I could save a lot of time and effort here by simply saying that ‘Lolita Lobosco' is like watching an Italian version of ‘Death In Paradise' with a Nigella Lawson lookalike in the lead role. It’s fun, engaging and pleasing on the eye – particularly so thanks to the Italian climate depicted here cmpared to the wet weather we’ve experienced in the UK lately.
If you want to avoid all spoilers, stop reading this article now.
Set in the beautiful city of Bari in south-eastern Italy – by the heel of the boot – this third season of the playful Italian police series sees the Lolita (Luisa Ranieri) once more tackling crime in her city, whilst also focussing her complicated personal and family life.
Ably assisted by her male team of Antonio (Giovanni Ludeno) and Esposito (Jacopo Cullin), the opening two-hour episode (there are four episodes in total) features the suspicious death of a German woman whilst parachuting from a light aircraft. Lolita had briefly met the woman before, as she’s used the same instructor when parachuting herself.
The unfortunate victim’s parachute failed to open, but it had been properly packed and was not found to be faulty – so why did she not engage the chute when she jumped from the plane?
Lolita’s investigations unearth hidden secrets about the victim that involve the German secret service and connections to arms trafficking. Was her death a way of silencing her to prevent her reporting the trade in guns to the authorities?
Okay, so the story is bunkum, if we’re honest – but the joy of this show is not about realistic plotting – it is Lolita herself, the glorious scenery of southern Italy, the delicious food, her fabulous little car – an Autobianchi Bianchina for petrol-heads out there – and the accompanying cast of passionate and expressive Italians. Much like the aforementioned Death In Paradise, Lolita Lobosco is pure escapism to sun-drenched shores with azure skies and crystal-clear waters. The frankly, that’s just what’s needed on a wet and miserable February day in the UK.
This is the third season of the show, so if you’ve seen the previous ones, you’ll know what to expect. If you haven’t, each episode is a stand-alone storyline, so there is no real necessity to see the previous seasons – although there are some references Lolita’s back story.
I’m a sucker for this type of lightweight crime show. It’s effortless to watch and very enjoyable. Yes, it’s all fluff and nonsense – but the script is witty and the characters are extremely likeable. And let’s face it, sometimes you need to escape the noir and head to the sun – and that’s when the likes of ‘Lolita Lobosco' offer some welcome light relief.
Walter Presents: ‘Lolita Lobosco' Season 3 is available as a boxset on C4 Streaming now.
