The Borgias

Thursday May 17 at 7.30pm on W

THE BORGIAS is the sordid saga of one of the most remarkable and legendary families in history. Set in 15th Century Italy at the height of the Renaissance, the first season chronicled the corrupt rise of patriarch Rodrigo Borgia to the papacy, where he proceeded to commit every sin in the book to amass and retain power, influence and enormous wealth for himself and his family.

In the second season, Rodrigo will demand his children join him in getting revenge against those that opposed his climb to the papacy. But his own family may become his biggest threat, as Cesare’s sibling rivalry with Juan grows and Lucrezia starts finding her independence. All the while, Rodrigo’s very persistent nemesis Della Rovere hasn’t given given up and he up and he s’s closing in on the Vatican closing in on the Vatican s’s new residents new residents. Cast: Jeremy Irons, Francois Arnaud, Holliday Grainger, David Oakes.

Monday August 29 at 8.30pm on W

Simulcast on W HD

THE BORGIAS stars Oscar-winning actor Jeremy Irons as Rodrigo Borgia, the cunning, manipulative patriarch of The Borgia family who builds an empire through the corruption of the holy Catholic Church and orchestrates a relentless reign of power and flamboyant cruelty. The series begins as Rodrigo (Irons), bribes, buys and muscles his way into the papacy becoming Pope Alexander VI. The series is set in one of the most significant periods in history: the Western Renaissance and the discovery of the New World. Contemporaries of Da Vinci, Michelangelo and the Medici’s, the Borgias were controversial and heretical, not so much for performing acts unheard of in their time, but for being better at it than their enemies. Along the way, the family commits virtually every sin in the book and invents more than a few of their own.

Cast: Jeremy Irons, Francois Arnaud, Holliday Grainger, Joanne Whalley, Lotte Verbeek, David Oakes, Sean Harris, Colm Feore. *From September 7, W will replay THE BORGIAS in weekly installments on Wednesdays at 8.30pm

The X Factor, Seven, 7.30pm
In the series return for 2011, Ronan Keating and Guy Sebastian are joined on the judging panel by Mel B and Natalie Bassingthwaighte for the dirst round of auditions.

The Borgias, W, 8.30pm
The Borgias is a complex, unvarnished portrait of one of history’s most intriguing and infamous dynastic families. The series begins as Rodrigo schemes his way into the position of Pope, causing him, his two Machiavellian sons Cesare and Juan, and his scandalously beautiful daughter Lucrezia, to become the most powerful and influential family in Italy in 1492.

Burn Notice, ONE, 8.30pm
Series Four returns from the beginning! While Michael contemplates working with a man who is trying to uncover the identity of the arms dealers who were responsible for Simon’s escape, the old gang helps a lawyer who has been green-lighted for death by a biker gang.

The 7pm Project, Ten, 7pm
Tonight, controversial ex-Guantanamo inmate, David Hicks joins Charlie Pickering for an apparent detailed and honest interview – hope it’s better than the 2 lines he said on Negus!

The 63^rd Prime Time Emmy Awards will be screened live in Australia on FOX8 from 10am eastern, on Monday September 19, 2011. Correction: There is no prime time replay. Glee’s Jane Lynch will host the awards for the first time.

E! will have live coverage of the 2011 Emmy’s red carpet arrivals from 8am eastern that day, with replays continuing throughout the day.

Shows featuring nominations include Mad Men, The Borgias, Dexter, Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, Mildred Pearce and The Good Wife.

Throng will again provide detailed coverage of the event on the day.

There is no free to air coverage of the Emmys.

True Blood Season 4, showcase, 8.30pm, August 18th
If you have not already seen this cult called True Blood, this show is not a Vampire Diaries or Teen Wolf like show. True Blood is a lustful look at the supernatural that features gore, nudity and sexy love triangles. In Season four we pick up from Sookie vanishing into the distance. Witches, according to creator Alan Ball, will feature in this season – already we have werewolves, vampires, fairies and shape shifters – obviously witches was the next step! This season promises “more blood and more sex” says Aussie star Ryan Kawnten.
 
Australia’s Next Top Model Season 7, Fox 8, 7.30pm, August 8th.
Season 7 is about to start with Sarah Murdoch back for the third time as host and mentor with Alex Perry and Charlotte Dawson returning as judges. Starting with 100 models (down to 99 after the first day as a girl “lost it” to quote Murdoch) the top girls will strut it out for the chance  to win a car, modelling contract and a cover shoot and spread in Harpers Bazaar magazine plus $20,000.

SLiDE, Fox 8, 7.30pm, August 16th.
This Aussie drama follows the lives of five 17 yr olds in Brisbane, and tracks the highs, lows and dilemmas they face. Starting on August 9, 7.30pm with a behind the scenes look, the show actually starts the week after on the 16th at 7.30pm on Fox 8. Filled with witty one liners and a fast paced plot, it shows/reminds us of the angst of being a teenager, set to a great Aussie soundtrack.

The Borgias, W, weeknights 8.30pm, August 29th.
The Borgias is an extravagent look at the 15th century Iatlian Rennaisance. Airing on W, commercial-free, the story will follow the Spanish Borgia family at a time when the head of the Catholic Church was the leader of the Western World. The ruhtless patriac, Rodrigo, and hos equally corrput children, bribed, bullied and murderd their way to become one of the most infamous dynasties in western history. Apparently, the inspriation for the movie the Godfather, the show features Acedemy Award winner Jeremy Irons and is a fascinating series about power, religion and influence.

Also this month:

Hawke, History, 7.30pm, August 7th.
Starring Richard Roxburgh as 1980′s Prime Minister Bob Hawke, the show delves into Hawke’s relations with extra marrital affairs, unions, and struggle and turmoil with his wife and children. A ratings hit on Ten last year, we now have the opportunity to see it again, especially after the recent comflict between Hawke’s now wife Blanche and his daughter, that apperently rose from the creation of this telemovie. Roxburgh gives, as usual, as brilliant performance.

Hawthorne – Season 3, Universal, 7.30pm, August 9th.
This medical drama featuring Jada Pinkett Smith is back – Smith plays Christine Hawthorne, trying to get her hospital up to scratch, control her daughter and find love.

Food:
Eat Yourself Sexy – Premiere, Lifestyle You, 8.30pm, August 25th
Sarah Wilson, who came to fame on the first season of Masterchef Australia is here to prove that what is on the inside is just as important as what is on the outside. Eaight Aussie ladies will go on a journey of self love over eight weeks, tranforming their figures and habits along the way.

Masterchef 2011 – UK, Lifestyle Food, weeknights 7.30pm, August 29th.
Judges Gregg Wallace and Australian born chef John Torode chose who will stay and who will go in the original version of our hit show. Even though not as spectacular as ours, and without the flare, it is still entertaining viewing.

Awards:
Helpmann Awards, August 1, STVDIO,  7.30pm, August 1st
On STVDIO are the Helpmann awards that honour the Australian performing arts. Our version of the Tony Awards will feature the likes of Cate Blanchett, Jacki Weaver and the elite of the theatre industry. Nominees include Mary Poppins and Hairspray.

The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, LIVE Monday August 29th 11am, on MTV
With the 2011 Billboard Music Awards being shown on FOX8 at 7.30pm Monday August 1st, we then follow it up with this more decandent ceremony. With Gaga winning eight awards last year, expect her to sweep up again. A must watch for all who are fans of the latest music.

Reality:
Real Housewives of New York City season 4, Arena, 9.30pm, August 9th.
The ladies are back to bitch, claw and fight their way for supremacy as top dog in this addictive reality franchise that has captivated millions world wide.

Mob Wives, Lifestyle You, 8.30pm, August 31st
If you love the dysfunctionality of Jersey Shore and drama of the Real Hosewives franchise, mixed with Growing Up Grotti and the movie Goodfellas, this is the show for you. Four women, proud of their mobster connections, bond with their fate, and show us compelling viewing in this ten part series that shows how the women left behind do as much hard time as those who are behind bars. It is a rare insight into Mafia life as fascinating as is surprising.

Cable TV in the USA has become more innovative, and top moviemakers such as Martin Scorsese, Michael Mann and Gus Van Sant are taking advantage.

Michael Mann, director of movies such as “The Insider” and “The Last Of The Mohicans” said he would never go back to TV, after writing Starsky and Hutch and producing Miami Vice. Then a new HBO script, set in the world of horse racing and penned by David Milch (“Deadwood,” “NYPD Blue”), landed on Mann’s desk. “I really didn’t want to get back into television, but the script was just so damn good,” Mann said of the series “Luck,” which stars Dustin Hoffman and will air on HBO in the USA next year. “It was one of the best things anyone has ever given me to direct.”

Irish writer-director Neil Jordan had a similar experience.  After spending the majority of his career in film (“Interview With a Vampire”), DreamWorks convinced him that his concept for a movie based on the 15th century papacy would be better suited for television, with its older, more sophisticated audience. The Showtime series “The Borgias” was born, which is set to air on W on Foxtel, August 29, 2011.
“Hollywood isn’t doing anything like this material anymore,” Jordan said. “With cable, there’s this wonderful domain that’s emerged for film directors like me who enjoy the kind of material that Hollywood finds too boring for words.”

A-list directors including Martin Scorsese, Mann and Gus Van Sant are jumping into TV, not solely for financial gain but as a way to explore a more expansive narrative than film allows. It helps that television — specifically cable — has become more innovative in recent years, with deeper character development and edgier story lines, while the major movie studios largely have abandoned intricate, character-driven stories for superheroes,vampires and pirates.

HBO has become such a draw recently that the cable programmer has even said no to acclaimed directors. Kathryn Bigelow won an Oscar for “The Hurt Locker,” but her pilot about a Broadway producer, “The Miraculous Year,” was turned down by the network for a series. Bill Condon experienced a similar fate — despite landing the job directing the two-part film adaptation of the final “Twilight” book, “Breaking Dawn,” his buzzed-about pilot “Tilda,” centered on a snarky Hollywood blogger, was not picked up.

