Take two Italian series, among the most high-profile productions of recent years, and pit them against each other. The new Italian television season quickly moves to the heart of the action with the arrival on Canale 5, for the first time airing free-to-air after its 2025 release on Prime Video, of the action dramedy Hotel Costiera, starring the charismatic former Grey’s Anatomy star Jesse Williams. The scheduling, on Tuesday evening September 1, may not be a coincidence. Mediaset’s network seems to be throwing down the gauntlet to its eternal rival Rai 1, which on the same night will launch the programming of Netflix’s acclaimed original series The Law of Lydia Poët. We will soon see who wins the ratings battle. In the meantime, after having introduced you to the series with Matilda De Angelis, here we also tell you a bit about Hotel Costiera. Your move!
Hotel Costiera: Plot and the characters of the TV series
The title of the series evokes the splendid Amalfi Coast, and it is precisely this unique setting that embraces Hotel Costiera, where luxury, mysteries, and social life mingle mere steps from the sea. At the center of the story is Daniel De Luca, played by Williams, a former American Marine of Italian origins who returns to the country of his childhood and is hired as the troubleshooter for the luxurious Hotel Villa Costiera in Positano. Daniel is used to solving every kind of problem for the eccentric and wealthy guests of the hotel, but his real mission originates from the disappearance of Alice, the young daughter of the owner Augusto Caetani (Tommaso Ragno), missing for about a month and in the hands of a criminal gang. While he tries to trace the girl, Daniel becomes involved in a series of autonomous cases—kidnappings, extortion, thefts, and surreal situations—that intertwine his personal story with that of the hotel.
Around Daniel there are Adele Caetani (the Blanca star Maria Chiara Giannetta), Alice’s elder sister and the hotel’s manager, a pragmatic and determined woman who nonetheless bears the weight of family responsibilities; Bignè (Antonio Gerardi), a fundamental member of Daniel’s team; and Count Tancredi Villanova-Rochester (Sam Haygarth), an eccentric character who adds to the series’ more ironic components. Alice is played by Amanda Campana, while Pierpaolo Spollon takes on the role of Bruno, an enigmatic figure connected to the disappearance of the girl.
The production’s strength lies largely in its balance of action, comedy, mystery, and glamour, supported by the contrast between Daniel’s troubled past and the sun-soaked Coast. The series also makes use of real, spectacular locations—from Positano to other sites across Campania and central Italy—transforming the Mediterranean landscape into a true narrative element. Canale 5 will broadcast the six episodes produced over two evenings, on Tuesday, September 1 and Thursday, September 3, after La Ruota della Fortuna, just before 22:00.
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