The Tudors
| The Tudors | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster |
|
| Genre | Historical fiction |
| Created by | Michael Hirst |
| Starring |
|
| Theme music composer | Trevor Morris |
| Country of origin | Ireland Canada |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 38 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Michael Hirst Eric Fellner Tim Bevan Ben Silverman Teri Weinberg Sheila Hockin |
| Producer(s) | James Flynn Gary Howsam |
| Location(s) | Ireland |
| Running time | 55 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | TV3 Ireland Showtime BBC2 CBC Television |
| Picture format | 16x9 widescreen ratio |
| Original run | 1 April 2007 – 20 June 2010 |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
The Tudors is an Irish/Canadian produced historical fiction television series created by Michael Hirst. The series is based loosely upon the reign of English monarch Henry VIII, and is named after the Tudor dynasty.
Contents |
Production
The series has been produced by Peace Arch Entertainment for Showtime in association with Reveille Productions, Working Title Films, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and was filmed in Ireland. The first two episodes debuted on DirecTV, Time Warner Cable OnDemand, Netflix, Verizon FiOS On Demand, Internet Movie Database and on the series' website before the official series premiere on Showtime. The Tudors' premiere on 1 April 2007 was the highest rated Showtime series in three years.[1] In April 2007, the show was renewed for a second season,[1] and in that month the BBC announced it had acquired exclusive United Kingdom broadcast rights for the series, which began airing there on 5 October 2007. Canada's CBC began broadcasting the show on 2 October 2007.[2]
Season Two debuted on Showtime on 30 March 2008, and on BBC 2 on 1 August 2008. Production on Season Three began on 16 June 2008 in Bray, County Wicklow Ireland,[3][4] and that season premiered on Showtime on 5 April 2009 and debuted in Canada on CBC on 30 September 2009. The day after broadcast, downloadable episodes debuted in Canada on MoboVivo.[5]
Showtime announced on 13 April 2009 that it had renewed the show for a fourth and final season. The network ordered 10 episodes that began airing on 11 April 2010.[6][7] The series finale aired on June 20, 2010.
International distribution rights are owned by Sony Pictures Television International.
Synopsis
Season One of The Tudors chronicles the period of Henry VIII's reign in which his effectiveness as King is tested by international conflicts as well as political intrigue in his own court, while the pressure of fathering a male heir compels him to reject his wife Katherine of Aragon[8] in favour of Anne Boleyn. He also has a string of affairs, and fathers an illegitimate son, who later dies.
Season Two finds Henry as the head of the Church of England, the result of his break with the Catholic Church over its refusal to grant him a divorce from Katherine.[8] During his battle with Rome, he secretly marries a pregnant Anne. Anne's own failure to produce a son dooms her as Henry's attention shifts toward Jane Seymour.
Season Three focuses on Henry's marriages to Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves, the birth of his son Edward VI, his ruthless suppression of the Pilgrimage of Grace, the downfall of Thomas Cromwell, and the beginnings of Henry's relationship with the "dangerous" Katherine Howard.[9][10]
Season Four focuses on Henry's ill-fated marriage to Katherine Howard, his uncommonly successful final marriage with Katherine Parr, an attempted invasion of France and the question of the kingdom's leadership after Henry's death.[11]
Cast
| Role | Actor | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| The King | ||
| Henry VIII of England | Jonathan Rhys Meyers | 1–4 |
| The King's Wives | ||
| Katherine of Aragon[8] | Maria Doyle Kennedy | 1–2, 4 (Dream sequence) |
| Anne Boleyn | Natalie Dormer | 1–2, 4 (Dream sequence) |
| Jane Seymour | Anita Briem | 2 |
| Annabelle Wallis | 3, 4 (Dream sequence) | |
| Anne of Cleves | Joss Stone | 3–4 |
| Katherine Howard[12] | Tamzin Merchant | 3–4 |
| Katherine Parr | Joely Richardson | 4 |
| The King's Court | ||
| Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk | Henry Cavill | 1–4 |
| Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex, | James Frain | 1–3 |
| Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, The Lord Archbishop of York | Sam Neill | 1 |
| Thomas More | Jeremy Northam | 1–2 |
| Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk | Henry Czerny | 1 |
| Sir Anthony Knivert | Callum Blue | 1 |
| Earl of Shrewsbury | Gavin O'Connor | 3 |
| Thomas Wyatt | Jamie Thomas King | 1–2 |
| Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire | Nick Dunning | 1–2 |
| Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury | Hans Matheson | 2 |
| Edward Seymour | Max Brown | 2–4 |
| Philip, Duke of Bavaria | Colin O'Donoghue | 3 |
| Bishop Stephen Gardiner | Simon Ward | 3-4 |
| Other | ||
