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Now that you’ve binge watched “The Crown,” it’s time to give a right royal welcome to TV’s next British monarchy series, “Victoria.”
Starting on PBS on Sunday Jan 15, the prestige drama faces the hard task of making a similar impact to the wildly successful Netflix show that just won best drama series at the Golden Globes.
“Victoria” follows the early reign of the current Queen’s great-great grandmother, who ascended to the throne in 1837 aged just 18, and stars former “Doctor Who” actress Jenna Coleman in the title role.
But can it eclipse “The Crown” as TV’s best royalty drama? Here are five reasons ENTITY thinks the newcomer might just win this battle royal.
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There are real romantic sparks between Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert, played by Tom Hughes, and it’s no wonder. For stars Jenna and Tom have reportedly been dating for a year in real life and that passion passes over to their characters too. “The Crown,” apparently, has no inter-cast romances which add to the show’s intrigue.
Just as with “Downton Abbey,” the previous smash hit period drama on PBS, “Victoria” also keeps a focus on the servants and their life below stairs, to draw class distinctions between the aristocrats and the staff. Eve Myles is the standout character as Queen Victoria’s dresser, Mrs Jenkins. “The Crown” keeps the servants on the sidelines.
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While “The Crown” has a man’s voice creative behind it – that show is written by Peter Morgan – “Victoria” is the creation of bestselling novelist Daisy Goodwin, who brought a lot of her experience as a mother to the writing. Star Jenna Coleman reveals, “A big inspiration to make the series was Daisy looking at her daughter and thinking, ‘My goodness. What if tomorrow you wake up and you are the most powerful woman in the world? But you’re my teenager. You’re inexperienced in life in lots of ways, yet you have to inherit this job and have to walk into the Houses of Parliament and talk to your privy counsel.’ It’s extraordinary to even consider.”
For a series set far in the past, the show deals with many issues faced by working women today. Writer Daisy Goodwin says, “Even though she reigned in the 19th Century, Victoria is a heroine for our times. She faced the very modern dilemma of how to juggle children with her husband and her job.”
“Victoria” has already been screened in Britain where it became a huge ratings success and the most watched drama series of 2016. A second series has already been commissioned. “The Crown,”which stars Claire Foy as Elizabeth, also has a second series on the way and that is currently in production.
.@Jenna_Coleman_ is one of my favorite actors working today and Victoria one of my favorite English monarchs. Highly recommend #VictoriaPBS https://t.co/WtwIo7pKph
— Kelsey Hammer (@Kel_Hammer) January 5, 2017
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Britain’s current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has now beaten Queen Victoria’s previous record, having spent more than 63 years on the throne. Given their long reigns, there is plenty of story to keep both “The Crown” and “Victoria” on the air for years.
But it remains to be seen which royal series will ultimately rule with TV viewers.
