The early success of Gomorrah – The Origins is turning into something more complicated than a ratings story. Sky’s prequel, which travels back to 1970s Naples to trace the rise of Pietro Savastano, is not only adding viewers episode by episode. It is also reopening old arguments about the saga’s internal logic, forcing the franchise to balance expansion with continuity at a moment when expectations are already high.
According to figures reported by ANSA, the first two episodes of the series are currently averaging 734,000 viewers across Total Audience. The third episode, released more recently, drew almost 460,000 average viewers in just three days, a performance that represents a 3% increase and confirms that the show is gaining traction rather than fading after launch.
Retention metrics suggest the same trend. The “permanence index” — a measure of how well episodes hold their audience — stands at 62% for the first two episodes and rises to 70% for the third. That latter figure is even higher than the one achieved by M. Il figlio del secolo, another high-profile Italian series, giving Sky an early sign that the prequel is building a loyal following rather than relying only on curiosity.
Yet the numbers tell only part of the story. From the third episode onward, Sky has shifted the release pattern to a weekly schedule, with new episodes airing on Friday nights. That breaks with the double-episode drops many fans of the original saga had grown used to, and it has split the audience on social media between those who welcome the slower pace and those openly impatient for more.
A Prequel That Reopens Old Questions
The weekly rhythm has also given viewers more time to scrutinize details — and some of those details are already provoking debate. Online discussions have focused on apparent inconsistencies with the original series, particularly around the Savastano family timeline.
In the original Gomorrah, the tomb of Donna Imma lists 1970 as her year of birth. But in the prequel, which is set in 1977, Imma appears as a teenager of around 16 years old, a mismatch that has not gone unnoticed. Another point of contention is the apparent absence of Pietro’s father. In the original series, Savastano repeatedly referred to his father and credited him with teaching him a great deal. In The Origins, the character seems not to exist at all — whether dead or simply absent from Pietro’s life. For now, viewers are left to wonder whether these issues will be explained later in the story or whether they are genuine continuity errors.
Behind the scenes, the project carries heavy names from the franchise. The prequel was created by Leonardo Fasoli, Maddalena Ravagli and Roberto Saviano, with Marco D’Amore directing. The narrative focuses on the criminal formation of the future boss of Secondigliano, long before he becomes the Don Pietro who presides over a criminal empire in the original saga. Here, he is still “just Pietro”: an uneasy street tough, a “guappo” and a nobody, portrayed as far removed from the powerful figure audiences already know.
The cast underlines that intention to start from zero. Newcomers Luca Lubrano and Tullia Venezia play Pietro and Imma, while Fabiola Balestriere appears as a young, embryonic version of Scianel. Francesco Pellegrino plays Angelo ‘A Sirena, the charismatic boss of Secondigliano who introduces Pietro to the criminal world. Flavio Furno also appears as ‘O Paisano, a character in whom many viewers have already spotted echoes of the criminal trajectory of Raffaele Cutolo.
For Sky, the early ratings suggest that Gomorrah – The Origins has found its audience. For the franchise, the bigger question is whether it can keep growing without undermining the mythology that made Gomorrah an international success in the first place. The coming weeks will show whether the writers can turn today’s debates into tomorrow’s revelations — or whether the prequel’s biggest challenge will come not from competition, but from its own past.