| Margaret Tudor, The Queen of Portugal | Gabrielle Anwar | 1 |
| Jane Howard | Slaine Kelly | 1 |
| Princess Mary | Blathnaid McKeown | 1 |
| Sarah Bolger | 2–4 | |
| Pope Paul III | Peter O'Toole | 2 |
| Jane Boleyn, Viscountess of Rochford | Joanne King | 2–4 |
| Anne Stanhope | Emma Hamilton | 3–4 |
| Sir Francis Bryan | Alan van Sprang | 3 |
| Otto Truchsess von Waldburg | Max von Sydow | 3 |
| Robert Aske | Gerard McSorley | 3 |
| Cardinal Reginald Pole | Mark Hildreth | 3 |
| Lord Darcy | Colm Wilkinson | 3-4 |
| Henry Howard[13] | David O'Hara | 4 |
| Joan Bulmer | Catherine Steadman | 4 |
| Thomas Culpeper | Torrance Coombs | 4 |
| Princess Elizabeth | Kate Duggan | 2 |
| Claire MacCauley | 3 | |
| Laoise Murray | 4 | |
| Prince Edward | Eoin Murtagh | 4 |
| Jake Hathaway | 4 | |
Episodes
| Season | # of episodes | Season premiere | Season finale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 10 | 1 April 2007 | 10 June 2007 |
| Season 2 | 10 | 30 March 2008 | 1 June 2008 |
| Season 3 | 8 | 5 April 2009 | 24 May 2009 |
| Season 4 | 10 | 11 April 2010 | 20 June 2010 |
Departures from history
Events in the series differ from events as they actually happened in history. Liberties are taken with character names, relationships, physical appearance and the timing of events.[14] As creator Hirst noted, "Showtime commissioned me to write an entertainment, a soap opera, and not history ... And we wanted people to watch it."[15] He added that some changes were made for production considerations and some to avoid viewer confusion, and that "any confusion created by the changes is outweighed by the interest the series may inspire in the period and its figures."[15]
Time is conflated in the series, giving the impression that things happened closer together than they actually did or along a different timeline. By the time of most of the events in this series, King Henry VIII was already in his mid-to-late 30s and at least a decade older than Anne Boleyn; they were not married until he was in his early 40s. In The Tudors, the two are cast younger (and seemingly closer in age) and the courtship lasts about ten episodes.[15] Historically, Cardinal Wolsey died in Leicester en route to London to answer charges of treason, while in the series he is imprisoned and commits suicide.[15] Wolsey's death came in 1530, three years before the death of Henry's sister; in the series, the two events are juxtaposed.
The character of Henry's sister, called "Princess Margaret" in the series, is actually a composite of his two sisters: the life events of his youngest sister, Princess Mary Tudor, coupled with the name of his eldest sister, Margaret Tudor, to avoid confusion with Henry's daughter, Mary I of England.[15][16] Historically, Henry's sister Princess Mary first married the French King Louis XII. The union lasted approximately three months, until his death; Louis was succeeded by his cousin Francis I, who was married to Louis' daughter Claude of France. Mary subsequently married Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. As The Tudors begins, Henry is already negotiating a peace treaty with Francis; the series' Princess Margaret thus marries a fictional Portuguese king, who lives only a few days until she smothers him in his sleep.[15][17] By the time of the events of this series, the historical Brandon (who was already in his early 40s) and Princess Mary were long married with three children, and Henry's eldest sister, Margaret Tudor, was actually married to King James IV of Scotland and became the grandmother of Mary, Queen of Scots.
While Bessie Blount was famously one of Henry VIII's mistresses and did give Henry an illegitimate son (Henry FitzRoy), historically her son did not die as a small child, but instead at the age of 17 in 1536. Blount was also not married until after the birth of FitzRoy. Historically, William Brereton did not confess to adultery with Queen Anne and was not a Papal agent, as depicted in the series. He was in fact a wealthy magnate who had large landholdings in the Welsh Marches, where he was ruthless and unpopular, and is believed to have been accused due to Thomas Cromwell's desire to remove a festering political problem.[18] The assassination attempt on Anne during her coronation procession was also invented by Hirst "to illustrate how much the English people hated her."[15]
Reception
The premiere of The Tudors on 1 April 2007 was the highest rated Showtime series debut in three years,[1] and on 23 March 2008 The New York Times called The Tudors a "steamy period drama ... which critics could take or leave but many viewers are eating up."[15] A 28 March 2008 review also by the New York Times said that the series "fails to live up to the great long-form dramas cable television has produced" largely because "it radically reduces the era's thematic conflicts to simplistic struggles over personal and erotic power."[14] Overall, the show has had generally good reviews with 64% favourable reviews for the first season, 68% for the second season and 72% for the third season according to the ratings site Metacritic.
