Da Vinci's Demons - The Complete First Season

"Da Vinci's Demons" starts with "Downton Abbey" star Hugh Bonneville all kinds of naked, and does not fail to deliver shock and awe throughout the entire season. The Blu-ray of the first season does not deliver much in the way of great bonus features but it does provide you with insight into the making of this amazing series.

"Da Vinci's Demons" is a fictionalized, and somewhat exaggerated, re-telling of the life of Leonardo Da Vinci (Tom Riley). He's tortured, alcoholic, and has a bomb-ass leather jacket. He has complex relationships with the Vatican, the Italian aristocracy, and his dad. He has an apprentice in the form of a young Nico Machiavelli (Eros Vlahos) -- (that's the author of "The Prince" for you history buffs). He also enters into a world of clandestine societies and secret books.

The Blu-ray's most exciting special feature, sad to say, is the audio commentary. The commentary with the show's creator, David S. Goyer and main actors Tom Riley and Tom Bateman does have some interesting insights. Filming with green screen, reinventing history, and long nude scenes offer funny behind-the-scenes anecdotes.

There are some short interview segments, but they are just long form commercials that aired on Starz. "Mastering Da Vinci," "Constructing Da Vinci" and "Dressing Da Vinci" are interviews with the crew about the score, set design and costumes, respectively. "Worldwide Fanfare" is a very quick video of footage from the cast at international conventions. The deleted scenes are more snippets of scenes that were cut for timing or pacing.

"Da Vinci's Demons" follows one of history's most celebrated geniuses in an edgier, sexier and darker version of history. It paints a picture of medieval Italy that might not have ever been explored. The show is definitely worth a watch even if the special features underdeliver.

"Da Vinci's Demons: The Complete First Season"
Blu-ray
$54.99
www.starz.com/davincisdemons