''Versailles'' is a French historical fiction drama

Canal+ Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...

original

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

, set during the construction of the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

during the reign of

Louis XIV Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...

, that premiered on 16 November 2015 on Canal+ in France and on Super Channel in Canada, in May 2016 on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...

in Britain, and on 1 October 2016 on

Ovation The ovation ( la, ovatio from ''ovare'': to rejoice) was a form of the Roman triumph. Ovations were granted when war was not declared between enemies on the level of nations or states; when an enemy was considered basely inferior (e.g., slaves, p ...

in the United States. A second season was ordered prior to the season one premiere. Filming for the second season began in February 2016; its story took place four years after that of the first season. The second season premiered on 27 March 2017 in France and aired from 21 April 2017 in Britain. On 14 September 2016, producer Claude Chelli confirmed that ''Versailles'' had been renewed for a third season, which began filming in April 2017. On 17 April 2018, ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' reported that the third season of ''Versailles'' would be its last.

Plot introduction

In the wake of the

Fronde The Fronde () was a series of civil wars in France between 1648 and 1653, occurring in the midst of the Franco-Spanish War, which had begun in 1635. King Louis XIV confronted the combined opposition of the princes, the nobility, the law cour ...

in 1667, the

French nobility The French nobility (french: la noblesse française) was a privileged social class in France from the Middle Ages until its abolition on June 23, 1790 during the French Revolution. From 1808 to 1815 during the First Empire the Emperor Napol� ...

have begun to defy and disobey the monarchy. Young King

( George Blagden) decides to move the court from the

Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye The Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a former royal palace in the commune of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in the ''département'' of Yvelines, about 19 km west of Paris, France. Today, it houses the '' musée d'Archéologie nationale'' (N ...

near

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

to his father's former hunting lodge near the

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...

as a means to force their submission. As Louis renovates and expands his new

, the nobles—displaced from their usual surroundings but compelled to accompany the king—become embroiled in increasingly dangerous intrigues.

Cast

Main

* George Blagden as Louis XIV, King of France *

Alexander Vlahos Alexander Vlahos (born 30 July 1988) is a Welsh actor, writer, and director best known for playing Philippe, Duke of Orléans, in the Canal+ television series ''Versailles''. In 2012, Vlahos took over from Asa Butterfield in the role of Mordr ...

as Monsieur

Philippe I, Duke of Orléans ''Monsieur'' Philippe I, Duke of Orléans (21 September 1640 – 9 June 1701), was the younger son of King Louis XIII of France and his wife, Anne of Austria. His elder brother was the "Sun King", Louis XIV. Styled Duke of Anjou from bir ...

, brother of the king * Tygh Runyan as Fabien Marchal, the king's chief of police * Stuart Bowman as

Alexandre Bontemps Alexandre Bontemps (1626–1701) was the valet of King Louis XIV and a powerful figure at the court of Versailles, respected and feared for his exceptional access to the King. He was the second of a sequence of five Bontemps to hold the position ...

valet A valet or varlet is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, valet de chambre was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term "valet ...

of the king *

Amira Casar Amira Casar is a British-born actress who grew up in England, Ireland, and France. Early life Amira is the daughter of a Kurdish father and a Russian mother. She was born in London and was subsequently raised in England, Ireland, and France. Sh ...

as Béatrice, Madame de Clermont * Evan Williams as Chevalier de Lorraine, lover of the Duke of Orléans * Noémie Schmidt as

Henrietta of England Henrietta Anne of England (16 June 1644 O.S. N.S.">New_Style.html" ;"title="6 June 1644 New Style">N.S.– 30 June 1670) was the youngest daughter of King Charles I of England and Queen Henrietta Maria. Fleeing England with her mother and go ...

, first wife of Phillipe * Anna Brewster as Françoise-Athénaïs, Marquise de Montespan, the king's favourite mistress *Sarah Winter as

Louise de La Vallière Françoise ''Louise'' de La Vallière, Duchess of La Vallière and Vaujours, born Françoise Louise de La Baume Le Blanc de La Vallière, Mademoiselle de La Vallière (6 August 1644 – 7 June 1710) was a French noblewoman and the first mistress ...

