Borgia: The Complete First Season DVD – Historical Drama Series for Home Entertainment & TV Show Collectors

I've watched this series start to finish and Showtime's "The Borgias" with Jeremy Irons. I've even watched "The Conclave" available on Prime Video. I think this series is the best regarding the Borgia family, and is up there with illustrating Renaissance Italy with Netflix's "Medici: The Magnificent". Unfortunately, this series has been taken off Netflix, and the third season is not available for purchase here. Differences, pros, and cons to follow:The major differences between this version and Showtime's is in terms of character development, the relationships between characters, historical accuracy and breadth, and the use of sex/action scenes for actual purposes rather than an excuse to just have those scenes.Pros:Characters in this series are fully fleshed out- the one's in Showtime's are also pretty well thought out but only in this series do you truly understand the character's true underlying motivations, their thoughts, and feelings. Together, you understand the relationship between all the characters better. This is complemented by the underlying historical expositions. The writing is also amazing at both conveying evolving political events and their familial repercussions.While both series take some historical liberties (don't all of these types of shows) this one shines in the fact that you truly understand the dynamics between the noble families, the Italian city-states, the larger European political system, the beginning of the so-called "Italian Wars" which ravaged Italy and were the center of European conflict for a while, and the threat posed by the Ottoman Turks. I also think that this series is much truer to the actual events or rumors surrounding the Borgias. Somewhat unfortunately, the Banquet of Chestnuts is not featured. But I do like how the conclave of papal succession is fully fleshed out.Lastly, I feel as though the action and sex sequences in Showtime's "The Borgias" were simply put there for pure entertainment purposes. Perhaps it is the difference between the American audience and the European-centric audience of this Canal+ collaboration. The action and sex scenes in this series are used somewhat in a manner close to Game of Thrones- not only for exposition and revealing character depth, but also moving the plot forward. For example, there is a scene where the consummation of a marriage must be witnessed by external parties, which tells you a lot about how political marriages were seen and used during these times. The action sequences are somewhat more rare, and there are few battle scenes, but this is what I believe makes this series superior. If you want flashy cannon fire over witty political intrigue than this might not be the series for you. However, there are more battle scenes in season 3, which as I mentioned, is sadly not available for purchase here.Cons:The first half of season one can definitely be said to be somewhat cheesy. I think this is due in part regarding issues of plot and historical exposition. Continuously, some might find certain plot lines somewhat camp-like. Personally I actually like how the series explores certain things, like how herbal remedies are seen to be witchcraft, the torture/execution of prisoners, the dynamic relationship between Cesare and his brother, etc. But some might find these to be tiring, or allude to bad acting, however I think this is a difference in style between American and European television. To put simply, this is somewhat more like a grand soap opera, but it definitely delivers on the grandiose.