
Zen is a British television mini series produced by Left Bank Pictures for the BBC, co-produced with WGBH Boston for its Masterpiece anthology series, Mediaset and ZDF. It stars Rufus Sewell and Caterina Murino and is based on the Aurelio Zen detective novels by Michael Dibdin. The series was filmed on location in Italy, but the dialogue is in English. The series, which comprises three 90-minute films, was broadcast in the United Kingdom on Sunday evenings from 2 January 2011 on BBC One. The three films were based on the books Vendetta, Cabal and Ratking.






Zen is asked by the Ministry to re-investigate a multiple murder that happened. Oscar Faso and his guests were shot dead at his lavish villa. The number one suspect was a friend of Faso called Renato Favelloni who has since claimed to have found God in prison and is now retracting the confession he made which has ended up causing shockwaves through the Government.
After the body of Umberto Ruspanti, a member of one of Rome's most prominent families, is discovered underneath a bridge, Zen is assigned the case by the Ministry. After things become more suspicious, Zen discovers the existence of the Cabal, a powerful, secret organisation.
After industrialist and political party funder Ruggerio Miletti is kidnapped, the Ministry turn to Aurelio Zen, to get him back alive at any cost.