Ratings
In the United States, season 1: The series premiere at 10 p.m. drew almost 870,000 viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. Coupled with the 404,000 viewers that tuned in the hour immediately following, Showtime averaged 1.3 million viewers for the show’s debut night, the most since Fat Actress in March 2005. The 10 p.m. bow outperformed the inaugural linear screenings for Weeds and Dexter, the network’s leading comedy and drama, by 78% in August 2005 and 44% in October 2006, respectively.
The series also proved its mettle opener in the digital realm, earning a combined 1 million views online and on-demand via cable affiliates and through Sho.com, and such partners as Yahoo, MSN, Netflix and IMDB. the numbers exclude contributions from AOL, DirecTV and Dish Network. [1]
Season 2: Showtime’s June 3, 2008 second-season climax of The Tudors ended with a ratings bang. The episode drew 852,000 viewers for its season two finale, 83% above the 465,000 viewers that tuned into the show’s season-one finale, Showtime officials said. The 9 p.m. telecast is also the second-highest for the series, trailing only the 964,000 viewers for the show’s April 1, 2007 debut. The season-two finale, along with an 11 p.m. replay, drew a combined 1 million viewers, 59% above last year’s 668,000 combined audience for last year’s finale (10 p.m. and 11 p.m.). [2]
Media releases
| DVD Name | Release dates | # of Ep | Additional Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||||
| Canada | United States | |||||
| Season One | 8 January 2008[19] | 10 December 2007[20] | 19 March 2008[21] | 10 | The four-disc box set includes all 10 episodes. Bonus features include commentary tracks on selected episodes. There is a special edition in United Kingdom, with a headless picture for the cover, exclusive of Amazon.co.uk.[22] This season was released on Blu-ray in Europe and Canada.[23] | |
| Season Two | 11 November 2008[24] | 6 January 2009[25] | 13 October 2008[26] | 07 July 2009[27] | 10 | The four-disc box set includes all 10 episodes. Bonus features include commentary tracks on selected episodes, as well as other featurettes. This season has also been released on Blu-ray in Europe and Canada.[28] |
| Season Three | 10 November 2009[29] | 15 December 2009[30] | 7 December 2009[31] | 23 November 2009[32] | 8 | The three disc box set includes all 8 episodes. Bonus features include audio commentary on certain episodes, an exclusive tour of Hampton Court and an interview with Joss Stone |
| Season Four | TBC | October 12th 2010 | TBC | TBC | 10 | TBC |
An original soundtrack for each season, composed by Trevor Morris, has been or will be released by Varèse Sarabande.
| Season | Release Date | Catalog Number |
|---|---|---|
| Season One | 12/11/07 | 302 066 867 2 |
| Season Two | 04/14/09 | 302 066 959 2 |
| Season Three | 08/24/10 | 302 067 039 2 |
| Season Four | 10/12/10 | 302 067 049 2 |
Awards/Nominations
The Tudors was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Drama Series in 2007. Jonathan Rhys Meyers was also nominated for the Best Actor in a Television Drama Golden Globe for his role.[33]
The series was nominated for eight Irish Film and Television Awards in 2008 and won seven, including Best Drama Series, acting awards for Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Lead Actor), Nick Dunning (Supporting Actor) and Maria Doyle Kennedy (Supporting Actress), and craft awards for Costume Design, Production Design and Hair/Makeup.[34] Brian Kirk was also nominated for Directing, but lost to Lenny Abrahamson of Prosperity. The series won the 2008 Emmy Award for Best Costume Design, and later six awards at the Irish Film and Television Awards in 2009. In 2010 it was nominated for seven Irish Film and Television Awards, winning one in the category Best Supporting Actress in Television (Sarah Bolger).
See also
- Anne Boleyn in popular culture
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Showtime's Tudors continues reign." Variety. 12 April 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2008.
- ↑ "A slightly neutered Tudors." The Toronto Star. 28 September 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2008.
