The Jackal, kings of Neapolitan comedy: the story of the group that conquered Italy.

There are characters and jokes that transcend the screen and enter everyday language. This is what happened to The Jackal, the comedy group born in Naples that in twenty years has transformed online comedy into a true national phenomenon. From the first parodies published online to television, film, and streaming series, their story also chronicles the evolution of Italian comedy in the age of YouTube and social media.

When we talk about The Jackal Napoli , we're not just talking about a group of Neapolitan comedians. We're talking about a project born online, grown through a community, and capable of bringing into the mainstream a style of irony deeply rooted in pop culture, everyday language, and, of course, the city of Naples.

The Jackal, a story born in Naples in 2005

The Jackal were founded in Naples in 2005 by Ciro Priello, Francesco Capaldo, Simone Russo, and Alfredo Felaco. The band's name comes from the English "jackal," a reference to the founders' way of "jackaling" their favorite films, transforming them into parodies and content for posting online.

Their insight came at a time when YouTube was beginning to radically change the relationship between audiences and audiovisual content. It no longer required a television station or a large production company to reach thousands of people: all it took was a video camera, an idea, and the ability to build a community around your content.

The Jackal followed precisely this path. Before they became the television faces known to the general public, they were a collective of videomakers and a production company that created web series, videos, and parodies.

Among the early works that helped build their identity was Lost in Google , a web series released in 2011 that became one of the most representative projects of the group's early phase. Growth was progressive and fueled primarily by the direct relationship with the online audience.

This is where one of the most important characteristics of The Jackal's Neapolitan comedy lies : it does not simply arise from jokes, but from the observation of reality and the ability to transform popular culture phenomena into comic material.

The turning point comes with "The Effects of Gomorrah on People"

If there is one moment that has marked the history of The Jackal more than any other, it is that of The Effects of Gomorrah on the People.

In 2014, the group released a series of videos that took aim at the collective obsession with Gomorrah – The Series . The idea was simple and effective: what would happen if the expressions, attitudes, and phrases from the series entered everyday life?

The protagonist of the sketches was Ciro Priello in the role of Mr. Cavastano, a character completely immersed in the world of Gomorrah . Everyday situations thus became the perfect terrain for exaggerating the language and behavior of the television series.

The result was a huge success online. The parody quickly circulated on social media and YouTube, transforming The Jackal into one of the most recognizable names in the new Italian online comedy scene. RaiNews named "The Effects of Gomorrah on People" the most-watched web series of 2014, with over 10 million views on YouTube.

Making the success even more special was the participation of some protagonists linked to the Gomorrah universe . Salvatore Esposito, who plays Gennaro Savastano, appeared in the parody, while Roberto Saviano also joined later.

The power of the operation also lay in its reversal: The Jackal were not simply making fun of a successful television series, but were ironically ironizing the way in which the public had transformed it into a linguistic and social phenomenon.

It is precisely in this ability to observe what is happening around them that part of the secret of their comedy lies.

From YouTube to television: comedy changes format

Their online success wasn't limited to YouTube. Over the years, The Jackal have gradually expanded their reach, moving from online video production to film, television, and streaming platforms.

Their journey is interesting because it doesn't simply represent the transition of some YouTubers to television. The group has maintained a strong production component, continuing to work on content and writing even as the formats have grown.

The team has also evolved. Alongside Ciro Priello, Fabio Balsamo, Gianluca Fru, and Aurora Leone have become recognizable faces of the group, having been involved in numerous projects in recent years. Fabio Balsamo joined the group in 2015, while Priello is one of the original founders.

This evolution has allowed The Jackal to bring their style to very different productions, without completely losing their connection with the comedy born on the web.

“Pesci Piccoli,” the more everyday side of The Jackal

One of the most obvious examples of this maturation is Pesci Piccoli , the comedy series set inside a small advertising agency.

The first season brought to the screen an almost surreal version of everyday work life, made up of unlikely clients, ambitions, personal relationships and problems far bigger than the resources available.

The second season, which arrived on Prime Video on June 13, 2025, expanded the story with eight episodes and gave greater focus to the personal aspects of the protagonists. Ciro Priello, Fabio Balsamo, Aurora Leone, and Gianluca Fru returned to the center of the story, with a narrative that introduced a more dramatic component alongside the comedy.

The production of the second season also had a special connection with Naples. Filming took place in Ponticelli, where the advertising agency featured in the series was rebuilt.

This isn't a minor detail. Even when The Jackal tell stories that could be set in any Italian city, their journey remains deeply rooted in Naples.

What makes The Jackal's comedy Neapolitan?

However, defining The Jackal simply as “Neapolitan comedians” would be reductive.

Their comedy certainly has Neapolitan roots, but over the years it has become national. The key isn't just the use of dialect or the Neapolitan accent. It's above all the way they look at situations.

Their irony often arises from the contrast between what should be normal and what becomes absurd when observed through an extremely contemporary lens.

A television series, a movie, a way of speaking, a meme, a behavior on social media or a situation in the workplace can become material for a gag.

It's a comedy that starts from pop culture and returns to everyday life.

And perhaps this is one of the reasons why The Jackal's style has transcended the city's boundaries. The Neapolitan element remains recognizable, but the comedic mechanisms are understandable even to those living on the other side of Italy.

Twenty years later, The Jackal is still a web-based story.

In 2025, The Jackal celebrated their twentieth anniversary. This celebration came at a time when the collective had already crossed virtually every major medium of contemporary entertainment: YouTube, film, television, and streaming.

The journey also tells how much the way of making comedy has changed in Italy.

When The Jackal began in 2005, the web was still far from being the primary daily entertainment hub it would become in later years. Today, however, creators and bands born online can make it to primetime television without necessarily abandoning their digital roots.

And that's exactly what happened to The Jackal.

In March 2026, Ciro Priello, Fabio Balsamo, Fru and Aurora Leone arrived together on Rai 2 prime time with Stasera a letto tardi , a show built around their comedy and their relationship with a group of children who are the protagonists of the various episodes.

From the first videos shot for the web to prime time on Rai, the journey has therefore become much longer than those kids who in 2005 had probably imagined, who had started "jacking" the films they loved.

The Jackal Napoli, a comedy that continues to change

The story of The Jackal is, ultimately, also the story of a generation of comedians who grew up with the Internet.

They started in Naples, found their first audience online, and transformed pop culture phenomena into sketches that went viral. Gomorrah's impact on the public was a turning point, but it wasn't an isolated incident.

Over the years, new characters, new platforms, and new languages ​​have emerged. Pesci Piccoli showed a more everyday and generational side of the group, while television offered another space to bring that same ability to play with reality.

The bond with Naples, however, remains a constant.

This is why talking about The Jackal Napoli means talking about a group that has transformed Neapolitan comedy into a language capable of traveling the web, appearing on television, and speaking to a national audience.

Twenty years after their birth, The Jackal continue to do what they have always done: take what everyone knows, look at it from a different angle and try to make the audience laugh.