AceShowbiz -

"The Borgias" has been awarded a second season order after showing steady ratings in its first five episodes. The period drama starring Jeremy Irons debuted earlier this month to 1.06 million viewers, making it Showtime's largest premiere audience for a drama series in seven years.

"The Borgias has become Sunday night appointment viewing for a broad swath of our subscribers," said David Nevins, President of Entertainment, Showtime Networks Inc. "Neil Jordan's cleverly crafted tale of a 15th century papal family has proven quickly addictive. It's a tribute to his incredible skills as an auteur and to the extraordinary cast led by Jeremy Irons that this show fits so seamlessly into our line-up of quality shows."

The 10-episode order will go into production in summer 2012 in Hungary.

Meanwhile, Showtime is yet to determine the future of its two original series "Nurse Jackie" and "United States of Tara". Both have mediocre ratings this current season but the former has more chance to see another day because it is the better performer of the two.