* Suzanne Clément as Madame Agathe * Catherine Walker as Madame Scarron / Madame de Maintenon *

Elisa Lasowski Elisa Wald-Lasowski (born 15 November 1984) is a French actress, most notable for her film and television work. She grew up in the Netherlands, Algeria and France. She is fluent in French, English, Spanish, Dutch and German. Acting Lasowski has ...

as Marie-Thérèse, Queen Consort of France * Maddison Jaizani as Béatrice's daughter Sophie de Clermont, later the Duchesse de Cassel *Jessica Clark as

Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess of the Palatinate Princess Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate (german: Prinzessin Elisabeth Charlotte von der Pfalz), (french: Princesse Élisabeth-Charlotte du Palatinat); known as Liselotte von der Pfalz, 27 May 1652 – 8 December 1722) was a German m ...

, Philippe's second wife * Pip Torrens as the Duke de Cassel *

Harry Hadden-Paton Harry Frederick Gerard Hadden-Paton (born 10 April 1981) is a British actor. He is perhaps best known for his television roles as Herbert Pelham, 7th Marquess of Hexham, in the television series ''Downton Abbey'' and Martin Charteris in ''The ...

as Gaston de Foix *

Greta Scacchi Greta Scacchi, OMRI (; born 18 February 1960) is an Italian-Australian actress. She holds dual Italian and Australian citizenship. She is best known for her roles in the films '' White Mischief'' (1987), '' Presumed Innocent'' (1990), '' The Pl ...

as Madeleine de Foix

Recurring

Lizzie Brocheré Lizzie Brocheré (, born 22 March 1985) is a French film, television, and theatre actress who began working as a child actress in 1995. She moved to English-speaking roles in the early 2010s, with appearances in dark comedic and dramatic pieces ...

as Claudine Masson, midwife who becomes the king's physician *Steve Cumyn as

Jean-Baptiste Colbert Jean-Baptiste Colbert (; 29 August 1619 – 6 September 1683) was a French statesman who served as First Minister of State from 1661 until his death in 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His lasting impact on the organization of the country ...

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...

*Gilly Gilchrist as Jacques *

Dominique Blanc Dominique Blanc (born 25 April 1956) is a French actress. She is known for her roles in the films ''May Fools'' (1990), '' Indochine'' (1992), '' La Reine Margot'' (1994), '' Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train'' (1998), and '' The Other One' ...

Anne of Austria Anne of Austria (french: Anne d'Autriche, italic=no, es, Ana María Mauricia, italic=no; 22 September 1601 – 20 January 1666) was an infanta of Spain who became Queen of France as the wife of King Louis XIII from their marriage in 1615 unt ...

*Joe Sheridan as François-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois *Geoffrey Bateman as

Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet Jacques-Bénigne Lignel Bossuet (; 27 September 1627 – 12 April 1704) was a French bishop and theologian, renowned for his sermons and other addresses. He has been considered by many to be one of the most brilliant orators of all time and a ...

* Ken Bones as Cardinal Leto *Thierry Harcourt as

André Le Nôtre André Le Nôtre (; 12 March 1613 – 15 September 1700), originally rendered as André Le Nostre, was a French landscape architect and the principal gardener of King Louis XIV of France. He was the landscape architect who designed the gard ...

Anatole Taubman Anatole Taubman (born 23 December 1970) is a Swiss actor. He is best known for his performance as Elvis in ''Quantum of Solace ''Quantum of Solace'' is a 2008 spy film and the twenty-second in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Prod ...

as Montcourt *

Alexis Michalik Alexis Michalik, born 13 December 1982, is a Franco-British actor, scriptwriter and director. He adapted Shakespeare's ''Romeo and Juliet'' into his play ''R & J'' and he has written and staged his own plays, including '' Le Porteur d'histoire'' ...

Louis, Duke of Rohan Louis de Rohan-Chabot (3 November 1652 – 17 August 1727) was a member of the House of Rohan-Chabot and Duke of Rohan. He married an heiress and acted as Louis XIV's representative in Brittany. He was styled as the Prince of Léon prior to b ...

* George Webster as William of Orange *

Mark Rendall Mark Rendall (born October 21, 1988) is a Canadian film, television and voice actor whose roles include the lead in the 2004 film, '' Childstar'' and Mick in season 1 of the Canadian television drama series ''ReGenesis''. He played Bastian Bux ...

as Thomas Beaumont * Ned Dennehy as Father Étienne *James Joint as Father Pascal *

Matthew McNulty Michael Anthony McNulty (born 14 December 1982), known professionally as Matthew McNulty, is a German-born British actor. Early life McNulty was born on 14 December 1982 in Hanover, Lower Saxony, West Germany, and lived in Berlin and Münste ...

as Guillaume, a cobbler who serves in the army under Philippe * Jenny Platt as Jeanne, Guillaume's sister

Production

''Versailles'' was created by British writers Simon Mirren and David Wolstencroft, both of whom were previously based in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

. It is the most expensive French television series of all time, with a budget of €30 million (approximately $33 million) for its first season. A second season was ordered prior to the season one premiere. Filming for the second season began in February 2016; its story took place four years after that of the first season. On 14 September 2016, producer Claude Chelli confirmed that ''Versailles'' had been renewed for a third season, which would begin filming in April 2017. On 11 May 2017, the official Instagram account of Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte published pictures of the ongoing shoot of the third season. On 17 April 2018, ''

'' reported that the third season of ''Versailles'' would be its last.

