Riviera: Everything you need to know about Sky's 'super-rich' thriller

Sky Atlantic's lavish new thriller Riviera starts this week, offering viewers a peek into the world of the of the global elite.

What's Riviera about?

Julia Stiles from the Bourne films plays Georgina Clios, a young woman whose gilt-edged world is turned upside down when her billionaire banker husband Constantine (Anthony LaPaglia) is killed in an explosion on a Russian oligarch's yacht.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

As her lifestyle begins to crumble and her own life is threatened, Georgina must delve into her husband's shadowy dealings to discover the true source of his wealth. She also has to deal with his ex-wife (Lena Olin) and his three complicated children, led by Game of Thrones's Iwan Rheon.

Who's behind it?

Riviera draws on the talents of three Irish creatives: the original idea came from U2's former U2 manager Paul McGuinness and Oscar-winner Neil Jordan (The Crying Game and The Borgias) is one of the co-writers, alongside Booker Prize-winning author John Banville.

Is there a trailer?

Yes - several.

The first gives an overview of the show's luxurious world of art auctions, superyachts and glitzy parties, followed by the death of Constantine and the hint it was no accident.

Another moodier and more poetic teaser shows Stiles floating in a glamorous evening gown while reflecting on her husband's death. Asked if she would risk her life to find out the truth, she replies: "Yes. Don't underestimate me."

What do the critics think?

There aren't many reviews out yet, but first impressions following a screening at the MipTV event in Cannes in April seem positive.

"Those who revelled in the similarly glam settings and the morally dubious characters of 'The Night Manager' will no doubt enjoy 'Riviera'," says Maureen Ryan of Variety, who thought the show was "slick" and "satisfying", but "nothing radical or challenging". Nevertheless, it "efficiently combines elements of soap operas, murder mysteries and thrillers", while the "frosting on top" is a peek at the luxurious lives of the "oligarch-adjacent global elite".

She adds that Stiles does "an excellent job of conveying Georgina's stunned confusion and grief" and Olin is "compelling" as the ex-wife.

When is it on?

All ten episodes of Riviera become available on Sky Atlantic on Thursday 15 June at 9pm.