Parents' Guide to

The Borgias

By Kari Croop, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Murder, religious corruption, sex reign in historical drama.

TV Showtime Drama 2011
The Borgias Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 18+

Based on 3 parent reviews

Kennedy O.
Kennedy O. Parent
March 10, 2018
age 18+

Pretty good, not appropriate for kids.

I put 18+ for the incest. That is my main reason, this family is literally known for the brother and sister sleeping together. There is ALOT of sex, and rape. Lots and lots of Rape, not just between strangers but between a married couple. There is also mention of a STD. Their is several murder plots. There is a lot of drinking, the use of drugs. I wouldn’t say it’s bloddy or has a lot of gore. As always watch the show before you let your kids watch it!

This title has:

Too much sex
ramccall67
ramccall67 Parent of 10, 13 and 15-year-old
August 8, 2015
age 18+

Very Good Show, Not for kids......

i really liked this show. The acting was very good (Jeremy Irons)

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Based on a notorious real-life family of the Italian Renaissance, THE BORGIAS charts the rise of ambitious patriarch Rodrigo Borgia (Jeremy Irons), a cunning Spanish-born cardinal who seizes power for himself -- and his children -- when he's elected to the papacy in 1492. With dutiful sons Cesare (François Arnaud) and Juan (David Oakes) standing at the ready and a pair of mistresses (Joanne Whalley and Lotte Verbeek) to please, Rodrigo turns his attention to marrying off his younger children, Lurezia (Holliday Grainger) and Joffre (Aidan Alexander), and securing the family's political fortunes.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (2 ):

Thanks to a painstakingly scripted two-episode back story that lays the groundwork for political power plays to come, this series takes a while to get going. So if you tune in expecting a reincarnation of the sizzling Showtime costume drama The Tudors, The Borgias might feel like a letdown. That's not to say it fails to entertain; it just does so in a completely different way.

Whereas The Tudors served up graphic sex and passion with a side of violence, The Borgias largely flips the script, marketing Rodrigo and his offspring as "the original crime family." (The same family, incidentally, that features prominently in the adults-only video game Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood.) That means carnage tends to outshine copulation, although sex still plays a provocative role.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how important violence is to the plot. Have the violent acts depicted on the show been exaggerated for the sake of entertainment, based on the information you can find about the real-life Borgias? To what degree does The Borgias take liberties with historical facts?

  • Does it surprise you to learn that a man who could be pope also had mistresses and fathered children? How do different religions and cultures deal with sexuality?

  • Is the show sending a message about religion or the Catholic Church? If so, what?

TV Details

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