Scripted series · Showtime
The Borgias
Flesh and Blood
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Jeremy Irons
Rodrigo Borgia
29 eps
David Oakes
Juan Borgia
16 eps
François Arnaud
Cesare Borgia
29 eps
Holliday Grainger
Lucrezia Borgia
29 eps
Joanne Whalley
Vanozza Cattaneo
25 eps
Colm Feore
Giuliano Della Rovere
20 eps
Peter Sullivan
Cardinal Ascanio Sforza
28 eps
Sean Harris
Micheletto
27 eps
Thure Lindhardt
Rufio
10 eps
Sebastian de Souza
Alfonso of Aragon
11 eps
Vernon Dobtcheff
Cardinal Versucci
18 eps
Lotte Verbeek
Giulia Farnese
20 eps
Luke Pasqualino
Paolo
7 eps
Luke Allen-Gale
Fredirigo
3 eps
Prometheus Aleifer
Roberto Orsini
7 eps
Pilou Asbæk
Paolo Orsini
7 eps
Emmanuelle Chriqui
Sancia
3 eps
Aidan Alexander
Gioffre Borgia
5 eps
Helen Bradbury
Nanny
3 eps
Giacomo Gonnella
Battista Colonna
2 eps
Ivan Kaye
Ludovico Sforza
4 eps
Gados Béla
Il Cerimoniere
2 eps
Joseph M. Kelly
King Ferrante of Naples
5 eps
András Ábel
Soldier (uncredited)
4 eps
Bosco Hogan
Cardinal Piccolomini
17 eps
David Lowe
French Ambassador
3 eps
Patrick O'Kane
Francesco Gonzaga
3 eps
Antal Leisen
Cardinal 2
3 eps
Jalaal Hartley
Pinturicchio
3 eps
Matias Varela
King Ferdinand II of Naples
3 eps
Leo Bill
Cardinal Costanzo
3 eps
Harry Taurasi
Piero De Medici
4 eps
Linda Marlowe
Old Lady
4 eps
Melia Kreiling
Bianca
4 eps
Jemima West
Vittoria
4 eps
Mickey Sumner
Francesca
4 eps
Tom Austen
Raffaello
4 eps
Peter Stebbings
Cardinal De Luca
4 eps
Charlie Carrick
Pascal
4 eps
Edward Akrout
French Captain
5 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How The Borgias actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
The Borgias reads strongest on Character Depth, Serialized and Emotional Weight.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
The story
What it's about
Set in 15th century Italy at the height of the Renaissance, The Borgias chronicles the corrupt rise of patriarch Rodrigo Borgia to the papacy, where he proceeds to commit every sin in the book to amass and retain power, influence and enormous wealth for himself and his family.
The run
Seasons
3 seasons · 29 episodes.
- Poster unavailableSpecials
Season 0 · Complete
Specials
20114 episodes
Season 1 · Complete
Season 1
20119 episodes
6.7IMDbPope Innocent VIII dies. Rodrigo Borgia wins election as Pope Alexander VI by bribing enough of the cardinals to vote for him in conclave. Alexander "packs" the College of Cardinals with 13 new members, including his son Cesare. He then tries to contract an alliance with the powerful family of Cardinal Ascanio Sforza, one of his two original rivals for the Papacy. That alliance, ever fragile, breaks after Alexander's other rival, Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere (the future Pope Julius II), contracts his own alliance with the King of France for an invasion of Italy.
Best episode · S01E09 Nessuno (Nobody)
Season 2 · Complete
Season 2
201210 episodes
7.1IMDbHaving survived the French invasion with his Papacy intact (just barely), Alexander VI containues to advance his agenda. But the Sforza family continues to thwart him, leading him to make physical war upon them. Nor has Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere given up trying to rid the Vatican of Alexander. Having failed to depose the Pope legally, Cardinal della Rovere plots to assassinate him.
Best episode · S02E09 World of Wonders
Season 3 · Complete
Season 3
201310 episodes
6.7IMDbAlexander VI survives Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere's assassination attempt, because his daughter Lucrezia knows how to treat catarella poisoning. Alexander's war with the Sforza family continues and escalates. Alexander now plots to turn the Papacy into an explicitly hereditary office.
Best episode · S03E01 The Face of Death
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S03E01
The Face of Death
Pope Alexander fights for his life; the cardinals fight for control of the papacy; Cesare and Micheletto track the assassin; Della Rovere prepares to make his move.
