I see why they used Dustin Hoffman as the patriarch of the Medici family. I was shocked at first, but even though he is a good actor I think he fit well with the rest of the cast, including when he deferred to his wife. Spotnitz and Netflix thought they needed a heavy weight for the patriarch of the Medici with a mostly unknown and young cast and it worked. I don't know if another actor would have been as good overall, but Dustin Hoffman worked. I especially liked Madden as Cosimo and I appreciate the producers decided not to repeat the casting of a black actor for the bastard son of Cosimo just to gain points with the leftists. Madalena was a Circassian slave and did bear Cosimo a son, but Circassians were white skinned and not black. It is the politically correct thing to fit a black actor wherever possible in order to shake up the history, and let's face it that acting is fantasy and those on the left prefer to be PC than to be accurate or portray history as it is and not as they wish it to be. Bravo! for choosing facts instead of fantasy and for writing a script that left viewers thinking and reasoning for themselves without telling them what and how to believe and view history. Bravo! No kowtowing to the politically correct cults that skew reality and history.

At first, I was not going to watch this series on Netflix. But, in a moment of sheer boredom I decided to watch it. Now, I cannot stop!! Richard Madden is breathtakingly handsome (dare I say "gorgeous"?). Yes, I am a man and men most often are not "allowed" to state openly such observations. Well, I just did no matter what we men are "allowed".Of course, there are many exquisite ladies in this series, most who play very assertive roles.The level of intrigue is spellbinding. As is so true of many of the British writings, there is an edge to "Medici". One must ponder the reality of Florence in that time compared with the Florence created for this series. No matter! Off to watch the next episode!As a footnote, I just learned that Season 2 may not be released before the end of this year, 2017. Or, it will be available for viewing on Netflix early in 2018. I become so absorbed in so many of these productions, only to be come sorely disappointed by the delays in upcoming seasons. There is a whole slew of films (mostly British, Australian or with actors from Britain or Australia -- Richard Madden is a Scot from the village of William Wallace@) So! I wait. Ho hum Grrrr.

As a lover of history and a devotee of 'costume dramas' (when done well), I truly looked forward to the screening of this series on the Medici family. What a bitter disappointment it has turned out to be. The major character Cosimo is played by Richard Madden - I have not encountered such a lifeless, wooden performance as his. Almost pathetic. Not even a better script could have enlivened his woeful acting. And considering that this series employs a painfully annoying ' flashback ' technique, there are no nuances in Madden's performance to differentiate between the young and the older Cosimo. Apparently, a small tuft of grey hair will suffice to add character to the older version.Another review here assures us that if one is disappointed by the series, just hang in there for the last couple of episodes because things really improve and magically, a humdrum series becomes a 'great' one!!! Frankly, you will be so disappointed. The script is very weak; few characters shine. The 'flashback' technique is more than painful. The music dominates more than it should. The historical veracity of plot and characterization is barely the minimum and hence the true significance of Cosimo's passion for and contribution to the richness of Renaissance culture is inadequately portrayed.This series is really a bit of a stinker and undeniably the worst of recent 'historical' offerings.

This show could have just about been any period of time in history or even something made up and it would still look and sound the same - there's nothing remotely Italian or authentic about it. WIth the quality of TV shows these days this one and cliché ridden Hollywood contrivances falls short. Gave it a chance for Dustin Hoffman, and he was great but otherwise no