The TudorsIt's Good to Be King.
The Tudors is a history-based drama series following the young, vibrant King Henry VIII, a competitive and lustful monarch who navigates the intrigues of the English court and the human heart with equal vigor and justifiable suspicion.
WriterMichael Hirst
In Cold Blood
Apr 1, 2007
Henry prepares for war with France but receives cautious counsel from the powerful Cardinal Wolsey, who urges a treaty; the king learns that his queen's lady-in-waiting Elizabeth Blount is pregnant with his child.
Simply Henry
Apr 8, 2007
Henry contemplates an alliance with Holy Roman Emperor Charles V of Spain despite his "Field of Cloth of Gold" ceremony celebrating allegiance to France, and executes a rival; Elizabeth gives birth to the king's illegitimate son.
Wolsey, Wolsey, Wolsey!
Apr 15, 2007
A visit from Charles V forces Henry to conceal his growing disaffection from Queen Katherine, who is the influential Spanish monarch's aunt - even as Henry comes face-to-face with the seductive Anne Boleyn for the first time.
His Majesty, The King
Apr 22, 2007
As a reward for his denunciation of Martin Luther, the Pope christens Henry “Defender of the Faith,” but a brush with death causes the king to seek a solution to his lack of an heir. Princess Margaret marries the decrepit King of Portugal reluctantly, but the union is short-lived; Henry's desire for Anne Boleyn intensifies when Anne goes home to her family estate.
Arise, My Lord
Apr 29, 2007
Henry is shocked when he learns that his ally, Emperor Charles V of Spain, has released France's King Francis I from prison. He's equally surprised when Anne Boleyn turns him down after offering to make her his sole mistress.
True Love
May 6, 2007
As King Henry gains in confidence, his displeasure with the way the Catholic church handles his request for an annulment of his marriage to Katherine of Aragon grows. As a result, Cardinal Wolsey's position is weakening, leaving him vulnerable to his enemies.
Message to the Emperor
May 13, 2007
England's population is suffering, both from a lack of food and from a lethal plague called 'The Sweats'. As a result, King Henry feels depressed and not his usual, confident self. He starts having doubts about the future and his ability to rule the country. Fortunately for him, a change is coming up.
Truth and Justice
May 20, 2007
A papal envoy has come to discuss the annulment of the King's marriage to Katherine of Aragon, as requested by the King. The outcome of these discussions will determine Cardinal Wolsey's future career as well as the King's romance with Anne Boleyn. These discussions will also influence the nature of the relationship between England and Rome.
Look to God First
May 27, 2007
Cardinal Wolsey's fall is quick and pitiless. Stripped of office and authority, he is banished from the court and sent far from his much-beloved King. His unlikely successor is Sir Thomas More, a man unlike the overbearing Wolsey in every way but one...his loyalty to Henry.
The Death of Wolsey
Jun 3, 2007
Cardinal Wolsey is down but not yet out. Although exiled, he tries to gather last-minute support from his old enemy, Queen Katherine. She hesitantly agrees to his plan, as she finds herself in a situation similar to that of the fallen Cardinal. But their plot is intercepted by the King's new advisors and Wolsey must pay the ultimate price.
CinemaSerf
@Geronimo1967
When you consider the richness of the dramatic storylines provided by the Medici and the Borgia - everything from megalomania, incest, war, debauchery, torture - even the odd, honest loving relationship - then the Tudors, a family of upstart Welsh "pantrymen" (as Errol Flynn referred to them in "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex" (1939)), ought to be up there. Well, sadly, this doesn't really deliver at all. Henry VII - the first Tudor king of England - who reigned for almost a quarter of a century doesn't feature at all; therefore we are deprived of any backstory to the real focus character of these 38 episodes. Henry VIII had a reputation as a brute, a violent headstrong man with a penchant for women, power and coupled with his arguably even more ambitious Chancellor Wolsey we ought to have had a belter of a drama with just about nothing off limits! Nope, no chance - we have in the two lead characters the Tudor equivalent of "Peter Pan" and "Wendy". Jonathan Rhys Meyers is dreadful, and Sam Neill has all the menace of a wet sponge as the scheming Cardinal with designs on the Papacy. Regrettably, these lacklustre opening episodes sets the tone for the remainder of this really lacking drama. The storylines give the faintest of nods to this lively period of English history, but even the Anne Boleyn (the frankly awful Natalie Dormer) scenarios - which are the stuff of novels and dissertations the world over become little more than a fancy dress farce. We rarely see anything of substance emerge - the establishment of the Church of Engand is but a scant moment amongst the pantomime this has quickly become. Henry Cavill provides some eye candy as his best mate "Suffolk"; Kris Holden Reid as the sexually ambitious "Compton" (he of the famous Soho London St, presumably?) - hell, even Peter O'Toole gets in on the act picking up Sir John Gielgud's mantle as the go-to actor for the role of a Pope (Paul III). None of the wives, including the aforementioned Dormer, exude anything by way of chemistry or personality, with Joss Stone far too attractive to be the convincing turn off "Anne of Cleves" depicted here. To be fair, a great deal of attention has been paid to the look of the series. The costumes are top drawer and the CGI complimentary rather than intrusive. That said, the whole thing is an hugely disappointing exercise in big budget drama with little focus on the quality of the writing. The casting assumes we would rather have pretty things to look at than actors who could immerse us in this exciting and turbulent period of history - and aside from Ray Winstone's terrible effort with the same character (from 2003) this is easily the worst portrayal of Henry VIII I have ever witnessed. Mercifully, the whole thing runs out of steam before the accession of his daughter (another Tudor with an enthusiasm for depriving Queen's of their heads) saving us from being subjected to another 45 years worth of this sappy Showtime saga.
