Becoming Elizabeth Canceled at Starz
Queen Elizabeth I’s teenage years will no longer be charted at Starz.
Deadline has revealed the premium cabler has canceled the Alicia von Rittberg series after just one season.
The series launched in the U.S. and Starz territories around the globe in June.
Reviews were decent, but Starz hadn’t been forthcoming about viewership statistics, which could signal that the interest was not high enough to sustain the series.
Here’s the logline:
Long before she ascended the throne, young Elizabeth Tudor, played by Alicia von Rittberg (Fury, Charité, Genius), was an orphaned teenager who became embroiled in the political and sexual politics of the English court.
The death of King Henry VIII sees his nine-year-old son Edward, played by Oliver Zetterström (The Midnight Gang, The Romanoffs), take the throne and sets into motion a dangerous scramble for power when Elizabeth, Edward and their sister Mary, played by Romola Garai (The Hour, The Miniaturist) find themselves pawns in a game between the great families of England and the powers of Europe who vie for control of the country.
Additional key players in the relentless quest for power include King Henry’s widow, Catherine Parr, played by Jessica Raine (The Informer, Patrick Melrose), Thomas Seymour, played by Tom Cullen (Weekend, Black Mirror).
He plays the new King’s uncle, who quickly marries the widowed Catherine but soon takes an interest in the teenage Elizabeth and Duke of Somerset, played by John Heffernan (The Pursuit of Love, The Crown).
The Duke of Somerset loses no time in claiming the position of Lord Protector for himself when the old King dies.
The drama series also stars Jamie Blackley (Greed, The Last Kingdom), Alexandra Gilbreath (Tulip Fever, RSC’s Provoked Wife), Jamie Parker (1917, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child), Leo Bill (Rare Beasts, In Fabric), and Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones, The Last of Us).
News of the cancellation dropped the same day that Dangerous Liaisons had been renewed for a second ahead of its series premiere.
What are your thoughts on the cancellation?
Hit the comments below.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
