This past spring, Showtime rolled out its Tudors replacement, this time going back a bit to tell the story of the infamous Borgia family. They are headed by patriarch Rodrigo (Jeremy Irons): a cardinal who has a driving ambition to be pope, letting nothing and nobody stand in his way. Eventually, he becomes Pope Alexander VI...with the help of bribery and, as legend has it, murder. Sons Cesare (the priest), Juan (the soldier), and Joffre (the youngest), daughter Lucrezia, and their mother Vannozza de' Catanei round out the family, though Vannozza is soon outsed by the younger Giulia Farnese after Rodrigo becomes pope. The Borgias have been dubbed the original Godfather, and indeed, Godfather author Mario Puzzo was supposedly inspired by them to write the classic series, and wrote the novel The Family about them. With the star power of Irons and Neil Jordan (who created the series), this new show is a good one, and will be back next year for season two. If you haven't seen it already, and are a fan of The Borgias, the mob, or renaissance Italy, I highly request you do and catch up before next season! 3 1/2 stars 🙂
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