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 series, based on a true 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.
Is The Good Mothers on Hulu based on a True Story?
The series is based on a true story. The events spiral out from a horrific crime that happened in 2009. The murder of a ‘Ndrangheta wife who planned to testify for the state against the Mafia operation led to the uprising against the crime family from within the organization.
The TV show is based on a nonfiction book by author Alex Perry, The Good Mothers: The True Story of the Women Who Took on The World’s Most Powerful Mafia.
Stephen Butchard, known for his work on shows such as The Last Kingdom and Baghdad Central, adapted the source material for the small screen. 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.
The Premise for ‘The Good Mothers’
The story focuses on a group of women who all have some level of involvement with the Ndrangheta Mafia from Calabria, Italy. The brave group decides 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 corruption in the hope of building a better future for themselves and their children.
