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The Royals (TV series)

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The Royals
GenreDrama
Developed byMark Schwahn
Starring
Theme music composerSiddhartha Khosla
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Annabelle Frost
  • Sam Breckman
Production locationsLondon, England, United Kingdom
Cinematography
  • Nick Dance
  • John Rhodes
Editors
  • Dan Robinson
  • Jeremy Strachan
Running time42 minutes (approx.)
Production companiesMastermind Laboratories
Varsity Pictures
Lionsgate Television
Universal Cable Productions
Original release
NetworkE!
ReleaseMarch 15, 2015 (2015-03-15) –
present

The Royals is an American television drama series that premiered on E! on March 15, 2015.[1] It was created by Mark Schwahn and is the network's first scripted series.[2]

Elizabeth Hurley stars as Queen Helena, a fictional modern-day queen consort of England,[3] along with Vincent Regan as King Simon, William Moseley as Prince Liam, Alexandra Park as Princess Eleanor and Jake Maskall as Prince Cyrus. The show also features Merritt Patterson as Ophelia, Oliver Milburn as Ted and Tom Austen as Jasper.

E! announced on January 15, 2015, that the series had been renewed for a second season, two months before its debut.[4][5]

Plot summary

Helena is the matriarch of a fictional contemporary British royal family who must struggle with both common and atypical family dramas while in the public eye.[6][7]

Cast

Main cast

  • Vincent Regan as King Simon Henstridge: the head of the Monarchy
  • Elizabeth Hurley as Queen Helena Henstridge: his wife
  • William Moseley as Prince Liam Henstridge: their son and heir to the throne
  • Alexandra Park as Princess Eleanor Henstridge: Liam's twin sister
  • Merritt Patterson as Ophelia Pryce: Liam's love interest
  • Oliver Milburn as Ted Pryce: royal head of security and Ophelia's father
  • Jake Maskall as Prince Cyrus Henstridge, The Duke of York: Simon's brother
  • Tom Austen as Jasper Frost: Eleanor's bodyguard

Recurring cast

  • Lydia Rose Bewley as Princess Penelope Henstridge: Cyrus' daughter
  • Hatty Preston as Princess Maribel Henstridge: Cyrus' other daughter
  • Joan Collins as the Grand Duchess of Oxford: Helena's mother
  • Noah Huntley as Captain Alistair Lacey: Helena's lover
  • Sophie Colquhoun as Gemma: Liam's socialite ex-girlfriend
  • Ukweli Roach as Marcus: Liam's bodyguard and confidante
  • Manpreet Bachu as Ashok: Liam's friend
  • Tom Ainsley as Nick Roane: Ophelia's classmate

Production

In April 2013, E! announced several scripted projects it had in development, including The Royals, a "contemporary family ensemble is steeped in all of the regal opulence of the British Monarchy and framed by Shakespeare’s Hamlet."[8] Deadline.com reported in June 2013 that E! would be producing pilots for The Royals and another series named Songbyrd, which would be the network's first scripted pilots to date.[9] In September 2013, Hurley was cast in the leading role of Queen Helena.[10] Soon after, Moseley was cast as Helena's son Liam,[11] followed by Park as Liam's twin sister Eleanor and Haley Lu Richardson as his love interest, Ophelia.[12] The Royals was picked up for series in March 2014, to be shot in the United Kingdom and scheduled to debut in 2015.[13][14][15] In June 2014, Merritt Patterson was added to the cast to replace Richardson as Ophelia,[16][17] and shooting for the first season began in London.[18] In August 2014, E! released its first promotional trailer for The Royals,[19][20] and People reported that Joan Collins would guest star as the Grand Duchess of Oxford, Helena's mother.[21][22][23] The first season will consist of ten episodes.[24]

(L to R) Park, Hurley, Moseley and Patterson at the 2015 Television Critics Association’s Press Tour

In December 2014, E! announced that the series would premiere on March 15, 2015.[1][2][3] The network later announced at the Television Critics Association press tour on January 15, 2015 that the series had been renewed for a second season, two months before its debut.[4][5] E!'s Executive Vice President of Original Programming & Development Jeff Olde noted that production for season two would begin in London in spring 2015.[5]

The production uses Blenheim Palace as its fictional royal palace.[25]

Concept and characterization

Creator Schwahn said of The Royals, "It's a family drama. It's about a family, and it just happens to be a royal family ... [but] not the royal family."[26] Hurley called the series "a very nice combination of what the public sees and what the public will never see."[27] Schwahn talked about his concept:

