The series intends to tell the history of Italy beginning on 23 March 1919, the day the Italian Fasces of Combat was founded, and ending in 1945.

M: Son of the Century concludes with Mussolini's speech to the Chamber of Deputies on 3 January 1925, which officially established Italy as a dictatorship following the political crisis caused by the murder of Giacomo Matteotti.

[4][5] With M, Scurati intends to "bring fascism down to earth, giving real knowledge of it as only literature knows how, when it delves into the details of material life".

[11] Sam Sacks of The Wall Street Journal wrote, "Readers will find themselves swept up by the story, thrilled by its conflicts and strangely forgetful that its 'hero' is a murderous despot.

[5] In a mixed review, The Washington Post's Wendy Smith wrote, "European critics who noted that M was not precisely a novel had a point.

British filmmaker Joe Wright directed, while Stefano Bises and Davide Serino adapted the script.

The series is produced by Sky Studios and Lorenzo Mieli's The Apartment Pictures, in collaboration with France's Pathé.

[15] The series was screened at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on 5 September 2024 and began airing on Sky Atlantic on 10 January 2025.