Directed by Julian Jarrold and Elisa Amoruso, the crime drama from Hulu’s The Good Mothers depicts crime within a Mafia family.
The British-Italian co-production is set in Italy. The story follows the lives of women who are all involved in some way with the infamous ‘Ndrangheta Mafia from Calabria, Italy.
The show was presented to the Berlinale Series Market, one of the three largest film festivals in the world, and won the newly established award. This created a huge buzz for the property, leading to it being highly anticipated in 2023.
The depiction of the events that unfold is often disturbing as we become privy to the inner workings of the underworld that is shown, and the question that needs to be answered is simply this, is Hulu’s The Good Mothers‘ based on a true story?
What is The Good Mothers on Hulu about?
The story focuses on a group of women that all have some level of involvement with the ‘Ndrangheta Mafia from Calabria, Italy. The brave group decides that they are going to put an end to the crime and corruption created by this crime family. With the help of public prosecutor Anna Colace, they wage war against the corruption in the hope of building a better future for themselves and their children.
Is The Good Mothers on Hulu based on a True Story?
The Good Mothers is based on a true story. The events spiral out from a horrific crime that happened in 2009.
The murder of a ‘Ndrangheta wife that planned to testify for the state against the Mafia operation led to the uprising against the crime family from within the organization.
Is The Good Mothers on Hulu based on a book?
The TV show is sourced from a nonfiction book by author Alex Perry called The Good Mothers: The True Story of the Women Who Took on The World’s Most Powerful Mafia.
The source material was adapted for the small screen by Stephen Butchard, who is known for his work on shows such as The Last Kingdom and Baghdad Central.
The book focuses mainly on three women, Lea Garofalo, Giuseppina Pesce, and Maria Concetta Cacciola, who provided prosecutors with the evidence against the ‘Ndrangheta.
Lea Garofalo was married to Carlo Cosco, a cocaine smuggler. When she turned her back on the crime family and gave the prosecution vital evidence against the Mafia, she was placed in witness protection for several years until 2009, when her husband and his brothers allegedly murdered her.
The killers were brought to justice with the testimony of Garofalo’s daughter, Denise.
