AARP Hearing Center
This month, Julianne Moore, 63, returns to the world of prestige television with her new historical miniseries Mary & George (premiering April 5 on Starz). The Oscar winner gets deliciously devious as 17th-century English social climber Mary Villiers, who hatches a scheme to have her dashing adult son George (Nicholas Galitzine, Red, White & Royal Blue) seduce King James (Tony Curran, 54) and become his “favorite,” thus securing their family’s fortunes. The plan sets in motion a string of murder plots, double crosses, rivalries and lots and lots of sex. Best of all, it’s all based on real events.
Of course, this isn’t the first time that TV creators have turned to the stories of royals for erotically charged dramas. There’s just something about all those deep, dark castles and power-mad nobles and plunging necklines that inspires bed-hopping and bodice-ripping. Need a royal watch juicier than the oh-so-staid episodes of The Crown? Here, seven romance-heavy dramas that chart the stories of royals from Louis XIV and Catherine the Great to a very unreal queen consort played by Elizabeth Hurley, 58.
The Great (2020)
The royal scoop: Equal parts sexy and satirical, this Hulu dramedy follows the highs and lows of the relationship between Catherine the Great (Elle Fanning) and Peter III (Nicholas Hoult), as she begins her reign as Russia’s oft-rumored-about enlightened empress. The royal couple have blazing chemistry, but that doesn’t stop them from entering into a never-ending cycle of backstabbing and betrayals, attempted coups and murder plots. The series was created by Tony McNamara, 57, the two-time Oscar-nominated screenwriter of The Favourite and Poor Things, and he’s quite open about just how loosely he bases his scripts on reality: After all, the show’s title card often includes the subtitles An Occasionally True Story and An Almost Entirely Untrue Story. In other words, take everything with a grain of salt — or a shot of strong Russian vodka.
Watch it: The Great on Apple TV, Hulu, Prime Video
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (2023)
The royal scoop: Shonda Rhimes, 54, pushed the steaminess envelope when she made the leap to Netflix with Bridgerton, about eight siblings entering London high society in the early 19th-century Regency era. A breakout character was Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel, 53), such a hit that she got her own prequel spin-off, which focused on the rise of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (played as a young woman by India Amarteifio) to the throne and her relationship to the strapping King George III (Corey Mylchreest). The six-episode limited series follows two timelines: one in 1761 as the royal couple is meet-cute-ing and a-courting, and one in 1817 that delves into their marriage and the king’s declining mental health. Among the other budding romances happening in and around the palace is one between the king’s and queen’s secretaries, Reynolds (Freddie Dennis) and Brimsley (Sam Clemmett).
Watch it: Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story on Netflix
More From AARP
How Accurate Is the Lincoln Assassination Miniseries ‘Manhunt’?
Here’s everything you need to know before watching the killer thriller
Members Only: Kyle MacLachlan Is a True Renaissance Man
Actor talks new series, true crime podcast, running a winery, and the joy of working with Zoë Kravitz
What You Need to Know Before Watching ‘Feud: Capote vs. The Swans’
The docudrama boasts a boatload of 50+ stars and a gripping (mostly) true story
Recommended for You