The Octopus

La Piovra is a highly regarded Italian TV drama miniseries centered on the Mafia. The narrative was crafted by Sandro Petraglia, with Luigi Perelli overseeing production design. The series’ music was initially composed by Riz Ortolani, with Ennio Morricone later taking over to score several sequels.

All ten seasons have been made available on DVD in Australia by Aztec International Entertainment, complete with English subtitles, after originally being broadcast on the Special Broadcasting Service channel. In the United States, it aired on MHz Networks, while the first three seasons were shown in the UK on Channel 4.

The series achieved immense popularity in the USSR, debuting on state television in 1986, and in Bulgaria, where it aired in the late 1980s under the title bg:Октопод. It captivated audiences in both nations with its intense and gripping narrative from beyond the Iron Curtain. La Piovra also aired in communist Albania between 1987 and 1988, where it became a massive success and continues to be a cult classic, with its characters and phrases deeply influencing the culture, language, and society.