The Borgias (2011 TV series)

For the series created by Tom Fontana, see Borgia (TV series). For the BBC Two television series, see The Borgias (1981 TV series).

The Borgias
GenreHistorical drama
Created byNeil Jordan
Written byNeil Jordan
David Leland
Guy Burt
Starring
Theme music composerTrevor Morris
Country of origin
  • Canada
  • Ireland
  • Hungary
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes29 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Neil Jordan
  • Jack Rapke
  • Darryl Frank
  • John Weber
  • Sheila Hockin
  • James Flynn
  • David Leland (second season)
  • Michael Hirst (first season)
Production locationHungary[1]
CinematographyPaul Sarossy
Running time48–58 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network
ReleaseApril 3, 2011 (2011-04-03) –
June 16, 2013 (2013-06-16)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

The Borgias is a historical drama television series created by Neil Jordan; it debuted in 2011 and was canceled in 2013.

The series is set in Renaissance-era Italy and follows the Borgia family in their scandalous ascension to the papacy. Mercilessly cruel and defiantly decadent, the Borgias use bribery, simony, intimidation and murder in their relentless quest for wealth and power that make them history's most infamous crime family. It stars Jeremy Irons as Pope Alexander VI with François Arnaud as Cesare, Holliday Grainger as Lucrezia and David Oakes as Juan. Colm Feore also stars as Cardinal della Rovere (later Pope Julius II).[2]

It premiered on April 3, 2011, at 9 p.m. ET on Showtime in the United States and 10 p.m. Eastern (UTC−04:00) on Bravo! in Canada,[1][3] and received its first major television network premiere on June 21, 2011, on Canada's CTV Television Network.[4] The second season premiered on April 8, 2012. On May 4, 2012, Showtime ordered a third season of 10 episodes, which premiered on April 14, 2013.[5][6]

On June 5, 2013, Showtime canceled the series, a season short of Jordan's planned four-season arc for the series. The cancellation was implied to be due to the expense of production, with plans for a two-hour wrap-up finale also scrapped.[7][8] A fan campaign was started in an attempt to convince Showtime to revive the series.[8] On August 12, 2013, it was announced that the two-hour series finale script would be released as an ebook, after it was determined that a movie would be too expensive to produce.[9]

  1. ^ a b c "Sex. Power. Murder. Amen. Sinful Drama The Borgias Premieres April 3 on Bravo!" (Press release). CTV. March 11, 2011. Archived from the original on March 24, 2011. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
  2. ^ "Bravo! and CTV's The Borgias Lands Legendary Actor Sir Derek Jacobi" (Press release). Bell Media. June 10, 2010. Archived from the original on May 4, 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
  3. ^ "The Borgias Premieres April 3 on Bravo!" (Press release). CNW Group. March 14, 2011. Archived from the original on May 4, 2011. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
  4. ^ "The Borgias Coming to CTV". The FiveEight.com May 9, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  5. ^ Seidman, Robert (January 12, 2013). "Showtime Announces Premiere Dates for 'Nurse Jackie,' 'Dexter' (Returning Early) 'Ray Donovan,' 'Homeland,' 'Masters of Sex' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
  6. ^ Bibel, Sara (May 4, 2012). "'The Borgias' Renewed for a Third Season by Showtime". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 4, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
  7. ^ Ausiello, Michael (June 5, 2013). "Showtime Officially Cancels The Borgias – Find Out How It Was Supposed to End". TVLine. Archived from the original on July 4, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  8. ^ a b Mellor, Louisa (June 20, 2013). "Save The Borgias Campaign Gains Momentum" Archived November 29, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. Den of Geek. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  9. ^ Cornet, Roth (August 12, 2013). "Two-Hour Borgias Finale Script To Be Released As E-Book". IGN. Retrieved August 12, 2013.