Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty on PBS — Release date news, cast details, streaming details, and more about the latest docuseries

Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty is a historical docuseries airing on PBS in three parts, delving into the overlapping lives of three of the most powerful painters in Western history: Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Raphael.

This six-decade journey through Renaissance Italy, in a historical docuseries, was originally developed by BBC Studios, but now it can be streamed by everyone.

The series will be broadcast in the U.S. on PBS between July 8 and July 22, 2025. Every episode will premiere on consecutive Tuesdays at 9:00 pm ET, with a streaming option available on PBS.org and the PBS app. Narrated by Sophie Okonedo, the series combines dramatizations with documentary storytelling and has performances by Charles Dance, Jonny Glynn, and Joshua Duffy.

With dramatized correspondence based on historical accounts and letters, Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty seeks to offer a factual explanation of how these three artists collaborated—and frequently competed—with one another during a period of war, shifting allegiances, and influential patrons.

Release date and streaming information

Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty will premiere on PBS over three weeks—July 8, July 15, and July 22, 2025—at 9:00 pm ET each Tuesday, WPBS reports. The one-hour programs will be available to viewers who miss the TV broadcast on-demand on PBS.org and through the PBS app.

The PBS app can be accessed on multiple platforms, such as Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Samsung Smart TVs. The show can also be streamed through smartphones and tablets. In some areas, access can be gained with registration or membership with a local PBS station.

First released in the UK by the BBC in December 2024, the U.S. version maintains the same presentation and structure. Each episode emphasizes a different period in the lives of the three artists, against the wider canvas of Renaissance Italy's changing power struggles.

Cast and production overview

The cast of Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty features well-known actors playing both younger and older versions of the main characters.

• Charles Dance as the older Michelangelo Buonarroti
• Eddie Mann as the younger Michelangelo.
• Jonny Glynn as Leonardo da Vinci.
• Joshua Duffy as Raphael Santi.
• Sophie Okonedo as the series narrator.

Supporting cast:

• Laurent Winkler as Pope Julius II
• Barnabás Réti as Ludovico Sforza
• Ferenc Pataki as Lorenzo de' Medici
• Károly Hajduk as Girolamo Savonarola

The filming was done mostly in the UK, using areas like Islington, London. The series uses Michelangelo's letters and other writings from the period to provide historical depth. It also features commentary by contemporary scholars and artists to offer a wider perspective on the cultural influence of the Renaissance.

The plot and historical context of Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty

The narrative of Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty spans over 60 years of Renaissance history, from the Pazzi Conspiracy in 1478 to the revelation of Michelangelo's The Last Judgment in 1541. The series is centered around Michelangelo's introspective viewpoint as an elderly artist reflecting on his life shaped by creativity, competition, and survival.

Episode 1 begins in Florence, where both Michelangelo and Leonardo are stuck because of the struggle for recognition. While Michelangelo receives initial favor from Lorenzo de' Medici, Leonardo takes the side of the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza. Both artists undergo varied degrees of pressure from their influential patrons.

In the first half of the 1500s, both artists returned to Florence, a republic just freed from the domination of the radical preacher Savonarola. Leonardo's established position made him a direct rival to Michelangelo for public commissions. Raphael emerges as a young artist at this point, to some degree, as seen by both Leonardo and Michelangelo.

Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty chronicles the increasing rivalry among the three artists, who contend for sponsorship from strong patrons, including Pope Julius II. The show also incorporates the political manipulation of individuals like Cesare Borgia and Niccolò Machiavelli, showing how frequently the artists were embroiled in political games.

One gets to see throughout the show how the famous paintings like the Mona Lisa, David, and The School of Athens were created under political pressure, war, and shifting allegiances rather than in peaceful surroundings.

Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty examines the height of each artist's life by episode 3. As Michelangelo wrestles with loss and aging, he produces The Last Judgment. The dynamics are once again altered by Raphael's meteoric ascent and sudden death, as Leonardo's final years in France under King Francis I bring an end to the era.

Trending

Stay tuned for more updates!

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback