tech
Portobello: how can this TV show about the mafia and a mind-controlled parrot be so wildly dull?
This HBO series about Italy’s top TV host (and his feathered friend) getting embroiled with the mob sounds genius … and yet it’s troublingly tedious
TL;DR
- The HBO Max series 'Portobello' is based on the true story of Enzo Tortora, an Italian TV host falsely accused of being a Camorra member.
- The accusation stemmed from a criminal who believed he could communicate with Tortora via telepathy and mind control of a parrot.
- Despite the dramatic premise, the series is described as slow-paced, dull, and repetitive, akin to Tortora's bureaucratic ordeal.
- The show touches on themes of celebrity, politics, organized crime, and the justice system, prefiguring modern figures like Berlusconi and Trump.
- The reviewer questions their own expectations for drama and entertainment, finding the series 'troublingly tedious'.