy for less than a one-month Netflix subscription. But be warned: The book clocks in at over 1,000 pages with a whopping total of 1,072 pages. Honestly, it doesn't seem necessary to read the book before the show (or even after), but to each their own!

Cast

As mentioned above, The Decameron stars Tony Hale and Zosia Mamet, two of the biggest American names in the series. Hale plays the villa's friendly but unprepared steward Sirisco, while Mamet plays Pampinea, the future lady of the villa, who has lots of hope but very little self-awareness. They're sure to be two of the show's funniest characters.

Here's the full cast of the series:

• Amar Chadha-Patel as Dioneo
• Leila Farzad as Stratilia
• Lou Gala as Neifile
• Karan Gill as Panfilo
• Tony Hale as Sirisco
• Saoirse-Monia Jackson as Misia
• Zosia Mamet as Pampinea
• Douggie McMeekin as Tindaro
• Jessica Plummer as Filomena
• Tanya Reynolds as Licisca

Most of these cast members might be new to some of the audience, though if you watched Derry Girls on Netflix, then you will recognize Saoirse-Monica Jackson. She plays Misia, Pampinea's servant who's loyal to her challenging boss in spite of her demands and likely bad treatment. But we can't wait to meet all of these characters and see what's in store for them.

Stay tuned for more news and updates on The Decameron and more Netflix shows from Netflix Life!