Portobello
  • Network: HBO Max
  • Series Premiere Date: Feb 20, 2026
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4

Critic Reviews

  1. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Mike Hale
    Feb 19, 2026
    80
    “Portobello” has its slow spots, but its portrait of the institutionalized chaos of Italian society is finely woven and convincing.
  2. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: John Anderson
    Feb 19, 2026
    80
    There’s a purposeful and near-rhythmic balance between the anguish of Tortora and the cold bureaucracy in which he’s held prisoner.
  3. IndieWire
    Reviewed by: Ben Travers
    Feb 20, 2026
    75
    Marco Bellocchio‘s six-episode Italian-language drama is a living nightmare of the past that doubles as an agonizing manifestation of the present — a potent reminder that widespread stupidity isn’t confined to a single time or place.
  5. Decider
    Reviewed by: Joel Keller
    Feb 24, 2026
    70
    Despite the length and dodgy pacing of the first episode, Portobello is an entertainingly detailed retelling of one of the strangest stories in recent Italian history.