Catherine de Medici is one of the lesser known Queens despite how her family has impacted popular culture centuries later.
It’s high time this misunderstood woman, the longest-reigning monarch in France’s history, gets a rich and entertaining adaption of her life.
A historical drama with an edge, based in part on the book Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France by Leonie Frieda and brought to life by writer and showrunner Justin Haythe, The Serpent Queen puts a contemporary spin on conventional storytelling to tell the tale of Catherine de Medici’s (Samantha Morton) rise to power.
Catherine’s role in history may be as an evil queen, but in the series premiere, “Medici Bitch,” Catherine’s tale unfolds through flashbacks as she defends her actions and imparts the lessons she’s learned to her new servant confident, Rahima (Sennia Nanua).
The story starts with Catherine at 14 (Liv Hill), when she’s plucked from an orphanage and married into the 16th-century French court.
A commoner protected by her great uncle Pope Clement and awarded by him a large dowery, she becomes the unwitting pawn in a geopolitical alliance to produce many heirs, a task all the more difficult as Catherine discovers her husband is in love with Diane de Poitiers (Ludivine Sagnier), a beautiful lady-in-waiting twice his age.
Told in a modern voice with sharp, no holds barred wit, The Serpent Queen reveals that Catherine de Medici deserves her long-awaited time in the sun.
We had the time to dig into the story in greater detail during Starz press day for The Serpent Queen with the two Catherines, Liv Hill and Samantha Morton, writer and showrunner Haythe, and producer Erwin Stoff.
First up, we talked with Hill, who has the enviable position of playing an angsty, heartbroken young woman whose entire future rests on providing her husband a son.
Catherine falls in love with her husband, which requires Hill to show deep vulnerability, and she is honored at the opportunity to embody the young, future queen.
In our interview, Hill talks about Catherine’s unwavering resilience despite the numerous ways the court and society fight against her.
Being belittled and degraded her whole life makes Catherine’s ability to continue with such strength against all odds all the more impressive.
Hill shares how The Serpent Queen debunks Medici’s reputation as the woman her nickname connotes by exploring who Catherine was and what she experienced before growing into the detested woman who reigned France longer than any other monarch in the country’s history.
Next up, we chatted with Justin Haythe and Erwin Stoff about producing the show from their perspective.
Haythe talks Medici as a villain, and how he views her as an anti-hero, a sympathetic character who is capable of great acts of evil.
Just listening to him discuss Catherine’s daunting reality after getting plucked from an orphanage and dropped into the French Court gives me shivers after seeing how respectfully he deals with the material.
Stoff speaks to the contemporary nature of Medici’s story and how it relates to the rise of women in leadership positions today. Through Catherine, the show addresses how being one of the most, if not the most, talented people in the room means little if your gender lacks respect.
In this instance, talking with two men about a woman’s experience in a male-dominated world works on every level. Take a look.
And finally, with great fanfare comes the queen herself, Samantha Morton, who plays the grown woman turned queen, mother of kings, Catherine de Medici.
Like many of us, Morton had little knowledge of the illustrious woman, but she did know that the evil queen in Snow White was based upon the long-running monarch. In fact, most of what we know of Medici comes through pop culture, which is surprising itself.
Morton has been in plenty of costume dramas, but she feels this is an entirely different animal since Catherine de Medici was a real woman.
She also reveals that the sets you see on The Serpent Queen are as authentic as you will have ever seen in a drama about French history. This is a historical production of the way France opened their doors to beloved and well-preserved locations.
Morton also notes the modernity with which Haythe constructs the dialogue allows viewers to relate to the character, following the story and layers of history in language we can understand.
I’ve seen some of the show, and our interviews shed light beyond the screen, enriching the viewing experience.
The Serpent Queen premieres on Starz Sunday night at 8/7c. We’ll review the show weekly and hope to see you there.
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on Twitter and email her here at TV Fanatic.
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