It is now 100% official, season 3 of Canal+'s original series Borgia is its final season, per Tom Fontana's request.
Filming of these last 12 episodes will last 8 months (that's more time than American production standards of 2 episodes/month), from May 27, 2013 to January 27, 2014, mostly in Czech Republic with a few weeks in Rome.
Season 3 will depict the fall of the weakened Rodrigo and the rise of Cesare as he tries to fulfill the dream of the Borgia family, unifying the Papal States.
All 12 episodes might air on Canal+ in late Spring 2014. Season 2 received much praise when it aired in March/April — DVD/Blu-ray sets have been released shortly after.
Showtime's version doesn't have such a clear future ahead : the third season of The Borgias, ending its run on June 16, may or may not be the last one with a two-hour TV movie to wrap it up instead of a full-fledged fourth season. Nothing is official so far.
And no one here cares but WorkinGirls, a short comedy from Canal+ (each episode is 11-12 minutes long) has been renewed for a 12-episode third season, filming in and around Paris between 1st July and 6th August. Season 2 will start airing 13th June, and both seasons 1 & 2 will be released on DVD on 9th July.
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I love Fontana s Borgias. I hate to see it go its amazing.
ReplyDeleteIt's ok, no The Borgias though. Fontana just doesnt have the actors or the budget. And his Cesare is not MY Cesare :)
ReplyDeleteBorgia is thr greatest ever. Havent watchef the american version
ReplyDeleteThe actors are great in Borgia. Even the most minor role is believable. o; And, I really like the various accents.
ReplyDeleteI hate to see it go, too. I cannot express how much I enjoy it.
that´s why you say that. The Borgias (showtime vertion) is greater than this one... but this one is not bad et all.
ReplyDeleteBorgia is wonderful and captivating. With a much smaller budget and lesser known actors, it is much more historically factual than the big name "The Borgias" which is on Showtime. There is only one thing that I can find fault with and it is the casting of Rodrigo Borgia. The part is played by an actor named John Doman and is horribly miscast. He should be playing a New York Cop in something, not Rodrigo Borgia. However, I do love Mark Ryder who plays Cesare Borgia.
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame such a fantastic show and all the actors, especially Mark Ryder as Cesare is being cancelled after only 3 seasons but I do understand the *cost* of it all! Hopefully someone will scoop up this show and take it to the end!
ReplyDeleteI love The Borgias , too! Ild pay 10$ a episode to see it! It seems all my favorite new series get cancelled a few seasons after the first ? I am a retired MD, a pathologist. Maybe an enterprising channel and studio would cater to those with IQs over 110? Dr Kirk vestal Marquette, mi
ReplyDeleteYou're right, I didn't find myself falling asleep or bored out of my skull. I noticed the few liberties taken, that are always taken, but didn't sit there as I did with The Borgia's and Showtime's fiasco wondering if they ever picked up a book about the subject or world in the late 1400s.
ReplyDeleteIt didn't look like the costumes had been recycled and lifted from the Tudors set or other historical dramas Showtime has done. Fontana also had someone study Byzantine, early Christian, and cannon artwork whereas Showtime looks like it slapped together a ton of brocade and anything that looked old, whereas Borgia even used real locations for olde world authenticity.
Rome itself was a huge metropolitan area for centuries (like Alexandria or Cairo) and would have seen the diverse dialects and inflections--even among 'native' Italians because Italy, much like everywhere else has regionally based dialects, and he captured the true spirit of those in power--the 'do as I say, not as I do' but also childish mentality they had. (What do you expect from children with almost no chance to grow up and being married off -in action- by the time they're 13 or 14.) Being a whore or courtesan had that very juxtaposition Fontana displays, and it was believed Adriana de Mila may have even encouraged Gulia to stay in Rome in order to gain greater power for Adriana. (This comes based on historical writings.)
Perhaps Showtime, like you, should stop trying to make what you want and start going according to what was before you make something or offer your highly uninformed opinion.
