The Young Pope Season 1, created and directed by Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino, stands as one of the most visually stunning, narratively audacious, and intellectually stimulating television debuts of the 21st century. Premiering in late 2016 on Sky Atlantic, Canal+, and HBO, the ten-episode limited series subverted expectations at every turn. What initially looked like a provocative satire about Vatican politics quickly revealed itself to be a deeply moving, surreal, and profoundly theological exploration of faith, isolation, and power.
, it was met with equal parts confusion and awe. A series about a young, American Pope played by Jude Law who drinks Cherry Coke Zero and smokes in the Vatican sounded like it might be a "trashy" soap opera. Instead, it turned out to be a hypnotic, cinematic meditation on faith, power, and the "secret of loneliness". The Plot: A Machiavellian Mystery The series follows Lenny Belardo , a 47-year-old cardinal from New York who becomes Pope Pius XIII
Reviewers frequently compare the show’s aesthetics to the work of popcult.blog TV Review – The Young Pope (Season 1) The Young Pope Season 1
The hidden in specific scenes (like the kangaroo) A complete episode-by-episode plot breakdown
Lenny Belardo is a walking contradiction, masterfully portrayed by Jude Law. He is simultaneously arrogant and insecure, cruel and deeply compassionate. The Orphan’s Trauma The Young Pope Season 1, created and directed
While Law anchors the show, the ensemble cast provides incredible depth:
The season ends on a poignant, ambiguous cliffhanger in Venice, where Lenny—having finally delivered a sermon of love rather than fear—suffers a sudden cardiac event after catching a glimpse of two people who resemble his long-lost parents. , it was met with equal parts confusion and awe
Paolo Sorrentino’s The Young Pope (Season 1) is not a conventional religious drama — it’s a stylized, often surreal study of authority, loneliness, and theatrical piety wrapped in sumptuous cinematography and darkly comedic beats. The show thrusts viewers into a Vatican that’s part stage set, part political arena, and entirely dominated by one enigmatic figure: Lenny Belardo, elected as Pope Pius XIII and played with electric restraint by Jude Law.
Portrayed by veteran actress Diane Keaton, Sister Mary is the nun who raised Lenny in an orphanage. Brought to the Vatican to serve as the Pope’s chief advisor, she is one of the few people who can challenge Lenny. Her maternal bond with the Pope creates a compelling tension as she navigates his radical shift toward absolute authority. Cardinal Angelo Voiello
Sorrentino’s direction elevates beyond television into high art. Every frame is a painting. The Vatican corridors are shot with claustrophobic symmetry. The outdoor shots—particularly the piazzas and gardens—are bathed in a golden, ethereal light that feels both real and dreamlike.