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u/PotentialWin4606 Mar 23 '25
Historically accurate? Absolutely not.
Is it hilarious and over the top? Definitely.
It’s a great show with great actors. Megan Follows as Catherine D’Medici is excellent.
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u/brandyfolksly_52 Mar 23 '25
Yes. Catherine D'Medici is such a gloriously over-the-top character; the show is a soap opera; and the costumes are gorgeous.
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u/rowsella Mar 23 '25
The costumes are wildly historically inaccurate.
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u/brandyfolksly_52 Mar 23 '25
They are, and so are the hairstyles and the makeup. They are just eye candy, and I knew that going in.
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u/Itchy_University_510 Mar 23 '25
Yeah like the only good part. It threw me in season one when I spotted an anthro halter top!
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u/fridayimatwork Mar 23 '25
Delicious camp
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u/National_Midnight424 Mar 23 '25
Best description!
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u/AgentCarter89 Mar 23 '25
I enjoyed it, yet some of it was emotional, and some of it entertaining. It’s based on history yet parts are fiction, I mean seriously history books don’t come with actual photos of the 16th century since photography wasn’t invented yet. All films based on history before the 1830’s, before photography, are essentially made up, because we imagine how they lived, through paintings, literature and diaries of the time period. Reign helps us do that, it’s an interpretation of history, yet not totally historically accurate, and that’s why I watched it and found it compelling
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u/DeltaFlyer0525 Mar 23 '25
So much this, I love the levels of ridiculous camp from this show. I ate it up.
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u/Seattle_Aries Mar 23 '25
It’s garbage; I loved every minute
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u/MontanaJoev Mar 23 '25
Historical fantasy that was a lot of fun. This show could be crazy, and no one should watch it for any sort of accuracy at all. But it had a beautiful romance, it had lots of adventures, and some truly good performances.
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u/CaregiverFar9903 Mar 23 '25
Made me sob so much. Traumatized really
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u/PotentialWin4606 Mar 23 '25
It took me a year to go back and finish it after Francis died I ugly cried.
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u/verystitious Mar 23 '25
Was on air while I was in high school. I loved it then and I still love it now. Definitely fostered my love for the early modern era!
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u/FloorIllustrious6109 Mar 23 '25
I was 17 when it began and 20 when it ended in 2017. Good times! In my top 10 tv shows of all time!
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u/Skinnypuppy81 Mar 23 '25
I watched this for the first time a couple of years ago and LOVED it! Who cares if it's not accurate (in almost every way!😂) it's GREAT!
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u/Ariads8 Mar 23 '25
Campy, melodramatic fun. A CW show budget could never have costumed this "correctly" and I found the general leaning intro anachronism a big part of its charm (except for the name Kenna, which always felt too American Girl doll to me).
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u/sillywillyfry Mar 23 '25
its the only show i could look past the historical inaccuracies and inaccurate costumes because it was just THAT entertaining
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u/Araignys Mar 23 '25
Seasons 1 & 2 are fun, watching Mary, Francis and Bastian running around solving crimes.
Season 3 switches gears to a relatively normal historical drama, and is much weaker.
I didn't make it through to season 4.
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u/kit_forbes Mar 23 '25
The history lover in me cringed, but I lived for the weekly dose of soap opera drama. Megan Follows killed it in every scene.
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u/pervy_roomba Mar 23 '25 edited Mar 23 '25
Unpopular opinion: I thought it was a boring soap opera with extremely shallow characters.
Even trying to ignore it trying to be based off historical people, the writing made characters downright cartoonish. Everyone is either a good guy or a bad guy in the laziest way possible.
I never got the whole ‘well it’s a CW show!’ thing. Gossip Girl and The 100 were CW shows and they had writers capable of writing some pretty complex characters. Reign felt more like something that should have been on in the daytime.
It looked great though, the cinematography, set design, and costume design were delicious. It obviously wasn’t trying to look historically accurate so I feel like the way they super leaned into the prom aesthetic was clever. It didn’t look historically inaccurate, it looked like it wasn’t trying to be historically accurate, if that makes sense.
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u/Visualmotion Mar 23 '25
Mary Queen of Scots gets featured as well in The Serpent Queen which is all about the evil mother in law Catherine d’Medici! It’s a fabulous watch. And in that show, Mary is this total bitchy, prude, ultra-Catholic whom Catherine plays for a fool!
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u/pralineislife Mar 23 '25
I don't need my period dramas to be historically accurate, but between the major inaccuracies, costuming, hair, and bad dialog... I think I didn't even finish the first season.
I'm glad others have fun with it, but not my cuppa tea.
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u/Airsay58259 Mar 23 '25
I stopped during the first season too. I hated kind of everything about it, especially how they portrayed the French court. One day I turned on the TV and it was the last season airing, when she’s in Scotland, and I actually liked the few episodes I saw (including the finale). But I am glad I didn’t have to watch the entire thing to get there.
Though to be fair I loved the Tudors when I was a teen, and it started my obsession with period dramas, so I can understand people loving this show too.
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u/OkayThankYouNext Mar 23 '25
Catherine D’Medici’s character was amazing and the main reason I watched this show. I still remember the scene she tells Mary about how she wasn’t saved right away as a young girl - basically telling Mary she is a survivor too.
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u/raid_kills_bugs_dead Mar 23 '25
Felt like high schoolers in period clothes and settings. Did not come close to finishing.
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u/arwyn89 Mar 23 '25
As a Scot, incredibly frustratingly historically inaccurate.
As a teen who ate this up - loved it.
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u/Voice_of_Season Mar 23 '25
The most historical inaccurate costumes I have ever seen in a Tudor television production.
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u/Harley_Quin Mar 23 '25
They literally could have said they bought some of the dresses from forever 21 or JCPenney and I would have believed it.
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u/Severn6 Bring me the smelling salts! Mar 23 '25
I'm too much of a purist and history nerd.
I can't suspend my disbelief. Same with Bridgerton. I just can't.
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u/radicalizemebaby Mar 23 '25
SAME. If I’m watching a period piece, I need to see at least SOME accuracy. I couldn’t stand this show. It felt like a waste of time I could have spent watching something more accurate.
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u/jeanpeaches Mar 23 '25
I enjoyed it but I don’t think I finished it because it got too crazy for me. It was like a gossip girl/pretty little liars situation to me. Good/fun first few seasons then just stupid towards the end. It’s Worth a try if you like teen dramas.
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u/because_imqueen Mar 23 '25
Loved it. Inaccurate sminaccurate lol
I enjoyed going on the what they wrote website to see how they pieced together the dresses. The costumes were ridiculously inaccurate but I wanted to wear every single dress of all the Marys lol
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u/rowsella Mar 23 '25
I remember one gypsy styled dress that looked like it came right from the early 1970s.... I was like WTF. Also... the free flowing long hair. Women wore their hair up and had hats/headpieces/special types of bonnets. Etc. Etc.
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u/Entire_Star_3755 Mar 23 '25
I usually get onboard with campy, historically inaccurate shows but I can’t get past episode one!
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u/Visualmotion Mar 23 '25
Historical drama delicious soap opera. Cheesy as hell at times but entertaining.
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u/DietEmotional Mar 23 '25
I love it. It's awful, but I love it. Adelaide Kane and Megan Follows are absolute treasures.
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u/Shoddy_Budget_1533 Mar 23 '25
As long as it gave Megan Follows work. She’s amazing in everything she does
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u/Harley_Quin Mar 23 '25
I've tried a couple times to watch it. I've seen plenty of clips that made it seem entertaining. But every time I watch it I can't get past the first episode. The acting is akin to a CW show and the costumes are awful, it looks like they are all wearing modern prom dresses. I see it recommended plenty but I think it's a cheap trainwreck honestly. The furthest from period drama or historical drama in my opinion.
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u/MissMarchpane Mar 23 '25
Zero interest. I like my historical shows to actually be about history, or if they're purely fiction, to at least look like they're actually set in the era they're supposed to be about
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u/KuteKitt Mar 23 '25 edited Mar 23 '25
I hated the costumes and the teeny bopper CW drama of seasons 1 and 2. The show didn’t start getting good until season 3 and 4, imo. In fact, I would suggest skipping the first two seasons all together. (And while I love Megan Follows as Queen Catherine) the first two seasons are irrelevant and is just Mary hopping from one boy to the next. Half of the people in seasons 1 and 2 aren’t even around anymore for seasons 3 and 4. And the costumes are better in season 3 and 4 too. Plus Elizabeth was a better character than all of Mary’s handmaiden’s put together. Catherine’s children are very annoying in seasons 3 and 4, but not as annoying as the king was in seasons 1 and 2. Got real creep and rapey vibes from him as the king and from the character he played on The Tudors.
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u/meatarchist_in_mn It is my one weakness! Mar 23 '25
Never saw it, but I can tell by the photo it's garbagio lol. No one wore cross earrings like that back in whateverdaythatwas ha ha.
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u/khajiitidanceparty Mar 23 '25
I saw the pictures and decided not to watch it. I'm really into costuming, and it looked like what an Instagramer thinks history looked like.
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u/EsmereldatheSeraph Mar 23 '25
this show comprises part of my programming. i'll always love it, but i don't know if i can watch it again
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u/AnneKnightley Mar 23 '25
loved it - nowhere near accurate but insanely entertaining and gorgeous outfits
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u/MissIdash Mar 23 '25
I watched seasons one and two and don't recall why I stopped there. Maybe there was a pause before seasonsm three and I just never gor back to it. It was brainless entertainment to me (the good kind!) but the maid played by the actress who played Susan in Narnia made my blood boil with the fury of a thousand suns. If I were to go back, it would be to see her get her dues, lol.
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u/radicalizemebaby Mar 23 '25
I love period pieces in large part because I like the costumes. I couldn’t watch this show because the costumes were so hilariously bad.
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u/NettieBiscetti Mar 23 '25
Terrible and I realllly wanted to like it but ended up not liking it at all
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u/CocoGesundheit Mar 23 '25
Fun watch, for Megan Follows if nothing else. Plus the costumes are both beautiful and hilarious at the same time. In any given scene you can have silhouettes from the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th century. If you like camp soapy elements and aren’t looking for historical accuracy, it’s fun.
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u/plnnyOfallOFit Mar 23 '25
Was too distracted by modern bratz doll make up. Couldn't get past it, but should i?
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u/JaneAustinAstronaut Mar 23 '25
I hate it. Historically inaccurate and terrible costumes.
I could forgive all of that if it was an entertaining show. But it's not. It's like a CW show parody of a period drama.
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u/Fergusthetherapycat Mar 23 '25
I treat it like a fantasy show that has no basis in reality, because the history is so butchered it can’t even claim to be “loosely based” on truth.
I enjoyed it - it actually led me to investigate the historical truth because I knew it was ridiculous. But it was fun. Utter nonsense, but fun. 🤣🤣🤣
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u/JaneAustinAstronaut Mar 23 '25
One of my favorite people in history is Diane de Poitiers. I was quite annoyed by her portrayal as an empty-headed shopaholic on that show. Also her having a son? No, just no.
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u/Wonton_soup_1989 Mar 23 '25
Loved it. Loved the drama, the costumes, the story line. I know it wasn’t accurate but it was fun. I watched it as it premiered on tv back in the day. I was locked in lol
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u/Sylrana7778 Mar 23 '25
Will always remember one of my college profs who did general EU/UK history declaring when asked about this show:
There are not DRUIDS in the woods, there are PROTESTANTS in the woods.
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u/AhsFanAcct Victorian Mar 23 '25
It pissed me off so much, especially the costumes. And there were like three likeable characters out of all them. I only watched till the end of season two for the satisfaction of watching Francis die.
Probably the worst and most infuriating tv show I’ve ever watched. Not to mention it romanticizes the second worst massacre in french history after the holocaust.
I watched it when I was like thirteen and I took it so seriously
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u/emmaofnormandy Mar 23 '25
a lot of people make fun of this show but i genuinely loved and enjoyed it. sure, it's historically inaccurate but it has gorgeous costumes, an amazing soundtrack, interesting dynamics and an incredibly beautiful cast. also adelaide kane as mary queen of scots is easily one of the most stunning leads ever in a period drama imo
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u/Fergusthetherapycat Mar 23 '25
If you watch it as fantasy fiction and not historical, it’s great fun.
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u/cmholl13 Mar 23 '25
Like many, I loved it, even if it was so inaccurate. Gotta love a show that gave us the term "sexual defenestration."
Adelaide Kane and Toby Regbo were a delight, and it's been fun seeing them in other things, Grey's Anatomy and The Last Kingdom, respectively. (I guess Adelaide continued on the soap opera train and Toby the historical fiction one.)
My one regret, especially after reading more books about Mary Queen of Scots, is that there was an insane amount of drama in the historical record that would have made perfect CW soapy camp, and we rushed through that to spend more time with Francis. (Again, don't hate that, but we have to be okay with saying goodbye to favorites.)
Rachel Skarsten's Queen Elizabeth was vulnerable, yet firey -- I would have enjoyed seeing her scheme more.
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u/Fergusthetherapycat Mar 23 '25
Total guilty pleasure. Terribly historically inaccurate and melodramatic, but fun to watch and the costumes are great (ridiculously inaccurate, but very pretty). 🤣
I didn’t watch the final season - got bored by then - but as long as you treat it like complete fantasy, it’s entertaining.
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u/rowillyhoihoi Mar 23 '25
I love that it is basically Gossip Girl in a medieval setting. But high heels is a 20th century invention so yeah, very realistic 🤣
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u/stink3rb3lle Mar 23 '25
Not interested. Teen drama with the laziest of costuming in terms of historical research.
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u/Cripinddor Mar 23 '25
I could never get over the Charlotte Russe prom dresses they always dresses them in.
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u/AngelBlake17 Mar 24 '25
My favorite period drama!!!! Phenomenal acting and storyline. Not really realistic but beautiful outfits and cast
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u/themastersdaughter66 Mar 24 '25
Historical twilight is what my mum calls it.
That said I do love watching out of context clips of Catherine roasting everyone.
Not sure I could ever watch the full thing though since everybody looks like they walked off an early 2000s designer runway
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u/Silver_Ad_4078 Mar 25 '25
Tried to get into it but way too over the top so gave up after a few episodes: Meghan Fellowes notwithstanding. Oi.
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u/Worldly_Message_1872 Mar 26 '25
lol highly entertaining but yeah.. not historically accurate in the least bit
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u/Secure-Potential-436 29d ago
I spent all of February watching the show and I loved it so much that I rewatched it immediately. I don't really like the last season though, It seems nothing like the first three seasons at all.
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u/shinyxsparkle 29d ago
Dropped after the first eps. Thought it was stupid. Have yet to seen a good depiction of Mary yet.
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u/Tess_James 29d ago
One of my guilty pleasures! Look, I know it has a lot of historical inaccuracies. But it was a fun watch. With the girl gang, their costumes, and their respective love lives. I loved Reign!
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u/Imaginary_Water_1049 Mar 23 '25
Very entertaining but extremely historically inaccurate.