A Professor

Synopsis

Based on the Catalan format Merlí by Hector Lozano, produced by Veranda for TV3 Lagardère Studios Distribution. Dante Balestra is a philosophy teacher who, after many years away, returns to Rome to care for his son Simone. Charming and unconventional, the teacher takes a class at the Leonardo Da Vinci High School, where he applies his unconventional teaching methods and develops a very special relationship with his students, including Simone. But his approach quickly leads to his personal and professional lives becoming confused, and the return from the past of Anita, a former flame of his and now the mother of Manuel, the class "black sheep," makes things even more complicated.

First Air Date: 2021-11-11

Last Air Date: 2025-12-18

Number of Seasons: 3

Number of Episodes: 36

Created By: Alessandro D'Alatri

Networks: Rai 1, RaiPlay

View Technical Specifications on IMDb

Top Cast

Alessandro Gassmann as Dante Balestra
Claudia Pandolfi as Anita
Nicolas Maupas as Simone Balestra
Damiano Gavino as Manuel
Christiane Filangieri as Floriana
Francesca Cavallin as Cecilia
Paolo Conticini as Ettore
Federica Cifola as Preside Ada Sermiglio
Alessio De Lorenzi as Giuseppe Palombo detto "Pin"
Domenico Cuomo as Mimmo

Seasons

Season 1 (2021) - (12 Episodes)

Season 2 (2023) - (12 Episodes)

Season 3 (2025) - (12 Episodes)

Season 1 (2021)

Nonconformist Dante returns to Rome to teach high school philosophy, bonding with his students as he navigates life as a single dad.

Episodes:

Ep. 1: Socrates (2021-11-11)

Dante returns to Rome and immediately takes his students to heart.
Ep. 2: Roland Barthes (2021-11-11)

Dante visits Pin, a student who hasn't left home for months.
Ep. 3: Kant (2021-11-18)

Danye meets Cecilia, a parent representative and Aureliano's mother, and is immediately smitten.
Ep. 4: Plato (2021-11-18)

Dante approaches Anita about Manuel's troubles.
Ep. 5: Aristotle (2021-11-25)

Dante presents a lesson on Aristotle and happiness.
Ep. 6: Giordano Bruno (2021-11-25)

Convinced that Simone and Manuel are not telling the truth, Dante takes the class to Campo dei Fiori.
Ep. 7: Michel Foucault (2021-12-02)

Dante presents a lesson on Michel Focault, a sociologist persecuted for his homosexuality.
Ep. 8: Guy Debord (2021-12-02)

The class visits Cecilia's museum.
Ep. 9: Stuart Mill (2021-12-09)

Dante's relationship with Cecilia breaks down after Aureliano finds out.
Ep. 10: Schopenhauer (2021-12-09)

Simone returns from Glasgow and organizes a clandestine party at school for her birthday.
Ep. 11: Rousseau (2021-12-16)

Dante takes the class to the Colosseum and presents a lesson on Rousseau.
Ep. 12: Nietzsche (2021-12-16)

A tragic event leads Dante to relive an unresolved trauma.