Anne goes to her death continuing to pronounce her innocence and that of the accused men.
As Henry's health deteriorates, he grows introspective as various factions in the court try to position themselves for the seemingly inevitable succession.
As Jane Seymour's fortunes rise, Anne's fall. Several of those close to her including her brother are tortured into confessing treason and beheaded.
"Bodyguard" star Richard Madden gives us the rundown of his record-shattering new show.
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Title: The Tudors (2007–2010)
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| Series cast summary: | |||
| Jonathan Rhys Meyers | ... | King Henry VIII 38 episodes, 2007-2010 | |
| Henry Cavill | ... | Charles Brandon 38 episodes, 2007-2010 | |
| Anthony Brophy | ... | Ambassador Bishop Chapuys / ... 25 episodes, 2007-2010 | |
| James Frain | ... | Thomas Cromwell 25 episodes, 2007-2010 | |
| Sarah Bolger | ... | Mary Tudor 23 episodes, 2008-2010 | |
 |
Guy Carleton | ... | Chamberlain 23 episodes, 2007-2010 |
| Natalie Dormer | ... | Anne Boleyn 21 episodes, 2007-2010 | |
| Max Brown | ... | Edward Seymour 21 episodes, 2008-2010 | |
| Nick Dunning | ... | Thomas Boleyn 20 episodes, 2007-2008 | |
| Rod Hallett | ... | Richard Rich / ... 19 episodes, 2008-2010 | |
| Maria Doyle Kennedy | ... | Queen Catherine of Aragon 18 episodes, 2007-2010 | |
| Simon Ward | ... | Bishop Gardiner 17 episodes, 2009-2010 | |
| Pádraic Delaney | ... | George Boleyn 16 episodes, 2007-2008 | |
| Jeremy Northam | ... | Sir Thomas More 16 episodes, 2007-2010 | |
This costume drama features England's splendid Renaissance dynasty under King Henry VIII. Beginning in Season 1 when Henry VIII was growing desperate for an heir and growing distant from his first wife, the series moves quickly to the period when Anne Boleyn became his obsession. During this time Cardinal Wolsey rose to become the power behind his throne, ruling ruthlessly and nearly absolutely while Henry (played by Johnathon Rhys Meyers) for the most part followed the Cardinal's advice, maneuvering through a series of betrayals and plots against him. When Anne Boleyn plays much harder to get than any woman ever has, Henry begins to search for a way out of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, so that he can make Anne his wife. Needing a divorce, Henry turns to Wolsey, who promises to help him create waves of backlash from the church, as well as the Spanish Habsburg dynasty and its overseas empire. Against this background gyrate the private lives and political intrigues of several ... Written by KGF Vissers and Ayla Slessor
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Having finished the first season and rewatched it a half dozen times as I wait impatiently for Showtime to unveil the second season of "The Tudors," I have to admit that this show has intrigued me in the history surrounding Henry VIII and his unfortunate wives better than any before it. The producers say it's "80% accurate," and that's an apt description, but what impressed me so much was that within that 80% are some little-known and often overlooked moments that make for great drama. Like the fact that the little wrestling match between Henry of England and Charles of France actually did take place, or that the only time Queen Katharine lost her cool in all that she was forced to endure was over the succession, and subsequent threat to her daughter's rights to the throne. Even certain of the dialogue is ripped right from the pages of history.
True, things are pushed out of order so as to move the story along at a more rapid pace, and the worst bastardization of history comes in the form of the preposterous mingling of Henry's sisters Margaret and Mary into one individual (oddly enough, they don't even bother to push through the fact that one marriage lasted eighteen years and produced several children, which would have given them a lead-in for producing a later series built on this one about the heirs to the throne), but the reality is that this is solid film-making. The production value is exquisite, the original score is absolutely gorgeous, and then there are the performances.
It is a downright shame that Maria Doyle Kennedy and Sam Neil were given no mentions in the Emmy nominations, because while the rest of the cast is outstanding, they really deserve critical acclaim. Kennedy's Katharine of Aragon is perhaps the most authentic and sympathetic depiction ever to reach the silver screen, large or small, and the audience has responded to her with overwhelmingly positive emotions. I know that she broke my heart more than once, as much as made me want to stand up and cheer, particularly in the eighth episode. Neil is not quite as unlikable as Wolsey could be, but in the second half of the first season hits his stride and is absolutely phenomenal in the finale.
The one thing that rather disenchanted me was the amount of pointless sex and skin revealed on the part of random ladies of the court. Henry certainly had his flings but they were not as often as depicted, and to be perfectly honest, one is left wondering what he sees in these naked trollops when he has a far more beautiful and enchanting wife lingering in the background. (It also doesn't give the audience much empathy for Henry, who seems incapable of "making love." Even his eventual tryst with Anne Boleyn has more primal boredom to it than wooing.) I know it was a low ploy by Showtime, cashing in on the "sex sells" shallowness of our culture, but the story is much more profoundly lingering without it.