I received this through the submission form for the Q&A blog, but it really belongs here. I personally feel that they wrote themselves into a corner by changing everything about Henry VIII’s sisters, and therefore losing many of the dramatic story lines of Jane Grey, Katherine Grey, Mary Queen of Scots, etc. I don’t see how they could honestly work those people back into the story as potential heirs to the throne when they’ve eliminated the basis for their claims to the throne.
But, if you’re interested in asking Showtime to continue the series, please see the information below.
God Save “The Tudors”!!
According to Robert Greenblatt, entertainment president of the U.S. pay-TV channel Showtime, “The Tudors” final season “will be the final two wives”, season 4.
Please, help keep the Tudors alive. By signing the petition you are asking Showtime to extend The Tudors for 2-3 more seasons, following season 4. We are asking to see the reigns of the infamous and beloved Edward IV, Mary I, and Elizabeth I.
Come one, come all! Help save “The Tudors”, from getting the AXE! Please, click on the link provided and sign the petition.
Thank you.
[Updated – I’ve decided to close this thread to any additional comments. Nikki’s second comment came in while I was writing my own comment closing the thread, so I allowed it to be the final one. Please understand my reasoning for closing this thread – people have had their say and I don’t want it to continue on to a full-out argument on the issue.]
Hmmmm…I’ve got completely mixed feelings about this too. The first season was ridiculously stupid as far as the rest of Tudor history was concerned. I totally agree with you, Lara, that they painted themselves into a corner as regards future issues.
But they seemed to have set themselves back on course, as least as regards matters in Henry VIII’s time. And I would like to see them do Henry’s last two wives. I have heard that Jonathan Rhys Myers refuses to come back though, which I think is a shame. He should see this as an opportunity to put his acting up against Keith Michell’s, but he doesn’t seem to see it in that light.
I think it is going to come down to Showtime and if they think they can make money on it, and not any petition by fans.
“Ridiculously stupid.” Quite a harsh statement. If you’re that upset about the way history is portrayed, perhaps you should petition every producer of every historical movie ever made just so they can re-do it and make it right! You people are such harsh critics.
I agree with Kathy that Season One was ridiculously, laughably stupid. And the producers/writers did paint themselves into some corners with their vastly altered storylines. I think this little piece of soft-core porn masquerading as “history” should be allowed to die quietly. I cringe at the thought of Edward VI, played by some actor cast in the same bizarre way that Myers was cast (Edward VI played by the kid who starred in Slumdog Millionaire, perhaps?), bedding every female he can lay his hands on. Perhaps they could cast Heidi Klum as Mary Tudor circa 1553-1558. After that, we could be “entertained” for several seasons by some ersatz Elizabeth I bedding every male courtier imaginable, from Cecil to the stable boy.
No, I say NO MORE SHOWTIME “TUDORS” !!!!
Myers may not be returning because a) he has serious psychological problems that he needs to attend to (he’s been in rehab off and on) and b) he is fearful of being unemployable as an actor after appearing in this hideous series. Think George Reeve after playing Superman for a few years in the 1950s.
Oh, and by the way, “Anonymous,” if I could, I WOULD “petition every producer of every historical movie ever made [to] … make it right”!!! There have been some superbly entertaining, award winning movies and TV series made that were “spot-on” accurate historically. “John Adams” comes immediately to mind. As a commentor suggested over on the Q&A blog, Hollywood invariably makes history LESS interesting and LESS entertaining when they “dumb it down” and simplify it and sexualize it. If the Hollywood types want to produce a fairytale like Showtime’s “The Tudors,” at least have the decency to change all of the characters’ names so that uninformed viewers will be less likely to think they are watching a documentary!
Obviously there are a lot of strong feelings on this subject!
I understand that fans of the show get upset when they see the criticism of a program they enjoy, but you also have to look at it the other way around. Those of us who love the real Tudor history get very annoyed at the distortions of something that we care about as well. I’ve enjoyed some of the dramatic elements of the show, but I really do get frustrated with some of the historical poetic license (especially the whole Margaret/Mary thing!).
Let’s just try to keep this a civil conversation, even though there are a lot of passionate feelings on the topic. If it goes off the rails I’ll close the comment thread.
As Laura pointed out, look at it from the other side. People who enjoy “entertainment” like the show. You Tudor history buffs get annoyed when each piece of history isn’t portrayed correctly. This series wasn’t meant to be that way…it’s on Showtime for God’s sake! Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy my Tudor history just like the rest of you. But I will also research to find out the real truth. Give some of us the benefit of the doubt.
When history buffs scoff at historically inaccurate movies, it’s like you’re saying to the rest of us, “Gosh people, you’re stupid if you believe that!” I understand that you want the truth to be told, but Hollywood doesn’t always go for that. Take it for what it is. Entertainment! If you don’t like it, then why are you watching it?
May I remind you that The Tudor’s received FOUR Emmy nominations in the first season, and TWO in the 2nd season, one of which was for “Outstanding Cast for a Drama Series.” I will put emphasis on the word “drama” series!
So…this show has been through 20 episodes and already nominated for 6 Emmy’s? (And debuted to a record setting audience on Showtime) Sounds like somebody likes it.
JRM obviously was cast for his looks, not his likeness to Henry. Natalie Dormer did a great job at playing Anne, she’s a great actress. I also enjoyed Maria Doyle Kennedy. She made you feel sympathy for Katherine. The actors and actresses are playing a role…bringing a character to life. Obviously, they’re doing a good job. Well, at least the people at the Emmy’s think so. 🙂
While I am a fan of the show, I do agree that they’ve written themselves out of lot of material! I think the series should continue through the reigns of Henry’s children, minus Lady Jane of course. I would be curious to see what direction they would take.
Okay, I think both sides have had a say now, so I’m going to close this discussion. I really, really don’t want this blog or my Q&A blog to suffer some of the problems that I’ve encountered on other blogs and discussion lists. Let’s just agree to disagree.
Thanks, and I appreciate your understanding on this matter.
I forgot to add that there are a select few that do ask questions…on this board. The most recent question is about the violin. Certain aspects of the show peak your interest and want to make you find out the real history behind it. Chances are that if a person is watching The Tudors and decides to google about it, this website is going to come up. (I did!) Now, I visit this website on a regular basis to soak up all the knowledge that I can.