Scripted series · STARZ
The Serpent Queen
It feels good to be bad.
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Samantha Morton
Catherine de Medici
16 eps
Liv Hill
Young Catherine
8 eps
Amrita Acharia
Aabis
16 eps
Barry Atsma
Anne de Montmorency
16 eps
Enzo Cilenti
Cosimo Ruggeri
16 eps
Sennia Nanua
Rahima
8 eps
Kiruna Stamell
Mathilde
8 eps
Nicholas Burns
Antoine de Bourbon
16 eps
Beth Goddard
Antoinette de Bourbon
8 eps
Raza Jaffrey
Francis de Guise
8 eps
Danny Kirrane
Louis de Bourbon
16 eps
Ray Panthaki
Charles de Lorraine
8 eps
Bill Milner
Charles IX
8 eps
Paul Chahidi
Charles de Bourbon
1 eps
Navid Negahban
Claude de Lorraine
1 eps
Alex Heath
Henry II of France
1 eps
Ruby Bentall
Angelica
1 eps
Louis Landau
Francis III of Brittany
1 eps
Naomi Battrick
Anne de Pisseleu d'Heilly
1 eps
Colm Meaney
Francis I of France
1 eps
Charles Dance
Clement VII
1 eps
Adam Garcia
Sebastiano de Montecuccoli
1 eps
Rebecca Gethings
Eleanor of Austria
1 eps
Memet Ali Alabora
Suleiman I of Turkey
1 eps
Gemma Dobson
Nathalie
1 eps
Anna Cottis
Cook
1 eps
Delcho Koprivshki
Lorenzo de' Medici
1 eps
Ludivine Sagnier
Diane de Poitiers
4 eps
Pierre Cévaër
Footman
1 eps
Loïc Azorin
Footman
1 eps
David Pearse
Cardinal
1 eps
Raphael Roger Levy
Leader of Soldiers
1 eps
Lucy Edkins
Mother Superior
1 eps
Antonin Totot
Catherine's Guard
1 eps
Nicolas Buchoux
Doctor (Pope)
1 eps
Carlotta Moraru
Prostitute
1 eps
Barbara Laurent
Prostitute
1 eps
Simon Parmentier
Antoine de Bourbon
1 eps
Nathan Parent
Louis de Bourbon
1 eps
Adam Amara
Francis de Guise
1 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How The Serpent Queen actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
The Serpent Queen reads strongest on Character Depth, Bingeability and Emotional Weight.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
The story
What it's about
Considered an immigrant, common and plain, Catherine de Medici is married into the 16th century French court as an orphaned teenager expected to bring a fortune in dowry and produce many heirs, only to discover that her husband is in love with an older woman, her dowry is unpaid and she’s unable to concieve. Yet, only with her intelligence and determination, she manages to keep her marriage alive and masters the bloodsport that is the monarchy better than anyone else, ruling France for 50 years.
The run
Seasons
2 seasons · 16 episodes.
Season 1 · Complete
Season 1
20228 episodes
5.7IMDbCatherine de' Medici marries into the French court as an orphaned teenager and is expected to bring in a fortune in dowry and produce heirs only to discover that her husband is in love with an older woman and that she cannot conceive children.
Best episode · S01E08 A Queen Is Made
Season 2 · Complete
Season 2
20248 episodes
3.8IMDbIn the second season of "The Serpent Queen," Catherine's rule faces power struggles, conflicts, and betrayals as she seeks unity in France. Her grip on power is tested.
Best episode · S02E04 Judas
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S01E08
A Queen Is Made
The planned kidnapping of King Francis goes awry but Catherine devises a new plan to allow her control of the country.
S01E07
An Attack on the King
Mary visits Rahima and recounts her side of the story of life at the Royal Court. Catherine and Mary have conflicting views when it comes to freedom of religion in France.
S01E05
The First Regency
King Henri departs to lead an army to defend France and places Catherine in charge as Regent, allowing her to test her powers further. Catherine asks Rahima to search Mary's room for a letter.
S01E03
The Price
Prince Henri returns from war with a new mistress, Filippa, and a baby. Catherine resorts to extreme measures to produce an heir.
- Written by Elizabeth Chakkappan
S01E01
Medici Bitch
Queen Catherine begins to tell the story of her life to Rahima, a servant girl, revealing how she came to enter the French Royal Court at the age of 14.
- Directed by Stacie Passon
- Written by Justin Haythe
S01E06
The Last Joust
Catherine has a dream that predicts that her husband will be wounded while jousting. Catherine and Henri decide that their son Francis should delay his wedding to Mary.
Recently aired
Latest Episodes
S02E08
All Saints Day
S02E07
A House Divided
S02E06
Courting the Valois
S02E05
Time with the Family
S02E04
Judas
S02E03
Death of a Prince
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Executive production
- Justin HaytheExecutive Producer
- Francis LawrenceExecutive Producer
- Erwin StoffExecutive Producer
Writing
- Justin HaytheWriter
- Elizabeth ChakkappanWriter
Direction
- Stacie PassonDirector
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- Amazon VideoBuy
- Apple TV StoreBuy
- Google Play MoviesBuy
- Fandango At HomeBuy
- Spectrum On DemandStreaming
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