The Maiden's Court: Upcoming TV Show: Reign

It seems like there are a bevy of historical dramas coming to television in the next year – and here is another, coming to the CW Network, aimed at the teen scene.

Premiering October 10^th will be a new drama series called Reign, which focuses on Mary, Queen of Scots during her time in France (at least this season). Here are the publicity notes:

Hidden between the lines of the history books is the story of Mary Stuart, the young woman the world would come to know as Mary, Queen of Scots. Queen of Scotland since she was six days old, the teenage Mary is already a headstrong monarch - beautiful, passionate, and poised at the very beginning of her tumultuous rise to power. Arriving in France with four close friends as her ladies-in-waiting, Mary has been sent to secure Scotland’s strategic alliance by formalizing her arranged engagement to the French king's dashing son, Prince Francis. But the match isn't signed and sealed: it depends more on politics, religion and secret agendas than affairs of the heart. Prince Francis is intrigued by the fiery Scot, but like most young men, he resists the idea of settling down into marriage, especially when he has a history with a lady of the court and his own point of view on the wisdom of an alliance with Scotland. Still, an attraction between Mary and Francis is ignited. Further complicating things is Bash, Francis' roguish half-brother, who has a history of his own - despite his illegitimate birth, Bash is his father's favorite. And now that Bash has caught Mary's eye, a royal triangle may be forming. While at French Court, fierce foes and dark forces conspire to sabotage Mary’s marriage to Francis and even threaten her life, until a mysterious shrouded guide becomes her ally. With danger and sexual intrigue around every dark castle corner, Mary rallies her ladies-in-waiting and steels herself, ready to rule the new land and balance the demands of her country and her heart.

The series stars Adelaide Kane (“Teen Wolf”) as Mary, Toby Regbo (“One Day”) as Prince Francis, Torrance Coombs (“The Tudors”) as Bash, Megan Follows (“Anne of Green Gables”) as Queen Catherine, Alan Van Sprang (“The Tudors”) as King Henry, Celina Sinden (newcomer) as Greer, Caitlin Stasey (newcomer) as Kenna, Anna Popplewell (“The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”) as Lola, and Jenessa Grant (“Cyberbully”) as Aylee.

You might recognize a couple of the names and faces that are joining this cast – particularly Torrence Coombs, who played Thomas Culpepper in Showtime’s The Tudors, and Alan Van Sprang, who played Sir Francis Bryan in The Tudors.

I’m sort of anticipating a Gossip Girl set in the 1600’s but it might surprise me. From the video clips, I think that the music choices and look of the show might catch the attention of younger viewers. I have no idea how historically accurate it will be, but I will probably check it out – at least the premiere. I am a little impressed by someone other than a premium cable channel or the History channel taking on a show like this, but I’m curious as to how they arrived at this idea.

Here are some video clips:

This is the trailer -