I just thought it would be really interesting to take a look behind the curtain ... Who are these people? What do they want? What will they do to get it? I thought it was really fascinating and a great idea for the foundation of a story.[27]

Schwahn said of Hurley, "I tell her every day that this was the role that she was meant to play ... she has found her lot in life"[28] Of her character, Hurley commented "this queen is very matriarchal ... she has a lot of power and I think she knows how to use it."[28] She noted, however, that "there's no correlation at all between Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and my Queen Helena... If Princess Diana [sic], for example, had become queen of England, that would be a more similar age group."[29] Hurley later said that the character of Helena was inspired by Diana, but "some of it we picked from Cruella de Vil, the Disney character."[26] Noting that "most of the characters on The Royals are going to be walking a fine line between 'good' and 'bad',"[26] Schwahn said:

Elizabeth has been very brave in approaching the more villainous aspects of the character ... I was working with Elizabeth on wardrobe and she asked, 'Why not add in bits of fur? I think the queen should wear bits of cruelty once in a while.'[26]

Regan said of his character, the "soft-spoken" King Simon: "He's coping with a great deal of grief for the loss of his eldest son, Robert ... He's coping with that and trying to work out how the royal family can exist in the world they're now in."[28] Moseley commented on his own storyline as playboy Prince Liam, "it's like (if) Prince Harry was thrown into being the next King of England [sic]."[29] "He basically is sort of a rebel ... doesn't really care what anybody thinks, does whatever he wants to do, when he wants to do it," he later added.[28] Park said of her wild Princess Eleanor, "she's young and trying to find where her place is in the world. She's a party girl."[28]

Episodes

Season Episodes Originally aired
First aired Last aired
1 10 March 15, 2015 (2015-03-15) TBA

Season 1 (2015)

No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Stand and Unfold Yourself"Mark SchwahnMark SchwahnMarch 15, 2015 (2015-03-15)1.41[30]
The royal family of England is thrown into disarray when the heir to the throne is killed in an accident.
2"Infants of the Spring"Mark SchwahnMark SchwahnMarch 22, 2015 (2015-03-22)1.32[31]
Prince Liam's ex-girlfriend Gemma reappears, while Jasper keeps Princess Eleanor under his finger. Queen Helena and Cyrus work to thwart King Simon's intent to abolish the monarchy.
3"We Are Pictures, or Mere Beasts"Arlene SanfordMark SchwahnMarch 29, 2015 (2015-03-29)0.83[32]
The Queen and Princess Eleanor face off with competing fashion shows. Prince Liam avoids a scandal.
4"Sweet, Not Lasting"Jean de SegonzacJohnny RichardsonApril 5, 2015 (2015-04-05)1.12[33]
Queen Helena takes Prince Liam on a promotional campaign in the countryside while Princess Eleanor goes on her own charity tour.
5"Unmask Her Beauty to the Moon"Arlene SanfordJulia CohenApril 12, 2015 (2015-04-12)1.07[34]
The annual masquerade ball takes place. The romances involving Queen Helena, Prince Liam and Princess Eleanor come to light.
6"The Slings and Arrows of Outrageous Fortune"Jean de SegonzacMark SchwahnApril 19, 2015 (2015-04-19)1.12[35]
The royal family goes on a trip to Monaco. Prince Liam and Ophelia work on their relationship.
7"Your Sovereignty of Reason"TBATBAApril 26, 2015 (2015-04-26)TBD

Promotion

In January 2015, Collins commented on the public anticipation for The Royals, saying "I know there’s been a lot of excitement about it in the British press."[4] Hurley suggested that fans of Dynasty and Gossip Girl would enjoy the series.[29]

In March 2015, a viral video of a naked man climbing out a window of Buckingham Palace on a bedsheet during the changing of the Queen's Guard, presumed to be a hoax, was publicized internationally by a variety of sources including Cosmopolitan and the Daily Mail.[36][37] The video turned out to be a publicity stunt to promote The Royals via the show's own fictional tabloid, D-Throned.[38]

