{alltv} Anything goes on 'Borgias' & 'Wipeout'

It might not seem as if The Borgias and Wipeout Canada have anything in common. But deep down, they absolutely do.

The Borgias is a lush, scripted TV drama about one of the most ruthless families in the history of the Roman Catholic church, and that is a deep pool indeed. It stars Jeremy Irons and Colm Feore, and debuts Sunday, April 3 on Bravo!

Meanwhile, Wipeout Canada is a Canadian version of the well-known obstacle-course game show that turns people getting smacked and whacked into a comedic art form. It also debuts Sunday, April 3, on TVtropolis.

It's one of those nights where the wide range of what's available on television comes into sharp focus. But thematically speaking, are The Borgias and Wipeout Canada really so different?

Both programs shine a spotlight on men and women who are willing to do anything -- absolutely anything -- to get what they want.

The Borgias, coincidentally, begins precisely with what every Canadian desires: Another election! Only this one is for pope, not prime minister.

Anyway, because The Borgias kicks off with the election of Rodrigo Borgia (Irons) as Pope Alexander VI in 1492 -- much to the chagrin of his main rival Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere (Feore) -- it takes a little while for the plot to catch fire. But certainly by the end of the two-hour premiere, things have heated up.

The Borgias shares a pedigree with The Tudors, the historical drama about Henry VIII of England which ran in Canada on CBC for four seasons. But while the first season of The Tudors verged on softcore porn (the series became less overtly sexual as the seasons progressed), the sexual content in The Borgias is relatively tame by comparison.

On the other hand, Wipeout Canada has big red balls. Just stating the obvious. Minds out of the gutter, please.

Wipeout Canada is hosted on-site by the fetching Jessica Phillips, with Ennis Esmer and Jonathan Torrens endeavouring to provide witty commentary. Each week 20 contestants of all ages, shapes and sizes tackle the big red balls, the dizzy dummy, the sucker-punch wall and the wipeout zone.

There will be themed episodes, too, such as "East vs. West" and "Beauty vs. Geek" (it sounds like we're talking about the Canadian election again).

But all of life is a contest, is it not?

The Borgias is about people who are willing to lie, cheat, steal and murder, all for the purpose of securing and maintaining the family patriarch's powerful position as pope.

Wipeout Canada is about people who are willing to make absolute fools of themselves for a shot at winning $50,000.

Human nature is what it is. The only thing that changes are the costumes and the size of the prize.