Now that "The Tudors" has ended and with the tradition of "The Tudors", comes "The Borgias", a historical drama that focuses on the lives of the severe and complicated lives of the Borgias family. The Borgias is based in the Italian Borgia Dynasty and follows Rodrigo Borgia (Jeremy Irons) who becomes Pope. Propelling him, sons Cesare (François Arnaud), Juan (David Oakes), and his beautiful daughter, Lucrezia (Holliday Grainger),all to become the most powerful during the times of the Italian Renaissance. Meanwhile Cardinal Orsini (Derek Jacobi) wants to make things bad for the family. Kicking off in 2011, the series is set to captivate audiences. The show is set to keep the audience entertained and on the edge.
The premiere episode of The Borgias will be a special two-hour presentation at 9 pm on April 3rd. The following week, April 10th, the series will air at its regular 10-11 PM timeslot on Showtime.
The Borgias will be in the same style as The Tudors, the epic drama about historic figure King Henry VIII. The Tudors aired for four seasons on Showtime.
The new Showtime epic series The Borgias in debuting on Sunday, April 3, 2011 from 9-11 p.m. ET, according to a January 18, 2011 press release from Showtime. The Borgias is Oscar winner Neil Jordan’s epic series starring Academy Award winner Jeremy Irons as Rodrigo Borgia, the patriarch of one of history’s most notorious families who became Pope in 1492.
Synopsis: The Borgias or de Borjas were a Valencian (Spanish)-Italian noble family who became prominent during the Renaissance. They are remembered today for their corrupt rule when one of them was Pope. The Borgias have been accused of many different crimes, generally on considerable evidence, including adultery, simony, theft, rape, bribery, incest, and murder (especially murder by arsenic poisoning).
Rodrigo Borgia, a cunning intriguer, was elected Pope in 1492, taking the name Alexander VI. He had several acknowledged children, of which Lucrezia and Cesare were best known.
Cesare Borgia, with his father’s backing, tried to become the ruler of Italy. But in 1503, Pope Alexander died from malarial fever, which was spreading through Rome at the time. Cesare’s intrigues collapsed, and he went off to Spain.
Lucrezia Borgia was also rumored to be a notorious poisoner, though later historians started to consider her more a victim of the family’s plots. She married three times, and after the fall of her father and brother, remained the respected consort of the Duke of Ferrara.
Saint Francis Borgia was a grandson of Rodrigo through another son, Giovanni. After a career in the service of the kings of Spain, he entered the priesthood and became a Jesuit. He eventually rose to be the third Father General of the order.
Watch The Borgias Online!