Can you even name two of Dante's books without Googling them? Can you tell me which Da Vinci's works is your favorite? Can you name one contemporary poet or author who would have lived in this time frame? What of someone who was definitely influenced by the authors of this period? How about I give you a hint; one of the greatest authors known to humanity called 'the Bard' (Shakespeare), and his contemporary Marlowe. Or can you just talk about how a show which clearly had a much smaller budget didn't meet your fangirl standards?
Just an FYI, it's not "chez-er-a", it's "cea-sar-Eh" after Julius Caesar.
You're right, I didn't find myself falling asleep or bored out of my skull. I noticed the few liberties taken, that are always taken, but didn't sit there as I did with The Borgia's and Showtime's fiasco wondering if they ever picked up a book about the subject or world in the late 1400s.
ReplyDeleteIt didn't look like the costumes had been recycled and lifted from the Tudors set or other historical dramas Showtime has done. Fontana also had someone study Byzantine, early Christian, and cannon artwork whereas Showtime looks like it slapped together a ton of brocade and anything that looked old, whereas Borgia even used real locations for olde world authenticity.
Rome itself was a huge metropolitan area for centuries (like Alexandria or Cairo) and would have seen the diverse dialects and inflections--even among 'native' Italians because Italy, much like everywhere else has regionally based dialects, and he captured the true spirit of those in power--the 'do as I say, not as I do' but also childish mentality they had. (What do you expect from children with almost no chance to grow up and being married off -in action- by the time they're 13 or 14?) Being a whore or courtesan had that very juxtaposition Fontana displays, and it was believed Adriana de Mila may have even encouraged Gulia to stay in Rome in order to gain greater power for Adriana. (This comes based on historical writings.)
Showtime, should stop trying to make what they want--stupid Mickey Moused plot lines based on no factual information but glitzed up beyond belief and recognition and actually start studying the shows they push. But it doesn't help that within months of Borgia being released by Canal+ (three actually), Showtime pimps ...erm pumps out The Borgias without it even being announced....
Can you even name two of Dante's books without Googling them? Can you tell me which Da Vinci's works is your favorite? (My friends and I are historical reenactors, Rennies, SCAdians, and are planning to besiege a huge black glass castle in Pittsburgh PA with Da Vinci's ballista.) Can you name one contemporary poet or author who would have lived in this time frame? What of someone who was definitely influenced by the authors of this period? How about I give you a hint; one of the greatest authors known to humanity called 'the Bard' (Shakespeare), and his contemporary, the extremely eloquent Marlowe. Or is it too much to ask you to see beyond the glitz and glam Showtime produces so you can look at quality in historical dramas?
Sorry, a post edit (and yes I'm wearing a corset with the periodic table if you were wondering--most people do): Showtime slapped The Borgias together within 3 months of Borgia being announced by Canal+, not filmed.
ReplyDeleteYa know, I thought that same thing too until I watched seasons 1 & 2 a second time. I thought Dorman was horribly dry and emotionless, but looking into Rodrigo Borgia's personality a bit more Thanks to Buchard's writings about Alexander's life and death we have a personality to type, and I think his writings were more accurate than anti or pro-Vatican literature of the day because Buchard simply wrote what he wrote and had no motivation other than archival.
ReplyDeleteIt is also important to note that much like Queen Anne and Duchess Joan, the clergy and papal authorities representing the holy see were expected to hold themselves in with dignity. If you like 'net reading, this is a good book: I read enough and liked it, so I ordered it from eBay. It was written in 1895, so the shows were not an influence.
"The life and times of Rodrigo Borgia, Pope Alexander VI"
https://archive.org/details/lifetimesofrodri00mathiala
Fontana's version is far superior. In fact, he has set the bar very high for any series that follows. You don't need a big budget to create fantastic work, in this instance less is so much more.
ReplyDeleteI love love love Fontana's version of Borgia! And mark Ryder playing Cesare is awesome!!! I wish they'd make many more seasons!
ReplyDeleteI love this show. I really don't want to see it end. Every time I find a show I really like, it dies at a young age. Like Merlin. It had 5 seasons, I think, and I would have been content to see it last to 10 seasons. It's true, this Borgia doesn't have the budget of the other series, The Borgias, bet I believe it's better and more believeable. If they had the budget of the Shotime series it would really accell. I find it odd that a show that is filmed for an Italian audience is recorded with English speaking actors. I mean, maybe it would do better on an American network or BBC possibly. Oh well, there really is only so much story to tell about this family at that point in history. I've done some research, so unfortunately I already know what's going to happen. But again, I would be happy to see then continue the series as a fiction.
