High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Borgias is a historical drama created by Neil Jordan based upon the life of Rodrigo Borgia, later Pope Alexander VI, and his family. The series takes place in Rome at the end of the 15th century and depicts Borgia`s ruthless efforts to win the papal election, his eventual rise to the position of Pope and his family`s struggle to maintain and increase their political power. The series premiered on Showtime on April 3, 2011, with the Canadian premiere happening one hour later on Bravo!. The two-hour premiere was the most-watched original Canadian series premiere on Bravo! and the fourth-most-watched-overall program in the channel`s history with 575,000 viewers.