I’m a huge fan of Elena Ferrante, so when I heard that they were adapting the first novel in the Neopolitan Novels, My Brilliant Friend, for TV, I was sceptical.

When you read the novels, you are entirely consumed by them. It seemed impossible that they would be able to capture the same depth of emotion on screen.

Guess what? They did.

The series My Brilliant Friend is currently streaming on Showmax and it’s been such a huge success that they’ve decided to adapt the second book, The Story Of A New Name, as well.

Check out the trailer:

If that didn’t convince you, maybe this will.

Here are five reasons to binge watch the entire series this weekend:

1. It’s about a 60-year friendship

Friendships, and especially friendships between woman, are far more complicated than relationships. Ferrante captures this complexity beautifully.

“A story of a friendship is a story that everyone understands,” says Saverio Costanzo, the multi-award-winning director and co-writer of My Brilliant Friend. “It’s even more moving and emotional than a love story.”

2. It’s based on one of the most popular novels of this decade

Elena Ferrante’s four Neapolitan Novels – My Brilliant Friend (2012), The Story Of A New Name (2013), Those Who Leave And Those Who Stay (2014), and The Story Of The Lost Child (2015) – have been literary sensations, selling over 10 million copies and seeing Ferrante named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2016.

3. The performances are ‘bellissimo’

Seriously, the casting is superb. It’s like Lenu and Lila climbed straight out of the books.

4. It’s a different side of Italy

Leave the idealistic images of gelato on the balcony of an Italian villa behind and get ready for the politically tumultuous, socially corrupt gritty city of Naples.

5. It’s been renewed for a second season after rave reviews

Halfway through its first season, HBO announced they were renewing My Brilliant Friend for another season, which will be based on the second book of the series, The Story Of A New Name. No real surprise there, since My Brilliant Friend currently has a 94% critics rating and 93% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes,

It’s also featured on ‘Best Of 2018’ lists in the likes of The Hollywood Reporter, Rolling Stone, Time, Vox and The Wall Street Journal.

You can sign up for a free two-week trial with Showmax here, start your binge, and that’s your weekend viewing sorted.