ReplyDeleteCesare! My balls smell Borgia! BORGIA!!!
ReplyDeletelol, from season one when pope Alexander VI is elected in conclave and Cesares friend rides up on the horse and yells, Cesare! The bells ring Borgia. And Cesare is all like, Borgia! I like my version more.
The Borgias is nowhere near as good as Borgia. I saw both and my opinion is while they were both fun to watch i just couldn't get into Showtimes version. Tom Fontana has done a great job, i hope maybe a spinoff for Cesare Borgia maybe thru the eyes of Niccolo Machiavelli as in "The Prince". Who knows, either way i can't wait for season 3.
ReplyDeleteAmen!
ReplyDeleteI am going to miss Borgia. As far as historical dramas go, it did take some liberties, they were few and far between. (Mostly how Lucrezia dealt with her mother's illness. Queen Anne of Brittany herself lost seven children to miscarriage or early death, and while it was a way of life, it was also heart breaking according to writings of the day. Rodrigo Borgia is credited with having between seven and a full dozen bastard children, so that is subject to interpretation. And Adriana de Mila's role though the connection between her place of power and her son's being a cuckold is clear if you know the history, but the biggest downplay is that Rodrigo Borgia was well known for preferring young girls, as historical writer and famous Borgia biographer Maria Bellonci points out in her books.) The writers did their homework in splendid style. They did wonderful homework on styles and attitudes of the age, capturing both the innocence of early Renaissance and the profound cruelty, along with the unabashed love of sex, money, and power.
ReplyDeleteThe art itself perfectly reflects early Renaissance, rather than being recycled from other shows as Showtime's The Borgias did. This is particularly evident in the clothing. Even in Italy, sumptuary laws existed both to provide an income through taxation, but also to denote station and caste. While both shows put the neckline way too low to be acceptable in early Renaissance days, Borgia at least keeps hold of the rule of thumb that a bodice covers the nipples, unless it's an underbust. The art on the walls is exquisite--both in style and in age. (St. Peter's Basilica would not be rebuilt until Pope Julius II, aka Giuliano Della Rovere.) The dances and songs are completely in period. Alessandro Farnese's song (called Lust Like To Poetry) is a beautiful song and I would love to hear him finish it. (If anyone finds an mp3 of it, let me know please.)
Where Showtime relied on flash, Borgia relied on quality and did some fantastic casting. I am glad to see something done that is unique and faithful to the people, life, and times they portray. I will be sad to see it go.
Actually i just saw the first episode of the borgias and i can't even imagine trying to get through it, borgia is amazing though
ReplyDeleteI agree I tried to watch The Borgia and I couldn't take it I found myself comparing everything about it to Borgia
ReplyDeleteI have watched both and Borgia was a whole lot better on every level! I hope they change their mind and keep it and all the actors where wonderful!
ReplyDelete"Borgia" is MUCH-MUCH better than "The Borgias"
ReplyDeleteYay! I thought it was cancelled for good. While it is not the greatest show ever, it was pretty interesting most of the times. And things are about to get a lot more interesting, if you know what I mean :D... At least this way they know it ends at some point, and hopefully they'll plan accordingly/
ReplyDeleteHalf way through the 3rd season of Netflix version of Borgia. Love the strange guy with the weird hat that announces everyone as they enter. I want the hat.Season 3 is a bit more brutal than 1 or 2.
ReplyDeleteThis show was the best historical drama i've ever seen!!!!!! I still hope there will be a season 4!!!!
ReplyDeleteUr absolutely right but I like both my self even though the Borgia's is not historicaly correct the writing in my opinion is good so I still watched it. Borgia is spot on as fare as the history books go and that's why I injoy it as well. Its kind of like the movie Donnie brasco, its not historicaly correct as fare as what happened back in the 70s but its good writing. To each his own I guess.
ReplyDelete