- Directed by Kari Skogland
- Written by Guy Burt
S02E10
The Confession
Tragic news for the Borgia family is followed by a shocking revelation from Cesare; Lucrezia surprises herself by falling for a new suitor, Alfonso of Aragon, and accepts his proposal of marriage; Cesare tortures the rebel leader Savonarola but can't extract a confession, so he fakes one and burns the heretic; the assassin finally strikes with a poisoned chalice of wine.
- Directed by David Leland
- Written by Guy Burt
S02E09
World of Wonders
It's Easter and Alexander makes plans for a celebration to end his pious fast even as Della Rovere's assassin ascends to the position of the Pope's taster. Lucrezia's lover asks for her hand in marriage but her father dismisses him and his request. Juan's wild behavior threatens the life of Lucrezia's child, forcing Cesare to make a chilling decision about his brother.
- Directed by David Leland
- Written by David Leland
S02E07
The Siege at Forli
Juan's triumphant return from Spain is marred by his unsuccessful siege of the Sforza castle; Lucrezia purposely scuttles a scheme to marry her off to a rich Genovese merchant; Savonarola's forces conduct the infamous "Bonfire of the Vanities".
- Directed by Kari Skogland
- Written by David Leland
S01E09
Nessuno (Nobody)
Abandoned by even his cardinals, Alexander meets King Charles with humility and saves his throne, even eliciting a confession from the conqueror he crowns as the new "King of France and Naples;" Della Rovere despairs as Charles abandons him; Lucrezia safely gives birth to a son in a convent as the Borgias secure an annulment of her marriage and plot revenge on their enemies.
- Directed by Jeremy Podeswa
S03E05
The Wolf and the Lamb
Lucrezia and Micheletto plot the death of King Ferdinand when he refuses her her baby as Cesare's promise of an annulment for Louis X!. gain him a wife and army.
- Directed by Kari Skogland
- Written by Neil Jordan
Recently aired
Latest Episodes
S03E05
The Wolf and the Lamb
- Directed by Kari Skogland
- Written by Neil Jordan
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Created by
- Neil JordanCreator
Executive production
- Neil JordanExecutive Producer
- Sheila HockinExecutive Producer
- Bill GoddardProducer
- Justin FalveyExecutive Producer
- Jack RapkeExecutive Producer
- John WeberExecutive Producer
Writing
- Neil JordanWriter
- David LelandWriter
- Guy BurtWriter
Direction
- Neil JordanDirector
- Simon Cellan JonesDirector
- David LelandDirector
- Kari SkoglandDirector
- Jeremy PodeswaDirector
- John MayburyDirector
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- Amazon VideoBuy
- Apple TV StoreBuy
- fuboTVStreaming
- Paramount Plus PremiumStreaming
- Google Play MoviesBuy
- Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel Streaming
- Paramount+ Amazon ChannelStreaming
- Fandango At HomeBuy
- YouTube TVStreaming
- Paramount+ Roku Premium ChannelStreaming
If you liked this
Similar Series
Series that share this one's texture, not just its genre tags.
Medici: Masters of Florence
2016
Character-driven drama · Similar storytelling style
Babylon Berlin
2017
Moral complexity · Similar storytelling style
Peaky Blinders
2013
Moral complexity · Similar storytelling style
The Magnificent Century
2011
Character-driven drama · Similar storytelling style
The Pillars of the Earth
2010
Character-driven drama · Similar storytelling style
Da Vinci's Demons
2013
Character-driven drama · Similar storytelling style
Tut
2015
Character-driven drama · Similar storytelling style
Norsemen
2016
Character-driven drama · Similar storytelling style
Leonardo
2021
Moral complexity · Similar storytelling style
Orb: On the Movements of the Earth
2024
Character-driven drama · Similar storytelling style
Vikings: Valhalla
2022
Character-driven drama · Similar storytelling style
Boardwalk Empire
2010
Moral complexity
Where to go from here
Watch Next
Our editors' suggestion for the show you should start tonight — and why.
Peaky Blinders
2013
Another morally complex epic for anyone who wanted more grey.
Breaking Bad
2008
Watch this next if you like protagonists you can't quite defend.
The Mentalist
2008
A crime story told with the patience of a novel.
9-1-1
2018
Another morally complex epic for anyone who wanted more grey.
S.W.A.T.
2017
Watch this next if you like protagonists you can't quite defend.
FBI
2018
A crime story told with the patience of a novel.
Never stop watching
Related Collections
No related collections yet
This title isn't in a published Nutevio collection yet. It will appear here automatically as soon as it is.
Join the conversation