New mystery adventure Hotel Costiera lands on Prime Video today.
The 6 part mini-series series stars Jesse Williams (Grey’s Anatomy, What We Hide) as Daniel De Luca, an American-Italian former marine who lives and works for the owners of The Costiera, a luxurious hotel in the stunning cliffside village of Positano on Italy’s Amalfi Coast.
Daniel is beloved by Augusto (Tommaso Ragno) the hotel owner, Adele (Maria Chiara Giannetta), his somewhat surly daughter (who only pretends to dislike him), the hotel staff, all of the guests, and just about everyone he meets. While not clubbing, walking about shirtless, brooding handsomely in his spacious hotel room, or drinking tiny espressos in the local bar, Daniel is searching for Augusto’s missing daughter Alice (Amanda Campana), using his special military training to kick in doors, and get questions answered.
In his spare time, Daniel also works for Augusto as a ‘fixer’ — helping the hotel’s wealthy clientele with the kind of delicate obstacles and embarrassments they’d rather keep under wraps. In one episode Daniel helps a beautiful young woman prove she did not murder her missing wealthy older husband. In another he is tasked with investigating the relationship between a deceased wealthy matriarch and a local conman. In another Daniel must recuse a guest’s kidnapped dog.
Assisting Daniel in his efforts is a swiss army knife of pals — who are in it for the excitement, companionship, adventure or money. There’s Bigné (Antonio Gerardi) the owner of the local cafe where Daniel downs endless coffees. Bigné knows everyone in town, who to bribe, and where to procure the impossible. Tancredi (Sam Haygarth) is an oddball English millionaire with deep pockets and an air of whimsy. Genny (Jordan Alexandra) meanwhile is a smart go-getter who knows how to cut through red tape, sweet talk an official, or convince a lawyer.
The characters and format are all nicely done. Each episode sees the team taking on a new assignment, usually from Augusto, at the behest of one of his guests. There is a refreshing sense of mutual respect between both men, with Daniel eager to complete his tasks with diligence, and Augusto knowing he can rely on the younger man’s abilities and discretion.
Each episode also sees Daniel digging deeper into Alice’s disappearance, often with clues arising from his current investigations. In some cases the audience is asked to forgive a large leap of coincidence (The young woman suspected of murdering her husband just happens to have a juicy lead in the form of a photo of Alice in the company of a suspicious man on her camera roll). In others, Daniel is asked to solve awkward problems outside of his wheelhouse of expertise that could clearly be handled just as discreetly by the right person for the job.
Hotel Costiera is a light, breezy affair that wants to swiftly move from a shaded cobbled courtyard to a sun-drenched cliffside balcony without dragging too much plot between scenes. There’s an almost Soap Opera vibe to the show, with scenes of a violent or sexual nature toned down or even eliminated altogether. The premiere episode races through a sex scene so quickly that we don’t even get to see so much as a kiss before the couple are shown lying in bed, after the act.
There is one thing Hotel Costiera is quite serious about showing though, and that something is the Amalfi coast. From the opening seconds of each episode, to major story beat breaks, and from establishing shots to closing scenes Italy’s most famous stretch of coastline is splashed on screen with a passion close to wild abandon. Drone footage races up the cliffside, or zooms out to sea, or pans in from the water, or follows the path of a twisting coast road, or flies low over a shingle beach at such regular intervals we get the feeling the Hotel Costiera is worried we’ll forget where the show is set.
Yet, for all its visual splendor, Hotel Costiera struggles to rise above its postcard-perfect setting. The show’s relentless focus on location overshadows its stories, leaving the mysteries feeling almost like afterthoughts. The episodic cases, though varied, lack the depth to sustain tension, with resolutions often hinging on convenient plot devices and of course, Daniel’s near-superhuman knack for solving problems. Jesse Williams delivers a charismatic performance, but Daniel’s unflappable charm and lack of personal stakes make him more archetype than character, despite hints at a previously burgeoning relationship with Alice.
The supporting cast fares better, injecting much-needed personality. Bigné’s gruff pragmatism and local connections ground the show in Positano’s culture, while Tancredi’s eccentric millionaire shtick (complete with quirky one-liners and some terrible terrible dancing) adds levity. Genny, played with sharp wit by Jordan Alexandra, steals scenes as the group’s problem-solver, though her underutilization is a missed opportunity. The ensemble’s chemistry carries the lighter moments, but their motivations, beyond loyalty to Daniel or vague thrill-seeking, remain underdeveloped, making their adventures feel more like a checklist than a cohesive journey.
The show’s soap opera sheen, while clearly intentional, undercuts the potential for a more gripping mystery. This visual excess is a bit of a jarring contrast to the narrative’s simplicity, leaning, as it does, on the clichés of corrupt officials, shady conmen, damsels in distress, and more, without subverting them.
Hotel Costiera wants to be both a breezy escape and a compelling mystery but excels more as the former. Its heart lies in its sunlit vistas and charming ensemble, not in unraveling Alice’s fate or Daniel’s fixer exploits.
It’s a gorgeous vacation, but one that leaves you wishing for a bit more substance beneath the shimmer.
All 6 episodes of Hotel Costiera drop on Prime Video on Wednesday, Sept. 24.
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