Reception

Jane Mulkerrins of The Telegraph called The Royals "a sexy and soapy portrayal of palace life", but noted that it "lacks the sophistication" of Gossip Girl and "the compelling melodrama" of The O.C..[39] The Sydney Morning Herald called the series "possibly the worst show in the history of TV", criticizing it as "a bunch of bed-hopping halfwits saddled with ... very, very lousy dialogue".[40] The Independent agreed, calling it "probably" the "worst series ever made".[41] Vicki Hyman of nj.com said the show was "a royal failure," describing it as "crass and, for long stretches, tedious."[42] The Hollywood Reporter described the program as being "like an extended MTV music video interspersed with dialogue."[43] The Los Angeles Times panned the series, declaring that "camp requires courage, and 'The Royals' has none" while Vulture said the program was "flaccid, weirdly paced, and badly cast."[44][45] Variety, meanwhile, called The Royals "bloody bad" and the Chicago Reader advised viewers to "think of the worst hour-long prime-time soap operas to have assaulted our senses over the past 30 or so years, then go ahead and add this one to your brain's trash heap."[46] The New York Times said of the series that it "gets old, and dull, very quickly."[47]

U.S. ratings

No. Episode Air date Time slot (EST) Rating/Share (18–49) Viewers (m)
1 "Stand and Unfold Yourself" March 15, 2015 (2015-03-15) Sunday
10:00 P.M. 		0.5[30] 1.41[30]
2 "Infants of the Spring" March 22, 2015 (2015-03-22) 0.6[31] 1.32[31]
3 "We Are Pictures, or Mere Beasts" March 29, 2015 (2015-03-29) 0.3[32] 0.83[32]
4 "Sweet, Not Lasting" April 5, 2015 (2015-04-05) 0.5[33] 1.12[33]
5 "Unmask Her Beauty to the Moon" April 12, 2015 (2015-04-12) 0.5[34] 1.07[34]
6 "The Slings and Arrows of Outrageous Fortune" April 19, 2015 (2015-04-19) 0.5[35] 1.12[35]
7 "Your Sovereignty of Reason" April 26, 2015 (2015-04-26) TBA TBA

Broadcast

The Royals airs on E! in the United States and Canada,[1][2][3] and on E! in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[48]

