Wednesday, September 19, 2012

TV Series of the Month – The Tudors


This month’s TV series is The Tudors (2007-2010).

The series follows the reign of King Henry VIII. The show was created and written in its entirety by Michael Hirst (a rarity). He also wrote Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age. He is currently working on a Mary Queen of Scots film. Jonathan Rhys Meyers stars as King Henry VIII giving the best performance of his career (he is utterly compelling). The cast overall is very good. Henry Cavill (in a star making role), Anthony Brophy, James Frain, Sarah Bolger, Natalie Dormer, Max Brown, Nick Dunning, Rod Hallett, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Simon Ward, Jeremy Northam, Jamie Thomas King, Sam Neill, David O’Hara, Hans Matheson, Henry Czerny, Peter O’Toole, Gabrielle Anwar, Joss Stone, Joely Richardson, Tamzin Merchant, Annabelle Wallis, and Max von Sydow are all wonderful in support. Spanning four seasons, the series covers all of Henry’s reign, touching on the major events that shaped him. The story is interesting, but it is the performances that make the show great and well worth watching (especially for fans of period pieces and history). Aesthetically, the series is beautifully shot and the production design in fantastic. The Tudors is one of the better Showtime dramas to come out of their heyday of great new shows (with Dexter, Weeds, Californication, and Brotherhood – 2005-2007) that momentarily made them the best network for great series ahead of HBO.


Available on DVD and Streaming

1 comment:

  1. Couldn't agree more.
    Used to watch The Tudors and had actually watched Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age (although didn't know those two were by the same creator).
    The Tudors found had great period appeal visually and then the acting was pretty incredible.

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