Here we go continuing with my weekly theme of “UK Shows (sort of?)” after Tuesdays post centering Our Girl. Today we take a step away from the realistic and venture into a bit more manufactured drama with The Royals. The theme is really fitting here, because despite it being about a fictional version of the British monarchs, this show is produced by an American Network (E!) that usually has more reality shows than purely fictional content. So … it might be set in the UK (they film there as well as far as I know) and it might be about the royal family but there’s definitely Americans behind it.

The Royals is another show that I have talked about before and I have called it a guilty pleasure back in the day. I would go away from that expression now, because there is no guilt involved with watching this show. I have chosen this specific Friday to talk about the Royals, because it is returning for its 4th Season this upcoming Sunday (March 11th)! It’s a return I have awaited eagerly and am just so excited about. I am a hardcore Loyalist (what the fandom is called) and for some obscure reason, the show even follows me on Twitter and that will always give the show a special place in my heart.

The Royals centers on the struggles and drama of a fictional version of the British Royal family after an unexpected death in the family is bound to change the entire future of the monarchy.

When I first thought about watching the show, I was sure it would just be silly over the top drama and I wasn’t wrong, but it is also so much more than that. Over the seasons, the Royals has proven to provide quality entertainment that surely never gets boring. It has witty and humerous writing but also real heartfelt moments. I think a lot of it has to do with a very visible increase in production value over time and a regular change in the cast aside from the main characters (bitter about some exits, but insanely happy about some of the new additions).

In general, I want to give a huge shout out to whoever did the casting for this show, because the actors actually look like family. There have been some photo edits where you can see the similarities in the faces and I am living for that kind of attention to detail! Sometimes the accents slip a little, as people on this show tend to play other nationalities than the ones they are in real life, but overall, I am sure you will quickly fall in love with this cast!

There are some … hints at who the real life counterparts of the characters might are, but this is by no means a satire show targeted at the current monarchy. Rather it is just supposed to be a fresh and modern take on the subject with a familiar environment to put them in. Quite frankly, I don’t think it would have made much of a difference if they had made them rulers of a fictional country, except that they maybe would have had to change the color schemes because the flag would have to be changed.

Usually I like to focus on all the positive things surrounding a show, but there is something that is nagging at me and I feel like I need to mention it as well. There have been several sexual harassment allegations towards Mark Schwahn, creator and showrunner of the Royals as well as formerly responsible person for One Tree Hill. A lot has come to light during this past year and I am always in shock when I hear something from shows I really treasure. I was so relieved to hear that E! fired Schwahn, because neither the cast nor crew should be subjected to a man like him. I was so sad to hear the accounts of the women involved as well as the tense climate when he was on set, but I was also really glad that their male co-stars and co-workers had their back. However, despite me very much approving of how this was handled, I just really hope it doesn’t put the show in jeopardy.  There are no news on Season 5 yet, but if you are able to, please tune in live or tweet about the show regularly. I don’t want these women, who were brave enough to come forward and give their support to the women from OTH, to not be able to continue work that they love because of one man. I am sure they will find excellent replacement for him, but the show still needs our support. 

Now, it’s time to get to my favourite part of these posts – the character spotlight! There were so many people to choose from and there was no way I would just be going with one. So, I want to start right with my OTP – ELEANOR & JASPER aka Jaspenor!

Thinking back, their relationship had such a problematic start. I mean, there was literal blackmail for sex involved. But my babies have grown so much with time. When this all started, Eleanor was a spoilt brat and Jasper pretty much a con man, but they uncovered each other’s layers and with that the genuinely caring and good people they are. Do they have issues? Yes, but that’s what makes them three dimensional characters with a past and baggage. If they are not endgame, then I renounce my title as Queen of TV, but it is such sweet torture watching them either way.

Another person I simply could not resist talking about is Willow. She entered the show a bit later on and replaced someone as a love interest, which was why it took me a bit to warm up to her. But as soon as Season 3 came around, I feel for her character hard. She is someone I can most relate to as she is honest, ambitious, witty and smart. She knows what she is doing as the royal family’s social media consultant but she is a generally humble person. Also, she’s a fellow Ravenclaw and the reason I keep using the below gif over and over and over and over.

There’s other people I would like to talk about but SPOILERS. As I mentioned above, I really appreciated some of the additions that came with the seasons. The show definitely has one of my favourite villains out there and I will love him even when everyone else hates him, cause I can.

That’s it for today! If you have watched the show already, how excited are you for the new season? Will you be giving this one a shot if you haven’t yet? Feel free to ask me anything in the comments if you need more info! Let’s talk!