Riviera

Riviera is a captivating television drama series that premiered on Sundance Now and Sky Atlantic, starring a host of renowned actors such as Julia Stiles, Lena Olin, Iwan Rheon amongst many others. The Indulgent life of the ultra-wealthy on the French Riviera is explored, along with the murkier aspect beneath the influential power and glamourous lifestyle, with the show spanning from 2017 to 2020.

Leading the cast, Julia Stiles plays the role of Georgina Clios, a sophisticated American art curator whose life is subject to an extreme shift of fate. Married to billionaire banker Constantine Clios, played by Anthony LaPaglia, she experiences the high life on the sun-soaked French Riviera. However, Georgina's life of opulence takes a dark turn when her husband unexpectedly perishes in a yacht accident. Determined to uncover the truth behind her husband's untimely death, Georgina descends into a trail of lies, deception, and crime, revealing that their upper-class life was built on more sinister foundations than she was led to believe. The death of her husband becomes her initiation into a life of betrayal and danger.

On her pursuit of truth, Georgina encounters a range of complex characters, each with their own hidden agendas. Lena Olin stars as Irina, Constantine's manipulative first wife, who shares a strained relationship with Georgina. Iwan Rheon and Dimitri Leonidas portray the roles of Adam and Christos, Constantine's sons from his first marriage, and the family dynamics are all but harmonious among them. They each hide secrets that begin to surface after their father's demise. These hidden truths become corrosive, unraveling their posh family facade, uncovering seedy business deals, and leading to distrust and dread.

Adrian Lester plays Robert Carver, an art dealer and old friend of Georgina's, who shelters dark secrets of his own. Meanwhile, Phil Davis as Jukes, the detective assigned to Constantine's case, relentlessly pushes on to unfold the mystery surrounding his death. Roxane Duran, Amr Waked, and Yigal Naor further give life to a spectrum of characters adding richness to the story.

The Riviera not only showcases hedonistic wealth but also highlights the thriving, high-stakes world of art dealing and collecting. It delves into the preservation of family name and legacy at all costs, betrayal, and the fragility of trust. The images of expensive real estate, luxury cars, couture fashion, extravagant parties, and yachts form the perfect aesthetic backdrop against this dark and deceitful narrative.

At its core, Riviera is an exploration of the dark side of wealth, the cost of maintaining a luxurious lifestyle, and the cloak-and-dagger world that lies beneath an apparently polished and cultured society. While it effortlessly brings out the glitz and glamor associated with an affluent lifestyle, it simultaneously opens up the Pandora's box of corruption, deceit, and even murder, painting a distorted portrait of a utopian richer class.

Created by Neil Jordan, an Academy Award-winning filmmaker, Riviera skillfully weaves a narrative of suspense, intrigue, and mystery, setting the stage with ostentatious wealth and luxury while plunging its characters into a dangerous game of survival. The show uses the ethereal setting of the French Riviera, alongside its lavishly ostentatious lifestyle, to frame a story that is, at its heart, a deep dive into the hidden underbelly of high society.

The series' all-star ensemble cast delivers gripping performances, led by the formidable Julia Stiles, who brings the transformation of Georgina from a grieving widow to a woman embracing the darker sides of her personality to life. Riviera expertly juggles its visual grandeur with compelling storytelling, making it a worthwhile and thrill-filled underworld exploration of the affluent elite.

In all, Riviera offers a tantalizing blend of wealth, intrigue, and suspicion served on the stunning visual platter of the French south coast's picturesque landscapes. A series not to be missed if the lure of the good life, tainted by undercurrents of corrupt dealings and depravity, piques your curious mind. It promises to take viewers on a mesmerizing ride full of spectacular sensation and noir-style danger.