References

  1. ^ a b c Kondolojy, Amanda (December 4, 2014). "E! Sets Premiere for First Scripted Drama Series The Royals for March 15th at 10PM". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c Reynolds, Mike (December 4, 2014). "E!'s Royal Presentation: Scripted Bow on March 15". Multichannel News. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c Kirk, Kamala (December 4, 2014). "The Royals' Official Premiere Date Announced With Exciting New Trailer Featuring Elizabeth Hurley and More!". E! Online. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c Wagmeister, Elizabeth (January 15, 2015). "The Royals Renewed for Season 2 Before Series Debut on E!". Variety. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c Kirk, Kamala (January 15, 2015). "The Royals Picked Up for Season Two Before Series Even Airs". E! Online. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  6. ^ "NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Caps off 2014 Upfront Season (Press release)". Business Wire. March 15, 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  7. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 26, 2014). "E!'s Slate Includes Gucci Miniseries, More Rich Kids, New Kardashian Offshoots, Christina Milian & Lance Bass Reality Series". Deadline.com. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  8. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (April 22, 2013). "E! Developing Scripted Projects From Diane Warren, Josh Schwartz, Kevin Spacey, Mark Schwahn, Ryan Seacrest & Gale Anne Hurd". Deadline.com. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  9. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 25, 2013). "E! Nears First Scripted Pilot Orders For Krista Vernoff/Diane Warren's Songbyrd, Mark Schwahn's Hamlet Drama The Royals". Deadline.com. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  10. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (September 4, 2013). "Elizabeth Hurley To Topline E! Pilot The Royals". Deadline.com. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  11. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (September 11, 2013). "E! Royals Pilot Casts Its Prince". Deadline.com. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  12. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (September 27, 2013). "E! Royals Pilot Casts Its Ophelia & Princess". Deadline.com. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  13. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (March 6, 2014). "E! Orders Elizabeth Hurley's The Royals as First Scripted Series". Variety. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  14. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 6, 2014). "E! Orders Drama The Royals As First Scripted Series". Deadline.com. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  15. ^ Steinberg, Brian (March 26, 2014). "E! Prepares to Mix Scripted Fare into Reality-Show Recipe". Variety. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  16. ^ Kirk, Kamala (June 5, 2014). "Merritt Patterson Joins Elizabeth Hurley, William Moseley and More in The Royals Cast". E! Online. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  17. ^ "Merritt Patterson Joins E! Series The Royals". Deadline.com. June 5, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  18. ^ Kirk, Kamala (June 23, 2014). "E!'s Original Scripted Series The Royals Begins Shooting in London". E! Online. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  19. ^ Official Trailer: "The Royals" Are Ready to Rock E! (video). E! via YouTube. August 25, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  20. ^ Highfill, Samantha (August 26, 2014). "Anarchy reigns in new trailer for E!'s The Royals". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  21. ^ Chiu, Melody (August 15, 2014). "Joan Collins to Appear on E!'s The Royals". People. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  22. ^ Noonan, Kevin (August 15, 2014). "Joan Collins Joins E!'s The Royals". Variety. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  23. ^ Highfill, Samantha (August 27, 2014). "First look: Joan Collins on the set of The Royals". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  24. ^ Kirk, Kamala (October 2, 2014). "The Royals Secrets Revealed: A Forbidden Love Triangle, a Fight for the Crown and Much More". E! Online. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  25. ^ Kirk, Kamala (January 20, 2015). "Go Behind the Palace Gates in This Exclusive Tour of London's Blenheim Palace and See More Beautiful Locations From The Royals". E! Online. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  26. ^ a b c d Bucksbaum, Sydney (January 15, 2015). "Elizabeth Hurley Reveals Inspiration Behind The Royals' Queen: Princess Diana and Cruella de Vil!". E! Online. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  27. ^ a b Kirk, Kamala (November 12, 2014). "One Tree Hill Creator Mark Schwahn and Elizabeth Hurley Dish on The Royals' Secrets". E! Online. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  28. ^ a b c d e Kirk, Kamala (December 22, 2014). "Meet the Powerful Queen, the Playboy Prince, the Party Girl Princess and More in New The Royals Behind the Palace Gates Video". E! Online. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  29. ^ a b c Fox, Hilary (August 22, 2014). "Elizabeth Hurley takes the reigns in The Royals". U-T San Diego. Associated Press. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  30. ^ a b c Bibel, Sara (March 17, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Wins Night, 'Talking Dead', 'Real Housewives of Atlanta', 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians', 'Shameless', 'The Royals' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  31. ^ a b c Kondolojy, Amanda (March 24, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Tops Night + 'Talking Dead', 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta', NCAA Basketball + More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  32. ^ a b c Bibel, Sara (March 31, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Tops Night, 'Talking Dead', 'Real Housewives of Atlanta', 'Going Clear', 'Killing Jesus' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  33. ^ a b c Kondolojy, Amanda (April 7, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: MLB Baseball & 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta' Top Night + 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians', 'Mad Men' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  34. ^ a b c Bibel, Sara (April 14, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Game of Thrones' Wins Night, 'Silicon Valley', 'MTV Movie Awards', 'Mad Men', 'Veep', 'The Royals' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  35. ^ a b c Kondolojy, Amanda (April 21, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Game of Thrones' Tops Night + NBA Playoffs, 'Real Housewives of Atlanta', 'Naked and Afraid' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  36. ^ Rees, Alex (March 2, 2015). "So This "Naked Man Climbing Out of a Buckingham Palace Window" Video Must Be Fake, Right?". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  37. ^ Boyle, Darren (February 27, 2015). "Internet hoaxer posts video of naked man 'escaping Buckingham Palace bedroom window during the Changing of the Guard'". Daily Mail. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  38. ^ Dilluvio, Carrie (March 3, 2015). "Viral Video of Naked Man Escaping From Buckingham Palace Revealed to Be Launch of D-Throned Tabloid for E!'s The Royals!". E! Online. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  39. ^ Mulkerrins, Jane (March 25, 2015). "The Royals review: sex, spats, silliness". The Telegraph. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  40. ^ "Elizabeth Hurley's The Royals named 'the worst show in the history of TV'". The New Zealand Herald. January 27, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
  41. ^ Stacey, Pat (March 25, 2015). "Is The Royals the worst series ever made? Probably". The Independent. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  42. ^ Hyman, Vicki. "'The Royals' review: E!'s first scripted show a royal failure". nj.com. Advance Media. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  43. ^ Amatangelo, Amy (March 12, 2015). "'The Royals': TV Review". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  44. ^ "Let's Dethrone The Royals". Vulture. March 13, 2015. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  45. ^ McNamara, Mary (March 14, 2015). "'The Royals' on E! is hardly a crowning achievement". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  46. ^ Stuart, Gwynedd (March 25, 2015). "Can The Royals dethrone the Kardashians?". Chicago Reader. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  47. ^ Stanley, Alessandra (March 12, 2015). "Review: 'The Royals' on E! Is Another Pretender to the Throne". New York Times. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  48. ^ Munn, Patrick (February 19, 2015). "E! Picks Up UK Rights To Scripted Drama The Royals, Sets Premiere For March 25th". TV Wise. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
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