# The Young Pope (2016)

> A young American pope tries to impose his will on the secretive Vatican while its cardinals scheme against him.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/55720

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 10
- Episode runtime: 55 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama
- Created by: Paolo Sorrentino
- Network: Sky Atlantic 
- Cast: Jude Law, Diane Keaton, Silvio Orlando, Javier Cámara, Scott Shepherd, Cécile de France, Ludivine Sagnier, Toni Bertorelli
- TMDB rating: 8.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3655448/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: mild
- Tone: irreverent, sardonic, contemplative, languid, melancholic

## What critics say

Acclaimed for its striking visuals, Jude Law's performance and its audacious take on the papacy, though viewers found its pacing and sprawling tone divisive.

## Synopsis

The Young Pope (2016) is an Italian prestige drama miniseries created by Paolo Sorrentino for Sky Atlantic. Jude Law plays Lenny Belardo, the youngest and first American pope in the history of the Church, who takes the name Pius XIII and tries to establish a new papacy inside the closed, secretive Vatican. Diane Keaton appears as Sister Mary, a figure from his past and a rare confidante, while Silvio Orlando plays Cardinal Voiello, a seasoned power broker whose ambitions collide with the pontiff's. Javier Cámara and Scott Shepherd round out a crowd of cardinals who scheme, bargain and watch one another closely. The engine of the ten-episode story is the new pope's willful refusal to behave as anyone expects: he rejects the warmth and accessibility the public wants, and each episode turns on his provocations and the factions that react to them. Shaped as a single continuous arc, the series moves through gilded corridors, candlelit chapels and private apartments with a languid, theatrical rhythm. Its tone is irreverent, sardonic and contemplative, mixing sacred ritual with sly satire and a lingering sense of melancholy. Themes of faith, image-making and the uses of power run through every scene. Fans of The Borgias, Angels in America and The Leftovers will find resonance in its stylized, morally knotty portrait of religious authority.

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