- ↑ "Peace Arch(R) Entertainment Announces Renewal of Hit Series The Tudors." Money.CNN.com 24 April 2008. Retrieved 12 May 2008.
- ↑ "Showtime Orders Season Three of The Tudors." The New York Times. 22 April 2008. Retrieved 12 May 2008.
- ↑ http://www.techvibes.com/blog/mobovivo-licenses-hollywood-hit-show-the-tudors
- ↑ "Showtime renews -- and ends -- The Tudors". The Live Feed. 13 April 2009. http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/04/showtime-renews-and-cancels-the-tudors-.html. Retrieved 14 April 2009.
- ↑ "Showtime Picks Up Fourth And Final Season Of The Tudors". BroadcastingCable.com. April 13, 2009. http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/196106-Showtime_Picks_Up_Fourth_And_Final_Season_Of_The_Tudors_.php. Retrieved April 14, 2009.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 As established by the series credits and character list on the official website, the character's name is spelled Katherine with a "K" in contrast to the English language spelling "Catherine" usually used for the actual historical figure.
- ↑ Ausiello, Michael (December 10, 2008). "Ask Ausiello: Spoilers on One Tree Hill, Bones, SVU, Rescue Me, House, Psych, Grey's Anatomy, Pushing Daisies, Heroes, and More!". EW.com. http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2008/12/10/ask-ausiello-1-6/. Retrieved September 9, 2009.
- ↑ "The Tudors: Season 3, Episode 8". Sho.com. http://www.sho.com/site/tudors/previous_episodes.do?episodeid=133320&ep=308. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
- ↑ "Showtime's Acclaimed Drama Series The Tudors Gets 4th Season Pick-up to End the Saga of Henry VIII". Sho.com. April 13, 2009. http://www.sho.com/site/announcements-view.do?articleid=402. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
- ↑ "The Tudors: Season 3, Episode 8". Sho.com. http://www.sho.com/site/tudors/previous_episodes.do?episodeid=133320&ep=308. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
- ↑ http://www.movieweb.com/news/NEBIHFDDCXbHFJ
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Bellafante, Ginia. "Nasty, but Not So Brutish and Short." The New York Times. 28 March 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2008.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 Gates, Anita. "The Royal Life (Some Facts Altered)." The New York Times. 23 March 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2008.
- ↑ Stanley, Alessandra. "Renaissance Romping With Henry and His Rat Pack." The New York Times. 30 March 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2008.
- ↑ It should be noted that there is no historical indication or evidence that Henry's sister Mary Tudor contributed to the death of Louis XII.
- ↑ Ives, Eric (2005). The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn. Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 332–356..
- ↑ The Tudors: The Complete First Season - Amazon.com
- ↑ The Tudors: Complete BBC Series 1 - Amazon.co.uk
- ↑ The Tudors: Complete Third Series - ezydvd.com.au
- ↑ The Tudors: Complete BBC Series 1 (Limited Edition 'Headless' Sleeve) - Amazon.co.uk
- ↑ The Tudors: Complete BBC Series 1 (Blu-ray) - Amazon.co.uk
- ↑ The Tudors: The Complete Second Season - Futureshop.ca
- ↑ The Tudors DVD news: Delay for The Tudors - The Complete 2nd Season - TVShowsOnDVD.com
- ↑ The Tudors: Complete BBC Series 2 - Amazon.co.uk
- ↑ The Tudors: Complete Third Series - ezydvd.com.au
- ↑ The Tudors: Complete BBC Series 2 (Blu-ray) - Amazon.co.uk
- ↑ The Tudors: The Complete Third Season - TVShowsOnDVD
- ↑ The Tudors Season 3 DVD - TVShowsOnDVD.com
- ↑ The Tudors: Complete Third Series - Amazon.co.uk
- ↑ The Tudors: Complete Third Series - ezydvd.com.au
- ↑ "Hollywood Foreign Press Association 2008 Golden Globe Awards For The Year Ended 31 December 2007". HFPA. 2007. http://www.goldenglobes.org/news/id/81. Retrieved 2007-12-13.
- ↑ The Irish Film & Television Awards: 2008 Winners - IFTA.ie Retrieved 12 March 2008.
See also
- List of The Tudors characters
- List of The Tudors episodes
- The Six Wives of Henry VIII
References
- Davies, Norman. The Isles: A History. Oxford Univ. Press, USA, 2001.
- Ives, Eric. The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn. Wiley-Blackwell, 2005.