A few directors are creating entire television projects themselves, such as Lisa Cholodenko (“The Kids Are All Right”), who has spent years directing various TV episodes in addition to her film work and is developing an unnamed series with HBO.

Gus Van Sant (My Own Private Idaho) finished his television directorial debut on the Starz original series “Boss,” starring Kelsey Grammer, just weeks before flying to Cannes to unveil his most recent theatrical endeavor, “Restless.” “Salt” director and Aussie, Phillip Noyce helmed an episode of “Luck” along with “Brotherhood” for Showtime and the ABC pilot “Revenge,” which just got picked up for a series. “Superbad” director Greg Mottola’s most recent movie “Paul” opened in March, and he will next helm the pilot for Aaron Sorkin’s cable newsroom series “More as the Story Develops” for HBO.

“It used to be that you only did television if you couldn’t get a movie going…. And then you’d get stuck,” said Curtis Hanson, director of “L.A. Confidential” and “8 Mile,” who directed the recent HBO movie “Too Big to Fail,” starring William Hurt. “Now excellent directors are choosing to do certain things in television.”

Director Oliver Stone is back to dabbling in the medium, prepping a 10-hour documentary called “The Untold History of the United States” for Showtime. He’s also working with FX and Virgin on a series called “The Dark Side.” “Television would not be my first place to go. Absolutely not,” said the Oscar-winning director, who has been working for the last three years on “Untold History,” a project he calls the most ambitious of his career. “You go to television when you need the long form or when you can’t get the subject done in a theatrical manner.”

Thankfully with this callibre of talent, our small screen content will only be enriched and our quality improve.

This August, FOXTEL’s W channel will present the Australian television premiere of The Borgias,  a sumptuous and sinful drama series based on the infamous Renaissance family which became the world’s most notorious dynasty.

Starring Academy Award winner Jeremy Irons as Rodrigo Borgia/ Pope Alexander VI, The Borgias series was created, executive produced and written by Oscar winning director Neil Jordan (The Crying Game, Interview With The Vampire), who also directed the first two episodes.

Starting Monday, August 29, at 8.30pm AEST, W will premiere The Borgias over five consecutive nights and commercial free.

“W is launching The Borgias as a week-long television event to provide viewers with an excellent opportunity to immerse themselves in the splendour of this nine hour series,” said channel manager Penny Win.

Then from the following Wednesday (September 7) at 8.30pm, W will play out the series in weekly installments providing another viewing choice for subscribers. The acquisition of The Borgias further cements the W channel’s reputation as a home for quality Australian and international dramas.

“W has some outstanding contemporary drama exclusives launching in July with the second season of our local production Spirited,  the sixth season of Denis Leary’s Rescue Me and Raw, an Irish series, starring Australian actor Damon Gameau,” said Ms Win.

“There’s also a definite audience appetite for fabulous historical dramas, as we saw firsthand with the viewer response to The Pillars of the Earth mini-series on W, and The Borgias is drama on a grand scale.”

When The Borgias launched in the US in April it was their SHOWTIME network’s highest rating drama premiere in seven years. The series also out-performed the highest rating (fourth) season of The Tudors. And, a second  season, of 10 episodes, of The Borgias has been commisioned for next year. 

This first season of The Borgias tells the story of Rodrigo (Irons), the cunning, manipulative Spanish patriarch who builds an empire through the corruption of the holy Catholic Church and orchestrates a relentless reign of power and flamboyant cruelty. The series begins in 1492, as Rodrigo bribes, buys and muscles his way into the papacy becoming Pope Alexander VI,  propelling him, his two ambitious sons Cesare and Juan, and his scandalously beautiful daughter, Lucrezia, to become the most powerful and influential family of the Italian Renaissance.

Starring alongside Irons as the Borgia offspring are François Arnaud (I Killed My Mother) as Cesare Borgia, David Oakes (The Pillars Of The Earth) as Juan Borgia, and Holliday Grainger (Above Suspicion and Robin Hood) as Lucrezia Borgia.

Also starring are Joanne Whalley as Vanozza, the Pope’s longtime mistress and mother of his children; Colm Feore as Alexander’s nemesis Cardinal Della Rovere; Sean Harris as Micheletto, the family’s murderous henchman; Lotte Verbeek as the Pope’s new lover Giulia; and Entourage’s Emmanuelle Chriqui as the seductive Duchess Sancia, who weds one Borgia and beds another.

The show’s stellar supporting cast includes two of England’s most heralded stage and screen actors, Sir Derek Jacobi and Steven Berkoff, playing the roles of Cardinal Orsini and firebrand preacher Savonarola, respectively.

The Borgias is set in one of the most significant periods in history: the Western Renaissance and the discovery of the New World. Contemporaries of Da Vinci, Michelangelo and the Medici’s, the Borgias were controversial and heretical, not so much for performing acts unheard of in their time, but for being better at it than their enemies. Along the way, the family committed virtually every sin in the book and invented more than a few of their own.

The Borgias is produced as a Canadian-Irish-Hungarian Treaty co-production and distributed by CBS Studios International.