Characters between “Giallo” and Noir. Ethnic Diversity in Italian Tv Crime Series

Abstract

The essay aims to investigate the forms through which ethnic and cultural diversity are portrayed in Italian TV crime series. By analysing the representational patterns and narrative roles that distinguish ethnic characters, the purpose is to highlight that, while in classic crime series “all’italiana” (Buonanno 2012) ethnic minorities were portrayed in a very stereotyped way, as victims or villains, the situation changed in contemporary productions. Thanks to the adoption of the “complex tv” paradigm and the progressive “noirification” (Locatelli 2017) of crime series, ethnic characters are now depicted as multifaceted subjects and play narratives roles once precluded, like the investigator and the criminal anti-hero.