What is it? The Royals, Season 1, 10 episodes on three discs from Lionsgate
When? Now
How much? $39.98
Ooh! I love the British royal family. Might want to stay away from this one, then. This story is set in a fictional version of modern England -- different family altogether. One would hope these people bear little to no resemblance to the real deal. Yikes.
King Simon (Vincent Regan) is a conscientious, well-meaning monarch who's not too thrilled about the effect all the wealth, power and prestige are having on his family. His wife, Queen Helena (Elizabeth Hurley), has no such qualms. This modern-day Lady Macbeth is perfectly happy with the status quo. Though she does wish her two younger children were a bit better at towing the line. At least in public.
But they show no inclination to do so. Prince Liam (William Moseley) is a rebellious, fun-loving prince who likes to spend his time hanging out with friends, drinking and flirting. His twin sister, Princess Eleanor (Alexandra Park), is a self-destructive party girl who more often than not comes home drunk, wasted, or both after a night of clubbing. The tabloids love these two.
Their world is upended when dependable oldest son and heir Robert dies suddenly (and mysteriously). Now, Liam is next in line to the throne, overwhelmed and apprehensive at assuming all that responsibility. And it certainly adds a new twist to his budding relationship with Ophelia (Merritt Patterson), the American-raised daughter of the king's chief of security (Oliver Milburn).
Robert's death has a profound effect on Simon, who is considering abolishing the monarchy all together. That's bad news for Helena and Prince Cyrus (Jake Maskall), Simon's scheming, villainous younger brother, who'd like nothing better than to get his brother and remaining nephew and niece out of the way.
What's it like? A modern soap opera, with elaborate sets and costumes, wildly over-the-top story lines and bad writing.
By the looks of things, the creators took Dynasty, tabloid reports of the real royal family, a pinch of Hamlet and put them all in a blender. This is the result.
But that makes it sound better than it is. It's too outrageous to be a serious drama, but too serious to be fun and campy. Instead it's just surprisingly boring. And the characters are so off-putting that's there's just not much to sustain interest.
Are there extras? There are three behind-the-scenes puff pieces on the creation of the series, the costumes and the relationship between royalty in public and in private in the day of intrusive media. It's 26 minutes in all.
New this week: Castle, Season 7; Chicago Fire, Season 3; Chicago PD, Season 2; The Cosby Show, Complete Series; Good Times, Complete Series; Hawaii Five-0, Season 5; The League, Season 6; Madam Secretary, Season 1; Nashville, Season 3; New Girl, Season 4; The Originals, Season 2; The Partridge Family, Complete Series; Scorpion, Season 1; The Vampire Diaries, Season 6.
Next week: Blue Bloods, Season 5; Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Season 2; The Goldbergs, Season 2; Gotham, Season 1; Haven, Season 5; Hill Street Blues, Season 6; Homeland, Season 4; Mr. Belvedere, Season 4; Supernatural, Season 10.
Style on 08/30/2015