**Mrs Playmen: Stream It or Skip It?**
In the U.S. and many parts of the world, Playboy was a revolutionary magazine that not only featured “tasteful nudes” but also openly discussed sex, feminism, abortion, and other leading-edge issues of the 1960s and ’70s. In Italy, however, the magazine that played a similar role was *Playmen*, led by Adelina Tattilo.
A new drama on Netflix tells a fictionalized version of how Adelina came to lead and transform the magazine.
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### Opening Shot
Adelina Tattilo (played by Carolina Crescentini), publisher of the Italian erotic magazine *Playmen*, is celebrated by the United Nations as one of the most influential people in the world.
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### The Gist
A few years earlier, Adelina attends a party thrown by her husband, Saro Balsamo (Francesco Colella), the publisher of *Playmen*. He’s celebrating the fact that one of the world’s biggest actresses, Brigitte Bardot, will pose nude for the magazine, revealing her photo on the cover. The couple seems to be in a good place, especially after Saro ended an affair with a singer. But when the singer unexpectedly appears on stage, Saro has to reassure Adelina that there’s nothing going on between them.
Meanwhile, a young photographer named Poggi (Giuseppe Maggio) takes pictures of a young woman named Elsa (Francesca Colucci). He encourages her to undress, saying the nude photos he takes will remain private between them.
The next morning, Adelina wakes up to find Saro missing. Unable to find him, she goes to the *Playmen* offices — only to arrive just as police raid the workplace. Authorities are seizing the Bardot issue all over Rome, charging the magazine with indecency. With Saro nowhere to be found, Adelina is arrested instead and learns that Saro had made her editor-in-chief right before disappearing.
It becomes clear that Adelina faces more serious charges than Saro ever did, and she still doesn’t know where he is. Demanding answers from the staff, she learns from managing editor Chartroux (Filippo Nigro) that Saro has gone into hiding due to police investigations into financial improprieties he committed to keep the magazine afloat and maintain his lifestyle.
When Adelina finally meets Saro, he hands her a batch of pornographic pictures to publish. Instead, she chooses to publish the photos of Elsa taken by Poggi, pairing them with a story that carries social commentary. She also decides to distribute the issue on a Saturday, knowing courts are closed and seizure orders can’t be enforced that day.
Soon, Adelina discovers Saro is leaving Italy until the pressure dies down, leaving her with their two children and the future of *Playmen*. Given her role as editor-in-chief, she decides to take over the magazine and transform it into something more than just a collection of nude photos.
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### What Shows Will It Remind You Of?
*Mrs Playmen*, based on the true story of Adelina Tattilo’s leadership of *Playmen*, shares similarities with the show *Minx*, but with a decidedly more serious tone.
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### Our Take
The core of *Mrs Playmen* is Adelina’s ambitious effort to evolve *Playmen* from merely a men’s lifestyle magazine with nudes into a publication tackling important social issues. She focuses on topics at the forefront of early 1970s cultural debates: feminism, divorce, abortion rights, and more. The magazine becomes more akin to *Playboy* in its heyday, featuring not only stunning photography but also literary giants alongside the nude spreads.
However, this series is not played for laughs like *Minx*. Adelina faces serious hurdles — *Playmen* is bleeding money and drowning in debt, while facing relentless campaigns from the Italian government to brand the magazine obscene. There are also accusations challenging the feminist and empowering narrative Adelina promotes.
One of the most famous moments in the magazine’s history is featured: unauthorized photographs of Jacqueline Onassis (portrayed by Tania Watson) sunbathing, which her husband Aristotle leaked. The photos caused a scandal, with the U.S. publication *Screw* magazine even stealing and publishing them. It will be intriguing to see how this incident is treated in the fictional retelling.
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### Sex and Skin
Well, considering the show is about an erotic magazine, expect a fair share of nudity and sexual themes.
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### Parting Shot
Adelina makes a definitive statement: Saro transferred most of his shares to her, “so technically, I’m your boss.”
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### Sleeper Star
Giuseppe Maggio as Poggi, the young photographer, is a standout. For camera enthusiasts, it’s a treat to see him correctly handling the vintage cameras his character uses.
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### Most Pilot-y Line
That said, the subplot involving Poggi and Elsa feels somewhat unclear, aside from the fact that he tricks her into singing away ownership of her nude photos.
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### Our Call: STREAM IT
*Mrs Playmen* offers an intriguing glimpse into how the world of adult magazines in 1970s Europe mirrored that of the U.S. The series may take itself a bit too seriously at times but remains an entertaining watch, especially for viewers unfamiliar with the history of *Playmen* magazine.
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If you’re interested in stories about the intersection of media, sex, and feminism during a transformative cultural era, *Mrs Playmen* is worth your time.
https://decider.com/2025/11/13/mrs-playmen-netflix-review/