Like many people who watch this series and others like it, I often pick out moments which are fictional or an historical event that is slightly altered. It doesn't really matter though especially if what the writers come up with instead is still interesting and entertaining.
The first series focuses on the Borgia family's rise to prominence and the Popes children's gradual loss of innocence who grow into corrupt, murderous figures. The second series then follows Lucrezia's several love interest stories and the bitter sibling rivalry between Cesare and Juan. Finally, the third series follows the Pope and his son Cesare fighting their main enemies Caterina Sforza which leads to an epic conclusion with the battle of Forli.
The good points of this series for me is the general tone and atmosphere of the show. This is created by the actors and the setting of the show. The era itself holds strong interest as during this revolutionary time which saw the rise of Da Vinci, Michaelangelo and grand architecture there are dark, viscous conspiracies going on. The whole cast are top notch, in particular David Oakes who plays Juan. His ability to jump from emotion to emotion just like that shows his talent in full flow. Sean Harris who stars as Micheletto is the underrated star of this show. Jeremy Irons is marvellous, need I say more its Jeremy Irons c'mon. I am also a huge fan of orchestral music in shows and it features prominently here and adds to the mood perfectly.
For some, this show may feature too much gore or sexual content, as there is at least one sexual scene every episode. However if you're comfortable with this sort of thing then I can give you no negatives. If you're an anal historical fan who purely wants fact and non-fiction drama then this probably isn't for you but give a try anyway.
In my view its fabulous and I am one of those who was gutted to hear that it was cancelled after 3 seasons due to budget concerns despite consistently getting successful ratings. I highly recommend this show and advise you not to be put off by the fact that it was cancelled because honestly The Borgia's Requiem Mass has come too soon.
