Showtime’s glorious, gorgeous Tudors is the best series since The Sopranos. Period.”

-New York Post

The Tudors are on top! They are much better than Elizabeth. They made history so colorful and tasty like no other historical movie ever before. This 2nd season The Tudors will focus on the rarely dramatized, tumultuous early years of King Henry.

Watch the trailers below to see Jonathan Rhys Meyers speaking of himself acting as king, thinking like king and behaving like Henry VIII. Very-very deliciously sexy.

One King. Six Wives. Many, Many Beds.

If you like family dramas, ‘The Tudors‘ is the best-dressed–and undressed–place on television.

By Joshua Alston |

Here’s a fun exercise: watch an episode of Showtime’s “The Tudors,” then run and look at a reasonably accurate painting of King Henry VIII. The monarch of the House of Tudor was no Jonathan Rhys Meyers. In fact, if one were to create a Historical Hunk of the Day calendar, the real Henry VIII would make a terrific Feb. 30. But that, naturally, is the fun of a show like “The Tudors,” which premieres its second season this Sunday. It takes all the decadence and treachery of an ancient dynasty and gussies it up with pretty people wearing gorgeous costumes that simply refuse to stay on.

Season two picks up in an auspicious place, King Henry’s “great matter,” as it’s called in history books. He’s assuming control of the church so he can ditch his adoring queen, Catherine of Aragon (Maria Doyle Kennedy), for the cuter, more fertile Anne Boleyn (Natalie Dormer). Henry is obsessively focused on producing a male heir, and as anyone who is up on his history knows, he held a lengthy casting process for the privilege of playing incubator. It’s the knowledge of this history, specifically as it relates to Anne’s demise, that makes the new season more engaging. The flame and fizzle of their romance is the most intriguing part of the Henry VIII saga, and now that Henry is openly involved with her, the story has new momentum. The criticism that season one telescoped history too much was misplaced: the issue is not that events were conflated, but rather that they weren’t conflated enough.

For non-history-buffs, there’s enough ornate costumes and interiors to put the French to shame. The show’s exterior shots are hit-or-miss: some lack polish, others are downright chintzy, but they immerse the viewer in 16th-century England. The performances are mostly solid. Meyers effectively conveys Henry’s violent mood swings, while Dormer strikes the right balance of treachery and genuine affection.

Still, for all its geysers of blood and horizontal aerobics, “The Tudors” has never quite been able to match the deftness of HBO’s “Rome.” Its first season occasionally felt rudderless. Also, “The Tudors” tends to feel tawdry and prurient, while “Rome” managed to seem high-minded yet unflinching, which explained the occasional bacchanalia. But “Rome” is a distant memory: HBO no longer wanted to foot its enormous production cost, so for hot-and-heavy dynastic action, “The Tudors” has succeeded to the throne. And now that the action has begun in earnest, maybe it deserves to rule.

Henry was never intended for the throne of England. However, the death of his older brother Arthur at the age of 15 and his taking of his dead brother’s bride, propelled the young prince into the limelight and laid the foundations for one of the most spectacular reigns in English history. The young Henry VIII was an artist, musician, theologian and sportsman — the perfect Renaissance prince — but the failure of his first wife Katherine of Aragon to produce a male heir brought out his darker side. Henry could be cruel and capricious, using arbitrary execution as an instrument of Royal policy. In his bid to produce an heir he would dismantle the established church in England, loot its possessions, and set himself up as an absolute monarch. By the time of his death, his desire to maintain his own magnificent dynasty had seen him marry six times, deplete the nation’s coffers, and cut a swath through the English nobility. Yet a new age had been born in the fires of change and though the years had transformed a Renaissance prince into a sickly, overweight tyrant, his rule marked a sea-change in the fortunes of England.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers first gained international attention for his starring role in Todd Haynes’ Velvet Goldmine opposite Ewan McGregor, Christian Bale and Toni Collette. Rhys Meyers’ daring performance as ex-glam rocker Brian Slade garnered him a London Film Critics Circle Award nomination. Since then, Rhys Meyers has landed leading roles opposite today’s hottest film actors and directors, and has emerged as one of Hollywood’s most sought-after leading men. (more…)

The Tudors finally had a premiere. I loved it! Fantastic actors in costumes by Joan Bergin Ireland’s finest world famous costume designer who worked on flicks like My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father, David Copperfield, Riverdance, Reign of Fire, and The Prestige. Everything is just enough in The Tudors to make you like them, you want it or not.

The second season will have Jonathan Rhys Meyers still sexy and Anne Boleyn will be executed french style, with a sword. The scene is fantastic; Natalie Dormer has performed her best.

Michael Hirst, Series Creator and Writer, said about The Tudors:

In my research, I was always looking for historical scenes which would seem quite contemporary even though people were in costume. We didn’t want another Royal Shakespeare company or “Masterpiece Theatre” kind of thing – all these English actors in period costumes with elaborate and totally contrived mannerisms. We wanted them to be and sound real and think real.”

Don’t miss The Tudors here on Spotlight! More each day.

To find out the entire story preview watch the video.

TV Squad

If you are excited for season 2 of The Tudors on Showtime but can’t wait until it airs on Sunday March 30th, check this out. Showtime is making the season premiere available to fans online now.

Last season left us standing on the precipice of great change in England. The Roman Catholic Church was losing influence in Britain as followers of Luther were rising in the shadows. The king wanted to annul his marriage to Queen Katherine. The Howards (Anne’s uncle) and the Boleyns were positioning themselves closer and closer to the monarch, using Anne as their pawn. Anne, in love with the king and pressed forth by her own ambition, had persuaded Henry to give up the queen and marry her.

