George Blagden as Louis XIV in 'Versailles.'Image via BBC
By
Michael Block
Published 45 minutes ago
Michael Block is a 14 time GLAM Award nominated writer, producer, and host of the podcast Block Talk. Throughout his time in the entertainment industry, he has worked on and off Broadway as a stage manager, written several produced plays, critiqued hundreds of theatrical performances, drag and cabaret shows, and has produced events randing from drag competitoons to variety concerts!
On Block Talk, he interviews nightlife personalities, covers the wide world of entertainment through features, ranking episodes, and recaps ALL of Drag Race, as well as Dragula and Survivor. He has interviewed hundreds of RuGirls that span the globe at DragCon NYC, DragCon LA, and DragCon UK.
In his free time, he makes one-of-a-kind jewelry and gift baskets with his mom. He is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community.
Sign in to your Collider account
Summary
Generate a summary of this story
follow
Follow
followed
Followed
Like
Like
Thread
Log in
Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents:
Try something different:
Show me the facts
Explain it like I’m 5
Give me a lighthearted recap
We may not have loved taking history in school, but if history comes to life in dramatized form, we sure love to binge-watch it for entertainment purposes. There have been an array of historical series that transport viewers back to the past, but when it comes to royalty, most projects have delivered glitz, glamour, and extravagant costumes galore. Perhaps the most addictive and accessible royal drama of the 21st century was Netflix's The Crown — but before Claire Foy, Olivia Colman, and Imelda Staunton passed the role of Queen Elizabeth II around, one royal drama had already laid the groundwork: Versailles. The co-production brought viewers to France during the construction of the legacied Palace of Versailles during the reign of Louis XIV, King of France (George Blagden), and turned the king's court into a glossy, high-stakes drama over three seasons. Now available to stream on Plex, Versailles is a perfectly packaged series, now free to binge over the weekend.
'Versailles' Turned History Into a Prestige Soap Opera Before 'The Crown' Made It Cool
First debuting in 2015 in France on Canal+ before making its way to Super Channel in Canada, BBC Two in Britain, and Ovation in the United States in 2016, Versailles transported viewers to the era in France when a defiant young King Louis XIV decides to move court from Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye near Paris to his father's former hunting lodge near Versailles. As the Palace of Versailles goes on a massive renovation and expansion, the nobles, who had been displaced from their usual surroundings, continue to compel the king as they become embroiled in increasingly dangerous scandals. Meanwhile, King Louis, best known as the Sun King, engages in a litany of dangerous liaisons with his various mistresses.
From the start, Blagden imbues his French monarch with an eccentric essence. A robust and egotistical figure, he's introduced to audiences following a wet dream in which a beautiful woman dances through the infamous Hall of Mirrors, which, in the story, has yet to be built. It sets the tone for Louis' vision and passion to build the palace erotically and prophetically. As Louis believes his palace will bring France out of the dark times, his descendants try at all costs to stop the construction and Louis's rise. Now, just for a moment, imagine swapping out some of these French locales and characters and placing them in today's political climate, and it's a juicy soap opera that you can't stop watching.
By taking on genuine political turning points and thrusting them into the center of the story, Versailles is far from a slow, museum-like documentary, but rather a scandal-laden political thriller relying heavily on sex, rumors, and betrayal to showcase how the hunger for power runs through court, something that other royal-set series mirrored but tampered down. Shows like The Tudors and The Great brought history to the forefront in a similar fashion, where the former presented a juicy drama about Britain's ultimate playboy, King Henry VIII (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), while the latter introduced an absurdist satire about an empress's rise to power in Catherine the Great (Elle Fanning).
Related
The 18 Best Political Series on Netflix, Ranked
A dose of political chaos.
Posts By Hannah Saab Mar 24, 2025With Only Three Seasons, 'Versailles' Is a Doable Binge-Watch
George Blagden as Louis XIV in 'Versailles' looking at the camera while standing in the hall of mirrors.Image via Canal+
With a compelling cast and a complete story, Versailles is a worthy binge-watch. From Louis's rise, consolidation, and ultimate fallout of the Sun King's reign, the three-season, 30-episode series gives you a slice of history without going overboard. Beyond our central character, the world of Versailles is filled with deliciously intriguing individuals with drama-worthy escapades. When you're not watching Louis obsess about Versailles, he's allowing his wife, Queen Consort Marie-Thérese (Elisa Lasowski), to engage in her personal rendezvous as he engages with Henriette of England (Noémie Schmidt), the wife of his brother Philippe, the Duke of Orléans (Alexander Vlahos). In many stories, that would be the scandal, but Philipppe prefers the company of men, most specifically Chevalier de Lorraine (Evan Williams).
If you have time to spare to dive into this sprawling epic, Versailles is a worthwhile binge. There's a reason why it's one of the best series you likely haven't watched before. Come for the lush gardens and ornate costumes, stay for the myriad of scandals. While the story of The Crown's Queen Elizabeth II is better known, the draw of this series is its locale for which it's named. In a time when free is a premium, having access to this series now couldn't come at a more perfect time — especially as some have denounced the American Versailles being built in Washington, D.C. Perhaps through the soap opera feeling set so far in the past, Versailles can live as a cautionary tale for today.
Versailles is available to stream on Plex.
Versailles
Like Follow Followed TV-MA Drama Biography History Release Date 2016 - 2018-00-00 Network Canal+ Directors Christoph SchreweCast
See All-
George Blagden
Louise de La Vallière
-
Alexander Vlahos
Philippe d'Orléans, aka 'Monsieur'
-
Tygh Runyan
Louis XIV
-
Stuart Bowman
Fabien Marchal
Versailles delves into the opulent and tumultuous reign of King Louis XIV of France. The series portrays his ambitious project of building the magnificent Palace of Versailles while navigating political intrigue, power struggles, and personal relationships that shape the future of France and his legacy as the Sun King.
Genres Drama, Biography, History Powered by
Expand
Collapse
-
Netflix
We want to hear from you! Share your opinions in the thread below and remember to keep it respectful.
Be the first to post Images Attachment(s) Please respect our community guidelines. No links, inappropriate language, or spam.Your comment has not been saved
Send confirmation emailThis thread is open for discussion.
Be the first to post your thoughts.
- Terms
- Privacy
- Feedback
Nov 6, 2025
From 'Squid Game' to 'Orange Is the New Black,' These 10 Netflix Shows Are Perfect From Start to Finish
6 days ago
The 8 Greatest '80s Shows Nobody Remembers
7 days ago
8 Series Finales That Can Be Called Masterpieces
5 days ago
8 Animated Sitcoms That Are Almost As Good as 'The Simpsons'
What To Watch
July 20, 2025
The 72 Best Movies on Netflix Right Now
Trending Now
Netflix Is Bringing Back a Classic ’90s College Sitcom With a New Generation of Hillman Students
James Cameron Confirms That Avatar 4 and 5 Are Not Guaranteed and Need 'Fire & Ash' To Do 1 Thing
The 10 Greatest Christmas Movies of the 1980s
