Despite Obama's call for hope and change, 2009 seems to be a terrible year for entertainment. There are only two super-hero movies, and while Watchmen was above average, the new Wolverine movie is the third sequel to a strictly 'alright' film. 24 and Heroes have taken a nose-dive in quality as both desperately try to make up for their last seasons and recreate the magic of earlier times. Even House M.D. has gone down-hill as House's team is incapable of doing anything but act as furniture in Hugh Laurie's office. But amidst the gloom of 2009 there is a small glimmer of light and called "The Tudors", which enters its third season April 5th.
The Tudors is a historical drama that takes place in the 16th century during the reign of King Henry Tudor VIII. For those of you who failed history class, King Henry VIII was the original pimp. He was married eight times during his reign, had six of his wives executed for various reasons, and had countless affairs. In addition to his playboy lifestyle, good ol' Henry was King of England during the Protestant Reformation and converted England to Protestantism so he could legally divorce his wife in favor of his mistress. Between the political intrigue and the romance The Tudors captures a truly fascinating period of history, and executes it beautifully with magnificent settings, great actors and an above-average script.
The concept of historical television dramas on premium channels inevitably forces me to compare The Tudors to HBO's Rome. As much as I love Showtime (most notably for Dexter) HBO will pretty much always win in a quality competition. While both Rome and The Tudors deal with political intrigue, rampant graphic sex and epic characters in history, Rome's characters are complex and characterized by their deep convictions on humanity, philosophy, political theory and of course sexuality, all of which are brilliantly portrayed, even by secondary characters. The characters in The Tudors by comparison are mostly two-dimensional. Henry's reign was characterized by relative peace and for those reasons I'm willing to give it a pass on its below-average character development, as the characters spend most of their time trying to sleep with the king or manipulate the king by sending their daughters to seduce him. Additionally, the lead characters in Rome are poor soldiers caught in the endless bloodshed of Rome's civil wars as they drift between factions. Meanwhile, the characters in The Tudors are all noble and even the poorest have mansions and servants. Perhaps a more apt title for this show would be Beverly Hills 90210 1543 A.D..
Despite its flaws it is a truly enjoyable show. The settings are varied and colorful, from castles to court, from woodland hunting grounds to medieval London. The plot is intriguing and may even make you feel sophisticated; and despite my qualms with the writing, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (King Henry VIII) and James Frain (Thomas Cromwell) perform brilliantly in their parts. And Peter O' Toole plays the Pope!
The Tudors begins its third season April 5. If you haven't seen the previous two seasons then get caught up in time for the premiere. This should keep you entertained for a while; hopefully Hollywood will produce some new, original programs by the time the season ends its run in early June.
And maybe Uwe Boll will win the Oscar's Best Picture for his live-action film "Sonic the Hedgehog" starring Usain Bolt.
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