20062006 Top |best|: The Borgia

The 2011 series featured the elegant, Shakespearean Jeremy Irons. The 2006 series features ( The Wire ) as Rodrigo Borgia (Pope Alexander VI). Doman is not glamorous; he is a bull-necked, brutal politician. He looks like a Renaissance thug who bribed his way to the papacy. This realism tops the charts for historical accuracy.

Lluís Homar delivers a nuanced Rodrigo Borgia, portraying him not just as a lecherous Pope, but as a patriarch obsessed with the longevity of his bloodline. Sergio Peris-Mencheta’s portrayal of Cesare Borgia is equally compelling, capturing the volatile mix of brilliance and cruelty that famously inspired Machiavelli’s The Prince . The Legacy of the 2006 Film the borgia 20062006 top

This is where the story gets truly interesting for serious fans. The search for the 2006 film often leads to the discovery of its spiritual successor: the European television series (also known as Borgia: Faith and Fear ). Premiering on Canal+ in 2011—the same year as the Showtime version—this multinational production is the show that 2006's Los Borgia should have been. The 2011 series featured the elegant, Shakespearean Jeremy