She told Henry she would not have sex with him until they are properly married. She promised him a son, an heir he desires above all to keep the Tudor family in power. Indeed, it’s power and how its used that will push the plot forward in season 2.

From the season premiere, I can tell that we will see a new Henry this season. Yes, he’s still the same insatiable, gluttonous, passionate king he was in season one but now, he only obeys his own desires (and those of Anne who has bewitched him). Last season, Cardinal Wolsey and Thomas More provided counsel for the frivolous king. And this season, with Wolsey (Sam Neill) dead and More (Jeremy Northam) less influential, Henry has unlimited power.

When asked if this season was more difficult than the last, Jonathan Rhys Meyers said, “It brings some very real and new challenges. I had to find a way of reinventing Henry that made him seem older, more cynical and controlled. His temper gets much worse this season and he gets more vicious. He’s going down that long and dangerous road to loneliness and paranoia.” I’m sure, like last season, Rhys Meyers’ performance will be nothing short of excellent.

We’ll also see the decline of Anne’s and Henry’s turbulent love this season. You can detect this decline in the very first episode. He’ll tire of Anne. She’ll get desperate to keep her place in his favor. And, well, I think we all know what happens from there. You’ll love Natalie Dormer in the role. But, Dormer has a different appeal as Anne. Her chemistry with Rhys Meyers is great too.

Finally, Peter O’Toole joins the cast as Pope Paul III, successor to Pope Clement who
procrastinated in giving Henry his annulment. O’Toole looks truly amused with the character, like he has fun acting the role. O’Toole commented about the appeal of The Tudors, “It’s one of the great drama of all time. The blood alone is amazing. I think Henry was responsible for the deaths of over 70,000 people. Imagine!…He went from this golden figure – which he was as a young man – to an utterly decadent and corrupted human being.”

Well, let the decadence, the corruption, the blood, and especially the sex begin! Don’t forget to watch the episode early at Showtime’s site.

Playing King: Jonathan Rhys Meyers – New York Magazine

• By JadaYuan New York Magazine

On March 30, Showtime’s well-received period soap The Tudors returns for a second season of sex, papal intrigue, and beheadings, with steely-eyed brooder Jonathan Rhys Meyers as a thirtysomething Henry VIII. He spoke to Jada Yuan about acting like a tyrant.

You’re Irish. Did you have any trepidation about playing the king of England?

Of course I did. Not looking like the guy was the huge thing. But I had trepidation about taking on the role of Elvis, and I look a hell of a lot more like Elvis than I do Henry.

How has Henry changed this season?

Having made all the mistakes of his youth in season one, he’s a much harder, more volatile man. He had the weight of his entire country on his shoulders because of love. But really, what would happen to a love that had gone through all that? It’s got to put a strain on a relationship. Imagine if you wanted to go out with a guy, and you had to fight his parents for three years just to get into the marriage. You’d be like, “Is he really worth it?” And then you find out that he’s spending all his time with your friend Stephanie.

He did seem awfully fickle with his women.

It’s not just a case of him being fickle. You read magazines on supermarket stalls, and some movie star is dating this person and then that person and then that person, and people are like, “Why do they hop from one to another?” Because they can! It’s that simple.

Do you feel like the show is over the top with all the steamy sex?

Oh, come on. Sex is sex. These people didn’t have TVs, they didn’t have cars, they didn’t have iPods. They had sex. What else do you think they did?

Got drunk?

Well, what do you do today? Drink and have sex. You live in New York City. You go out Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. But also remember that in that time, sex was very, very important. Sex changed nations.

Why do you think Henry had so many affairs, knowing the stakes?

[Sigh.] Because men are men.

That’s it?

Can you think of another reason?

Just another instance of wielding his power because he could.

You’re confusing wielding his power with wielding his dick.

Speaking of the intersection of sex and power and politics, I assume you’ve heard over there in London about our governor’s fall from grace?

Yeah, for having sex! Doesn’t that border a little on the puritanical? If I know the story right, he had sex with a $15,000-a-night hooker.

I think their last liaison cost him $4,300.

Oh, so he was having sex with a cheap hooker.

God, I hope that’s not what’s considered cheap.

I don’t know. I don’t patronize hookers. But what I’m saying is, come on, look. Did your president not almost lose his presidency over a blow job? That would never have happened in Henry’s time. Unless it was Henry’s wife, giving a blow job to somebody else.

Showtime makes money and success on some controversial movie series. They are definitely not afraid of taboo subjects. There is a movie series about a drug dealer Weeds, there is a comedy about sexy drug addict Californication and a drama about a “good” serial killer Dexter. All of them became nominees for Golden Globe. Hold on till the March 30th to start the second season of The Tudors.

Showtime is not going to change its style and is planning to have two more series: Secret Diary of a Call Girl and Tim Robbin’s drama Possible Side Effects about a pharmaceuticals dealer family.

The movie series Secret Diary of a Call Girl is a frank confession diary of a British call girl Belle – a girl who makes all men’s fantasies come true. It became a hit on its own. Secret Diary of a Call Girl will follow the 4th season of Weeds which is appointed for the June, 16th.

And finally the tastiest piece of cake The Tudors is coming on the March 30th. Handsome Jonathan Rhys Myers is playing Henry VIII. He is fantastic!