As we eagerly anticipate the return of The Serpent Queen to rule our screens in hopefully the nearest future, Lionsgate has announced that the first season of the hit period drama will become available to own on Digital starting March 6. As dramatic as it is humorous, The Serpent Queen premiered on Starz to impeccable reviews, offering a lighthearted and refreshing perspective on the life of the French monarch Catherine de Medici. A unanimous critical darling, the first season sits pretty with an excellent 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was unsurprisingly picked up for a second season just ahead of its season finale. While we await more updates on the sophomore season, Lionsgate is offering fans an opportunity to further immerse in the genesis of their favorite scheming monarch.
A dramatization of real-life events, The Serpent Queen is based on Leonie Frieda's 2004 non-fiction book, Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France, which chronicles the life and reign of the infamous titular monarch. Orphaned just a few months after her birth, the show tells Catherine's story through flashbacks as she "defends her actions and imparts the lessons she’s learned to her new servant girl, Rahima." The show first introduces Catherine as a 14-year-old with the drama surrounding her tale intensifying as she grows. After finding herself in a loveless marriage with Henry, Duke of Orléans, Catherine is determined to command fear and loyalty at court against all odds, leading her to become one of France's most powerful and longest-serving monarchs in history.
From the costume to its soundtrack and mesmerizing performance from Samantha Morton as the titular monarch, The Serpent Queen earned many laurels and quickly became a favorite of period piece lovers. With a completed source material, the show's second season will likely pick off where Season 1 left off with Morton returning to portray Catherine to great delight. Speaking to Collider about the potential arc for Season 2, showrunner Justin Haythe revealed that there could be an inclusion of "what [Catherine's] most well known for" in France, referring to the infamous St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, which he described as an "act [where] I think more people died than in [the] French Revolution."
In addition to Morton, the show also stars Sennia Nanua, Charles Dance, Colm Meaney, Kiruna Stamell, Barry Atsma, Alex Heath, Amrita Acharia, Enzo Cilenti, Antonia Clarke, Adam Garcia, Beth Goddard, Raza Jaffrey, Ray Panthaki, Nicholas Burns, Danny Kirrane, and Rupert Everett. The Serpent Queen is created by Haythe who also serves as its writer and executive producer. Other executive producers include Francis Lawrence and Erwin Stoff alongside Kathryn Tyus-Adair. The series is produced for STARZ by Lionsgate Television and 3 Arts Entertainment.
The Serpent Queen Season 1 will be available on Digital from March 6. Keep your eyes glued to Collider for updates on the sophomore season. Check out the trailer for Season 1 below: