Showtime Has Another Winner

Back in olden times, before Henry VIII gobbled his way through six wives and any food he could get his hands on, before Anne Boleyn lost her head, before Thomas More was anything more than a lawyer, this is the setting for The Tudors, Showtime's new weekly series. I happened to catch the first two episodes on Showtime On Demand. (I believe you can also watch them on Showtime's website.) And I rather enjoyed it.

Like most historical dramas, it's fairly dense in the historical aspect, sometimes requiring picking up a history book to understand what's going on. (Like Lord Buckingham's being bitter about not being an heir to the throne due to his family losing The War of the Roses and the subsequent death of Richard III.) However, it's actually easier to follow than HBO's Rome. And, of course, it's filled with the requisite sex and deceit present in every Medieval Times Show. It's a good time.

I think it also marks a shift to where all the good programming is on premium cable. Historically, HBO has always had the best shows, but they currently only have one worth watching. (And that would be The Wire) Showtime, on the other hand, just keeps putting out shows that turn out being some of the best stuff on TV. (Which is a good thing for Showtime, because their original programming is the only reason to watch Showtime.)

Now, if they could just get their movie selection to be as good as their original programming, Showtime might be the new network to watch.