Marie Antoinette (2022): Season 1

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 6 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Ratings

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7.4

RELEASE DATE: March 19, 2023

Season Details & Credits

PBS | BBC Two | Season Premiere Date: March 19, 2023

Summary: 14-year-old Marie Antoinette (Emilia Schüle) is married to future Louis XVI (Louis Cunningham) and must learn to navigate the French court and produce a male child in this drama series written by Deborah Davis.

[Premiered originally in France on Canal+ on 31 Oct 2022; in the UK on BBC Two in 29 Dec 2022 and in the US on PBS on 19 Mar 2023]

Creator: Deborah Davis

Genre(s): Drama

Season 1 Episodes

tbd
S1:E8. Queen of Hearts
Air Date: February 16, 2023
tbd
S1:E7. The Ostrich B.
Air Date: February 9, 2023
tbd
S1:E6. Deus Ex Machina
Air Date: February 2, 2023

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Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

The Guardian Emine Saner

Jan 3, 2023

It’s good fun, and almost too much, but it works. Read full review

The Times Carol Midgley

Jan 3, 2023

I've seen subtler versions of the ugly sisters in panto Cinderella. Yet while the drama will inevitably be picked apart by experts over cultural missteps and inaccuracies, and seems to prize style over content, I like its fresh energy. Read full review

The Telegraph Jasper Rees

Jan 3, 2023

Schüle, pebbly brown eyes exuding less and less innocence, is highly watchable as an unloved newbie in an utterly foreign court. ... It feels more like a Versailles-themed edition of Love Island with retrofitted dialogue. Read full review

John Anderson

Mar 17, 2023

The dialogue is rife with anachronisms. ... Never mind a torrent of vulgarities that seem far more 21st century than 18th. ... For all the dithering—something for which Louis XVI remains famous—"Marie Antoinette" has some very solid performances, notably by Mr. Purefoy, who makes Louis XV kindly, fierce, fatherly and sexually predatory. Ms. Schüle pivots from making Marie a believable child to portraying her as a convincing court politician and schemer. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Matt Roush

Mar 10, 2023

The early chapters are enlivened by James Purefoy's droll take on Louis' lusty father, Louis "papa Roi" XV, and Marie's jousting with the king's possessive mistress, the fabled Madame Du Barry (Gaia Weiss). But once they're out of the picture, and the bratty new Queen turns her Petit Trianon chateau into a party palace, it's hard to muster much sympathy for these spoiled royals and their reprehensible foes. [13 - 26 Mar 2023, p.4]

Collider Arezou Amin

Mar 17, 2023

Marie Antoinette genuinely tries to put a new spin on the life of the famous French Queen, but in trying to both do something different, and stick to what worked so well for stories that came before it, the series winds up speaking far too much and saying very little. Read full review

User Score

7.4

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

User Reviews

Karmel

Jan 7, 2023

Look, you do just have to roll with some of the outlandishness in certain power dynamics and characters *cough* Du Barry *cough* but I had a blast watching this. It’s different to your typical period drama without being so heightened and removed from reality it feels like ‘The Great’ (whichLook, you do just have to roll with some of the outlandishness in certain power dynamics and characters *cough* Du Barry *cough* but I had a blast watching this. It’s different to your typical period drama without being so heightened and removed from reality it feels like ‘The Great’ (which I adore). The actors are fantastic, Schule is so engaging and interesting as the lead and the rest of the cast is full of fresh, exciting faces (who I’ve not seen before at least). The characters are a ton of fun, especially once they’re given time to develop and settle, and I really enjoyed watching different pairings play off each other (with lots more potential in a second series). I’ve seen reviews about the first half being slow. I agree to a point, but often it really works and helps to establish a certain sense of weight and consequence before the show becomes this playful and entertaining romp - because at that point it’s easy to forget how this all ends.… Expand

7 of 8 users found this helpful71

Sandyphilly23

Jan 8, 2023

A slow start which is more somber than expected, but this series really shines as it progresses and you start to see some of that tongue-in-cheek, self aware humour that made The Favourite a classic. Addictive characters, loving and hating each other in a gaudy palace. Fantastic sets,A slow start which is more somber than expected, but this series really shines as it progresses and you start to see some of that tongue-in-cheek, self aware humour that made The Favourite a classic. Addictive characters, loving and hating each other in a gaudy palace. Fantastic sets, costumes and score. What’s not to love (well, unless you’re after accurate history).… Expand

6 of 7 users found this helpful61

Ashded

Jan 15, 2023

Potential to be amazing but for now it’s good with some issues. There’s plenty here to love - cast, visuals, atmosphere, and as it goes along some really enjoyable satire. The characters are interesting and bounce off each other well. The series plays with the genre and teases the viewerPotential to be amazing but for now it’s good with some issues. There’s plenty here to love - cast, visuals, atmosphere, and as it goes along some really enjoyable satire. The characters are interesting and bounce off each other well. The series plays with the genre and teases the viewer without becoming so silly it loses the emotion and drama. But it needs to expand out. The first series was obviously going to focus on Marie Antoinette’s POV but the consummation storyline only carries the show so far and it’s the rest of the court who are the most intriguing. There’s so much to be mined in the politics of Versailles and suffering of the common people. The show could really be something memorable if it explores these storylines and not just the usual love affair with Fersen.… Expand

4 of 5 users found this helpful41

Seasons & Episodes

59

Series Overview
Season 1

59
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: March 19, 2023
- tbd
  S1:E8. Queen of Hearts
  Air Date: February 16, 2023
- tbd
  S1:E7. The Ostrich B.
  Air Date: February 9, 2023
- tbd
  S1:E6. Deus Ex Machina
  Air Date: February 2, 2023
- tbd
  S1:E5. Rebel Queen
  Air Date: January 26, 2023
- tbd
  S1:E4. Queen of France
  Air Date: January 19, 2023
- tbd
  S1:E3. Pick a Princess
  Air Date: March 27, 2023
- tbd
  S1:E2. Rival Queens
  Air Date: January 5, 2023
- tbd
  S1:E1. The Slap
  Air Date: December 29, 2022