THE BORGIAS
USA / HUNGARY / IRELAND / CANADA
THE BORGIAS is a historical fiction television series created by Neil Jordan. THE BORGIAS consists of 29 episodes of 50 minutes.
STORY: The mighty Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia (Jeremy Irons) is Pope Innocent VIII's right-hand man and is eager to succeed him. The series is set in Renaissance-era Italy and follows the Borgia family in their scandalous ascension to the papacy. Mercilessly cruel and defiantly decadent, the Borgias use bribery, simony, intimidation and murder in their relentless quest for wealth and power that make them history's most infamous crime family. It stars Jeremy Irons as Pope Alexander VI with François Arnaud as Cesare, Holliday Grainger as Lucrezia and David Oakes as Juan.
GAY COUPLE STORYLINE: Micheletto Corella (Sean Harris) Cesare's loyal accomplice, he commits ruthless murders on Cesare's orders to keep the Borgia family in power. He secretly has gay rendezvous with Augustino (Darwin Shaw), a childhood friend of Micheletto. The two have a passionate and intense romance, but Augustino's engagement to a baker's daughter hurts Micheletto deeply. Ultimately in the final season, his downfall is his sweetheart Pascal (Charlie Carrick), who happens to be a spy for the competing Sforza family and, after Cesare has ordered to kill Pascal, a heartbroken Micheletto abandons Cesare.
Micheletto Corella (Sean Harris) & Augustino (Darwin Shaw) & Pascal (Charlie Carrick)
SEAN HARRIS (2011-2013) ?, 1966 Bethnal Green, London, UK
DARWIN SHAW (2012) March 3, 1957 Brampton, UK
CHARLIE CARRICK (2013) June 25, 1986 Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
SPECIAL: The Borgias does not reflect this historical reality. It gives an idea of undifferentiated intolerance of same-sex actions. Micheletto tells his lover Augustino that his impending marriage “will be a lie”. Angelino replies that he must proceed anyway, given the punishment for their relationship would be “disemboweled and burnt.” What shows that this sexual orientation that has no place in Renaissance Italy. In this culture of bachelors, sexual relationships often formed between older and younger men.
AWARDS: ‘THE BORGIAS’ won 3 Primetime Emmys. 16 wins and 55 nominations.
7.9 IMDB