The Young Pope

Make no mistake: the young Pope Pius XIII is religious and follows the word of the Holy Bible. But the youngest-ever and first US-born pope is also willing to turn a blind eye to the odd bit of sinning – and that includes being led into temptation himself.

As the Pope, Jude Law is devilishly perfect. He’s got these brooding good looks, but when he puts his hands together in prayer, you believe that he is a man of the cloth. Except he’s not – Pope Pius had a past, as Lenny Belardo in New York. And that past included more than just sex, drugs and rock ’n roll…

The Young Pope is a legit hip-and-happening drama series because it’s contemporary, irreverent and tackles subject matter considered taboo – like affairs, dealing drugs, corruption within the clergy and more.

But what sets The Young Pope apart from so many other “religious” shows is that this religion is real. It’s not like The Handmaid’s Tale, which revolves some pretty extreme, and luckily made-up, ideas.

“It gets off to a somewhat shaky start, but the hilariously non-angelic series becomes something remarkable,” says Laura Hurley from cinemablend.com. “There is a blending of tradition and modernity, and viewers who never expected to see a man discussing the different varieties of Coke while dressed in the garb of a pope are in for a surprise.”

If you enjoy this series, you’ll be thrilled to know that The New Pope, the sequel to The Young Pope, will be streaming on Showmax from February 2020.