The Tudors

Before Parliament gave the wave-so-she-doesn't-muss-her-perm job to Queen Elizabeth II, the Crown reigned over its overcast English countryside. Jonathan Rhys Meyers is King Henry VIII, best known for his affinity for wife beheading, but who is also a hotheaded monarch looking to leave his indelible mark on the king biz. Impulsive and idealistic like a member of a boy band, Henry tries to subvert the vast conspirators—at least when he's not banging chambermaids and daughters of sycophants. From the power-hungry Cardinal to the doomed Anne Boleyn, Tudors is rich with intense chessboard maneuvers and schemes in the attempt to manipulate the King. Although, in this game the loser doesn't get just knocked off the table, they get decapitated.