1989 in Italian television

This is a list of Italian television related events from 1989.

Events

November 9: the TG2 special correspondent Lilli Gruber describes, for RAI, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the following events.

1989 Cartolina – daily column by Andrea Barbato, consisting of a five minutes open letter addressed to a personality of politics or everyday life; five seasons.

Agenzia matrimoniale – people show, hosted by Marta Flavi and later by Barbara D’Urso; 9 seasons. In every episode, two lonely hearts have a blind date in front of the cameras.
C’eravamo tanto amati – talk-show, hosted by Luca Barbareschi; 5 seasons. The program, forerunner of the future trash-TV, is focused on the angry quarrels of couples in crisis; despite its bad taste, it gets public success and has an American version.
Bellezze al bagno – game show, aired in the summer from the most famous Italian water parks; 5 seasons.

Una donna spezzata – by Marco Leto, from Simone de Beauvoir’s La femme rompue, with Lea Massari and Erland Josephson, in 2 parts. A middle-class woman has to face the crumbling of her seemingly happy family.Uomo contro uomo – by Sergio Sollima, with Christopher Bucholz and Barbara De Rossi, in 2 parts. It’s the story of a men of honor in the Calabrian ‘ndrangheta and of his sister, a teacher enemy of the organized crime.

I promessi sposi – by Salvatore Nocita, adapted from Alessandro Manzoni's novel The Betrothed, with Danny Quinn and Delphine Forest as protagonists and a stellar cast in the minor roles ; in 5 episodes. Realized with a 20 billion liras budget, in coproduction with Bayerischer Rundfunk and the Croatian television, the series gets high ratings in Italy; it is instead ravaged by critics, who reproach it the infidelity to the book, transformed into a cloak and dagger story, and the mediocrity of the two lead actors.

Modì, vita di Amedeo Modigliani – by Franco Brogi Taviani, with Richard Berry in the title role; 3 episodes.
The last days of Pompei, by Peter Hunt, from the Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s novel, with Nicholas Clay, Olivia Hussey and Franco Nero; 4 episodes.
Come stanno bene insieme – by Vittorio Sindoni, with Sergio Castellitto and Stefania Sandrelli; 3 episodes. It’s the story of thirty years in the life of a couple, from the falling in love and the marriage to the separation and the reconciliation.

Ars Amanda – malicious talk show, hosted by Amanda Lear, set in a bed where the singer and her guests chats about eroticism.

La notte della repubblica – by Sergio Zavoli; monumental enquiry in 18 episodes about the Years of lead, with precious witnesses of many protagonists of the tragic season, politicians or terrorists.

Disperatamente Giulia by Enrico Maria Salerno, with Tahnee Welch, Fabio Testi and Dalila Di Lazzaro; 6 episodes. Melodrama about the long-life love story between a female writer and a surgeon.