Filming locations

In addition to the

, many other palaces and chateaux were filmed for the depiction of the unfinished Versailles, including: *The Château de Champs-sur-Marne gardens *The Château de Janvry *Th
Château of Lésigny
*The Château de Maisons-Laffitte (pictured below) *The

Château de Pierrefonds The Château de Pierrefonds () is a castle situated in the '' commune'' of Pierrefonds in the Oise department in the region of Picardy, France. It is on the southeast edge of the Forest of Compiègne, northeast of Paris, between Villers-Cotterêt ...

(pictured below) used as the castle preuses room *The

Château de Sceaux The Château de Sceaux is a grand country house in Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine, approximately from the centre of Paris, France. Located in a park laid out by André Le Nôtre, visitors can tour the house, outbuildings and gardens. The Petit Château o ...

*The Château of Vigny *The commune of

Rambouillet Rambouillet (, , ) is a subprefecture of the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region of France. It is located beyond the outskirts of Paris, southwest of its centre. In 2018, the commune had a population of 26,933. Rambouillet lie ...

* Vaux-le-Vicomte (pictured below) Château de Maisons-Laffitte 001.jpg, Château de Maisons-Laffitte Château de Pierrefonds vu depuis le Parc.jpg,

Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte IMG 9311a (5827553805).jpg, Vaux-le-Vicomte Versailles Tapis vert (1).jpg, Modern

, 2007

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2015)

Season 2 (2017)

Season 3 (2018)

The third season was released

on demand On-demand or on demand may refer to: Manufacturing * Build-on-demand * Just-in-time manufacturing, a methodology for production * Print on demand, printing technology and business process in which new copies of a document are not printed until an ...

in its entirety on 23 April 2018.

Broadcast

''Versailles'' premiered on 16 November 2015 on

in France and on Super Channel in Canada, in May 2016 on

in Britain, and on 1 October 2016 on

in the U.S.

The Movie Network Crave (formerly The Movie Network or TMN) is a Canadian premium television network and streaming service owned by the Bell Media subsidiary of BCE Inc. Launched in 1983 as the national service First Choice, early difficulties and a subsequent ...

gave early access to all of season 2 in October 2016, prior to its 2017 broadcast dates. The series stayed on the English-language Super Channel until May 2016 but was gone by December 2016, after TMN had made season 2 available early. The French version of Super Channel is keeping the show available until 8 November 2020.

City A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

aired the first six episodes of season 1 from 4 January to 25 February. The second season premiered on 27 March 2017 in France, and on 21 April 2017 in Britain. At some point after the first season concluded, Super Channel lost the Canadian broadcast rights to the series. Subsequently,

picked up those rights and began airing reruns of the first season. In April 2016,

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

acquired the rights to stream ''Versailles''. Netflix released the third and final season of ''Versailles'' on 2 April 2019.

Reception

The first season of ''Versailles'' received mixed to positive reviews from critics. It holds a 55 out of 100 rating on

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, based on six reviews, and an 80% rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

, with an average score of 6.56 out of 10, based on 10 reviews. Marjolaine Boutet of ''

Le Monde ''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...

'' gave the first season a mixed review, stating that its ambition was both its main flaw and what made it a quality television series, and added that the series' most fascinating character, Louis XIV's gardener Jacques ( Gilly Gilchrist), did not have enough screen time. The third season has an approval rating of 44% on Rotten Tomatoes based on nine reviews, with an average rating of 5.2 out of 10.

References

External links

* (archived) *{{IMDb title, 3830558
TV Review: ''Versailles''
– ''

''
Welcome to ''Versailles''
– ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'' 2015 French television series debuts 2018 French television series endings Canal+ original programming Citytv original programming Cultural depictions of Jean-Baptiste Colbert Cultural depictions of William III of England 2010s French drama television series French LGBT-related television shows Crave original programming Palace of Versailles Super Channel (Canadian TV channel) original programming Television series set in the 17th century Television shows set in France Works about Louis XIV Biographical films about French royalty