Television series

Reign

Name: Reign
Genre: Drama, Romance, History
Released: 2013
Cast: Adelaide Kane, Megan Follows, Celina Sinden, Torrance Coombs, Anna Popplewell

Period drama

Reign is The CW's glossy teen-soap reimagining of 16th-century French court life, following a very young Mary Stuart as she navigates an arranged betrothal to Prince Francis amid poison, witchcraft, and constant scheming. It trades historical accuracy for anachronistic needle-drops and love-triangle melodrama. Watch it for pure escapism, sumptuous costumes, and relentless plotting — not for a history lesson.

TVMaze rating

3.8

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like your costume drama served with soapy romance, scheming courtiers and a heroine who wants her heart and her crown at once, and you don't mind history bent for the sake of a good night in.

Skip it if you want the history to hold up, since the timeline and characters are loosely shaped for romance, and sultry court banter can feel thin if you came for sober political drama.

What it asks of you: Sixty-minute episodes stacked up over four seasons, so settle in for the long haul; the pace is brisk and the tone is cheerful, with plots that keep circling back to who is sleeping with whom.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Tudors2007

If you loved the scheming courtiers and forbidden romances, this raises the stakes with Henry VIII's court — same lavish costumes and tangled marriages, but sharper writing and real historical weight beneath the sex and betrayal.

But Considerably more explicit and violent than Reign's teen-friendly intrigue; not for anyone wanting the CW's relatively chaste romance.

The White Queen2013

Another young woman navigating marriage as a political weapon amid the Wars of the Roses — rival queens, secret alliances, and ambitious mothers pulling every string, told with real narrative sweep.

But Slower pacing and a denser cast of rival houses can make it harder to follow than Reign's tighter core group.

Versailles2015

Swap Scotland for the Sun King's court: the same hothouse mix of sex, ambition, and shifting allegiances, but with more visual flair and a genuinely wicked sense of palace cruelty.

But In French with subtitles for many viewers, and its adult content goes further than Reign ever did.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Reign

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Mary, Queen of Scots1971

It's the same historical figure and the same French-then-Scottish arc Reign fictionalizes, but told as sober, tragic history rather than teen romance — the story with the gloss stripped away.

Vanessa Redgrave's performance carries real gravity and tragedy, showing the political trap Mary actually faced — a corrective to Reign's soapy invention, and gorgeously mounted.

But Stately, deliberate pacing and genuine historical grimness — no love triangles or witches, just power, faith, and doom closing in.

The Borgias2011

Trade a queen's court for a pope's family — the same poisoned goblets, whispered conspiracies, and doomed romances, powered by a magnetic lead performance and real menace.

But Heavier, bloodier and more cynical than Reign's romantic optimism; less swoon, more dread.

Victoria2016

A young queen thrust into power too soon, torn between duty and desire, surrounded by advisors with their own agendas — gentler in tone but just as invested in royal romance.

But More restrained and historically careful; if you liked Reign's anachronistic chaos, this may feel comparatively tame.

The Serpent Queen2022

Catherine de' Medici gets her own show here, and seeing her origin story — manipulated bride to ruthless power broker — recontextualizes everything Reign's version only hinted at.

But Told with a knowing, fourth-wall-breaking wit that's darker and more cynical than Reign's earnest melodrama.

The Spanish Princess2019

Another teenage royal bride navigating a foreign court's politics and gossip, with the same mix of romance, rivalry, and religious tension that drove Mary's story.

But Part of a loose trilogy with other shows, so plot threads and characters carry baggage from earlier seasons you haven't seen.

Poldark2015

If it's the romantic yearning and gorgeous scenery you loved, this delivers windswept coastlines, class conflict, and slow-burn love triangles with real emotional stakes.

But Far less palace intrigue and scheming — this is character-driven romance and rural drama, not court politics.

Outlander2014

Another headstrong woman navigating danger, arranged loyalties, and Highland politics, but with time travel raising the emotional and physical stakes well beyond Reign's palace walls.

But Much more graphic in violence and intimacy, and its supernatural premise is a bigger leap than anything in Reign.

The Great2020

Same engine as Reign — a young foreign royal thrust into a treacherous court and forced marriage, surrounded by scheming nobles — but recast as savage, anachronistic comedy instead of earnest melodrama.

Elle Fanning's Catherine is Mary Stuart's spiritual cousin: naive, ambitious, and surrounded by liars, except here the absurdity of court life is played for filthy, brilliant laughs.

But The tone is deliberately vulgar and satirical — if you wanted Reign's sincerity, this mocks the very genre it belongs to.