The Borgias: The First Season

Tapping into the contemporary rage for sexy historical storytelling on TV, this Showtime original series presents the Borgias—the most notorious family of Renaissance-era Italy—members of an aristocratic house who amassed power using tactics worthy of a Shakespeare villain. Although the show appears to follow the same formula as The Tudors—a recipe of royal intrigue, aristocratic depravity, and lusty sex in the courts of old Europe—Oscar-winning creator Neil Jordan (who directed two segments and scripted all nine included here) is more interested in power plays and diplomacy than spectacle and titillation. Jeremy Irons plays family patriarch Rodrigo Borgia, who becomes the Pope in the first episode through a combination of bribery, coercion, and the promise of political favors—basically, just a little corruption between cronies in the Church, which rivals the power of some countries in Renaissance Europe. The first season focuses on the education of Rodrigo's children, who will become the most notorious of the clan: Cesare (François Arnaud), Rodrigo's heir and right-hand man; and Lucrezia (Holliday Grainger), the golden-haired daughter who revels in the joys of power. What's most compelling here is not the spectacular nature of the crimes or the rampant immorality (from poisoning rivals to open affairs) but rather the brazen displays of dictatorial authority and inspired gestures of diplomacy, especially as wielded by Irons's Rodrigo. Compiling all nine episodes of the 2011 debut season, this is recommended. (S. Axmaker)