For fans of period pieces, this week is also your last chance to easily watch “The Borgias.” It stars Jeremy Irons as Rodrigo Borgia, the patriarch of a powerful family in Renaissance Italy. Through lots of corruption and ruthless scheming, he gradually climbs his way up to the head of the Catholic Church. If you’re a fan of period dramas like “Rome” or “The Crown,” or you enjoy all the complicated family dynamics of “Game of Thrones” or “Succession,” this is definitely worth a try. By most accounts, the show isn’t great with its historical accuracy, but that’s part of what makes the drama as juicy as it is.
With 29 episodes in total throughout its three seasons, it’s probably too late to watch the whole thing now. But, if you’ve been meandering through the series with the assumption that it’d be on Netflix forever, now may be the time to start binging.
For newcomers, there’s also the unfortunate fact that the show was canceled after its third season. The finale is still fairly satisfying, and Jeremy Irons said that it felt like an ending, but it’s technically not the final note the show intended. “The Borgias” is more about the journey, not the destination, and the journey’s fun the whole way through.