Showbiz

TV fans rejoice as all seasons of ‘the best show since The Sopranos’ are made available to stream – with racy BBC period drama hailed as ‘glorious and gorgeous’

TV fans rejoice as all seasons of ‘the best show since The Sopranos’ are made available to stream – with racy BBC period drama hailed as ‘glorious and gorgeous’

TV fans couldn’t contain their excitement after all four seasons of The Tudors became available to stream on Amazon Prime Video – and it seems critics can’t get enough either. 

The period drama, which premiered in 2007 and is set during the reign of King Henry VIII, stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers, 47, as the monarch. 

The first season follows the period of his reign in which his ability to rule was put under strain by international conflicts and political power struggles playing out in his own court. 

Upon hitting screens, the show became the highest-rating Showtime series debut in three years. 

Although reviews were mixed from both critics and fans, the praise the series received from some was glowing. 

Time wrote in their review: ‘The scandalous history behind King Henry VIII of England and his six wives comes to life in the racy series…’ 

TV fans couldn't contain their excitement after all four seasons of The Tudors became available to stream on Amazon Prime Video - and it seems critics can't get enough either

TV fans couldn’t contain their excitement after all four seasons of The Tudors became available to stream on Amazon Prime Video – and it seems critics can’t get enough either

The period drama, which premiered in 2007 and is set during the reign of King Henry VIII, stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers, 47, as the monarch

The period drama, which premiered in 2007 and is set during the reign of King Henry VIII, stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers, 47, as the monarch

The Hollywood Reporter declared: ‘This is a solid and historically grounded drama that is dependably entertaining with performances often more riveting than the stories from which they arise.’ 

The New York Times added: ‘Showtime’s glorious, gorgeous The Tudors is the best series since The Sopranos. Period.’ 

The fourth and final series aired in 2010 and now all four seasons are available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and Channel 4. 

The Tudors was created by screenwriter and producer Michael Hirst, 72, who is best known for his films Elizabeth (1998) and Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007).

He then went on to create the series Vikings, which ran from 2013 until 2020. 

In 2018 Jonathan spoke about the legacy of The Tudors and how it paved the way for other series.

He told Collider: ‘When we made The Tudors, we were able to make a period TV show successful, for the first time. There would be no Game Of Thrones, there would be no Vikings and there would be no Crown, unless we had done The Tudors first.’ 

He added: ‘It was funny, we were on the third season of The Tudors when they greenlit Game Of Thrones. The only reason that it was greenlit was because we did The Tudors first, and we’re very proud of that.’ 

Game Of Thrones star Natalie Dormer played his mistress and then wife Anne Boleyn

Game Of Thrones star Natalie Dormer played his mistress and then wife Anne Boleyn 

The show became the highest-rating Showtime series debut in three years and received glowing reviews across the board

The show became the highest-rating Showtime series debut in three years and received glowing reviews across the board

It comes before all seasons of historical drama Vikings were recently snapped up by Netflix as some hailed the show a ‘masterpiece’. 

The show is now available on the popular streaming platform for UK users and stars Travis Fimmel, 45, as Ragnar Lothbrok.

Consisting of 89 episodes, the plot follows the dramatic adventures of the Viking warrior and others across six gory seasons. As the storyline thickens, the next generation’s quests are explored too.

The show, which first hit screens in 2013 on the History Channel, has received rave reviews from fans over the years and even scored 93% on average on Rotten Tomatoes.

Every season has been rated impressively, but three and six managed to bag enviable 100% scores. 

Pᴀssionate fans have even posted their verdicts online, with one calling it ‘the best series of all time’, while Digital Spy dubbed the whole series as ‘essential viewing’.

Someone wrote on Rotten Tomatoes, as they reviewed the first season: ‘Just the best series of all time. That simple. Just watch it.’;

It comes before all seasons of historical drama Vikings were recently snapped up by Netflix as some hailed the show a 'masterpiece'

It comes before all seasons of historical drama Vikings were recently snapped up by Netflix as some hailed the show a ‘masterpiece’ 

The show is now available on the popular streaming platform for UK users and stars Travis Fimmel, 45, as Ragnar Lothbrok (pictured)

The show is now available on the popular streaming platform for UK users and stars Travis Fimmel, 45, as Ragnar Lothbrok (pictured)

Read More Netflix snaps up all seasons of ‘the best series of all time’ with whopping 93% Rotten Tomatoes score hailed as a ‘masterpiece’ and ‘essential viewing’ article image

‘You won’t find a better performance of a character that Travis brings to Ragnar.’;

Another penned: ‘One of the greatest first seasons to a show I have ever seen, I was hooked from the first minute to the last. An experience that everyone needs to have.’;

On the second season, someone said: ‘Every season just gets better and better.’;

While the third earned a glowing review: ‘Vikings starts slow with its third season, but gradually puts its characters through numerous exciting challenges and twists, all culminating in the rousing, truly cinematic Siege of Paris.’;

Another fan raved about season four: ‘This season is the best, Vikings remains a masterpiece, as always!!!’

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