The Borgias : The Original Crime Family , Seasons 1-3 [DVD]

Based on a true family the Borgia's follow Rodrigo Borgia as he successfully campaigns to become pope Alexander the VI. Starring Jeremy Irons, Joanne Whalley, Holiday Granger, David Oakes and Derek Jacobi. Follow the Borgia's as they bully, bribe and murder their way to becoming the most powerful and legendary family of 15th century Italy. Set in the height of the renaissance, the sets and costumes are lavish and Jeremy Irons is at his villainous best as Rodrigo Borgia. This drama was produced by Show Time, they only did 3 series it could really do with a fourth a final one so we find out what ultimately happens to the family as, in my opinion, it feels unfinished. It's still brilliant series just a shame Show Time didn't finish it.

Excellent series full of intrigue. It is good to see a historical viewpoint of another country - other than the uk - at a key point in its history. I hope it is factually correct - as a non-historian I have no way of knowing. In spite of the reputation for being terrible people, i found myself liking them, and they did not come across so very much worse that others of their time. (Mary Tudor also murdered many hundreds if not thousands of people - mostly burning them alive). I have only 1 serious complaint about this series - and that is is simply stops half way though as though a 4th season was planned then abandoned suddenly. There is not even a paragraph at the end detailing how much longer the Borgias lasted, what happened to them, when they died and who replaced them. Of course I can look this up on the net but to suddenly stop halfway though is annoying in the extreme. However it is still an excellent series and highly recommended.

This is entertainment from start to end provided you don't mind a bit of blood and gore. I was also pleased that it did much to explain the Borgias' actions rather than just castigating them. Holliday Grainger is superb in the role of Lucretia, combining both fragility and tenacity. Likewise Francois Arnaud incorporates reason with ambition in his portrayal of Caesare. In addition, it provides an insight into Italian history around the beginning of the 16th Century. You could almost label the meeting between Caesare and Nicolo Machiavelli and the intrigue of the century .Although I'm a Jeremy Irons fan, I don't think he was ideally suited to the role of the unscrupulous Rodrigo Borgia.Spectacle, adventure and drama combined.

If the secret of the success of Harry Porter and more interestingly, Game of Thrones, is that the bad guys and the Evil empires are fictitious people in fictitious places and time, The Borgias fail woefully by going in the opposite direction. Also the reason I found why many Americans are not so hot on "House of Cards" TV series. Even if the Borgias are historical figures and not fictitious characters, the portrayal is in the realm of that which is utterly ridiculous. I can understand a 17 year old boy having an erection at the sight of anything in skirt, but this pope, in his 40's & 50's is ready to have sex every half an hour, day and night.... and Viagra had not even been invented.The story lines in the Borgias would have worked in a Science fiction or Fantasy genre. They try to sell it like the Godfather series, but it fails terribly.Again, and perhaps more importantly, the heinous crimes of the Borgias could be told more interestingly in a 3 hour movie, or at most, along the lines of the hugely successful Godfather series, in a trilogy ( two & half hrs each) and not more the 9 hours altogether. No wonder the makers abandoned the final series as they too could see how utterly ridiculous it was becoming. I personally don't think the abandonment has anything to do with cost.

love Jeremy Irons so it was bought for him alone. the series is great, has you eager to see the next episode and while there are some characters you could do without and you wont be watching it with your granny unless she is very easy-going and you are not easily embarrassed then I would highly recommend. shame they ended it quickly as the finale is a bit rushed but otherwise great

What to say about The Borgias? Brilliantly written, fantastic acting you are hooked from the very first episode. The intrigue, the scheming and the carnality, and that’s just the pope! If you have never watched this you are in for a treat! I would definitely recommend this.

Hmmmm. Bought this on the strength of Sean Harris who is of course brilliant. So no probs there. Not really sure about the director's intentions about how Mr Irons should play his role. I can't help but think he was to keep it light and camp because I keep expecting Kenneth Williams or Frankie Howard to pitch in on occasion. Sets etc nice but all-in-all a bit disappointing. Will attempt to watch all episodes before recycling!

I should have heeded Brian R's advice and not bought this set. I could not believe the series had finished, I actually looked for another disc in the plastic sleeve, expecting more episodes. The sets and costumes were lavish. Acting OK. Plenty of excitement and blood thirsty enough to satisfy the savage in us. But such an incomplete, disappointing let-down at the end.