Twenty shows to watch while waiting for Game of Thrones season 8

9) The Borgias (Showtime, 2011-2013)

Created by Neil Jordan (The Crying Game), the historical fiction drama The Borgias stars Jeremy Irons as Rodrigo Borgia, who becomes Pope Alexander VI, the head of the infamous Borgia clan. Rodrigo’s son, Cesare Borgia, was the subject of Machiavelli’s infamous political treatise, The Prince.

In the late 15th century the Borgia family embarked on a ruthless quest to obtain the papacy and, once that was accomplished, attempted to take control of all Italy using murder, intrigue and coercion.

The Borgias premiered to generally positive reviews in the USA, with Robert Bianco of USA Today saying “seen from a safe distance, captured by a sterling cast led in marvelous high style by Jeremy Irons, and presented with all the brio, flair and sumptuous design TV can muster, the infamous family is almost addictively entertaining.”

The response in the UK was less flattering, with The Independent‘s Holly Williams reporting “the acting and script feel about as substantial as a communion wafer. With power struggles, sex, assassinations and sibling rivalries, it should, at least, be racy and fun. Yet the storyline often feels curiously ungripping.”

There’s no doubt that The Borgias‘ serves up lots of murder and sex, and Rotten Tomatoes audiences (83% rating) much prefer it to the reviewers (71%). Warning: Showtime cancelled the series at the end of the third season when Jordan had planned for four, so not all story arcs ultimately resolve.