The scene of the crime: Models, identities and roles of the territory in Italian giallo and television crime drama series.

The article examines the increasing prominence of Italian crime TV series, particularly during the 2020–21 season, focusing on how national and regional territories shape the genre known as giallo and broader crime dramas. It analyzes eighteen series aired on various Italian free-to-air, pay-TV, and streaming platforms, mapping the identities and narrative roles of their settings across four macro-areas: metropolitan Rome and Naples, southern Italy, northern Italy, and central Italy. The study highlights how territories function variably as realistic or imaginary, recognizable or non-recognizable, and as background or foreground elements, influencing plot development and character psychology. Additionally, it identifies four main functions of territorial representation—postcard, touring, tradition, and critical—demonstrating the genre's polyfunctional use of place to convey cultural identity, promote locales, and enrich storytelling within Italy's evolving television landscape.