The White Princess: Season 1

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Generally favorable reviews based on 9 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 27 Ratings

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5.8

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5.8	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 27 Ratings

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The White Princess: Season 1

Now Playing: The White Princess: Season 1

Season Details & Credits

Starz | Season Premiere Date: April 16, 2017

Summary: The tentative peace after the defeat of King Richard III and Elizabeth of York's (Jodie Comer) marriage to Henry Tudor, King Henry VII (Jacob Collins-Levy) is threatened by the appearance of a man (Patrick Gibson) claiming to be the Princess' brother, Prince Richard of York in this sequel to The White Queen.

Genre(s): Drama

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Season 1 Episodes

tbd
S1:E8. Old Curses
Air Date: June 4, 2017
tbd
S1:E7. Two Kings
Air Date: May 28, 2017
tbd
S1:E6. English Blood on English Soil
Air Date: May 21, 2017

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Shirley Li

Apr 14, 2017

Apart from Comer, it’s Fairley and Davis, as the royal mothers attempting to pull the strings behind the new king and queen, who lend the series a much-needed gravitas. Read full review

Gwen Ihnat

Apr 14, 2017

True to form, The White Princess frequently features an end card that admits that some of the situations and characters have been tweaked for dramatic purposes. But the actual events of this story still have enough in play to make this a riveting watch--particularly, as with the previous series, how much these three women vie for power when the majority of women at that time had little say whatsoever. Read full review

Collider Allison Keene

Apr 12, 2017

It has a lot of ground to cover and a lot of historical beats to hit, but it’s never stuffy or slow. Read full review

Sonia Saraiya

Apr 14, 2017

The drama is an enjoyable, ridiculous romp through the early days of the first Tudor king, Henry VII, and his marriage to Elizabeth of York, the titular white princess. Read full review

David James

Mar 27, 2017

[Jodie Corner] doesn’t have quite the amount of gravitas to carry it, not to mention that she’s comprehensively overshadowed by just about everyone else around her. But The White Princess is a compellingly tangled watch, casting light on figures often blotted out by the male-dominated historical spotlight. It even manages to conjure up a little dramatic tension on what will happen next. Read full review

Robert Bianco

Apr 14, 2017

Come for the fancy costumes, drafty castles, barbed glances and backstabbing power grabs. Just don’t come for the story, because Princess doesn't have much of one to tell. Read full review

David Wiegand

Apr 13, 2017

The sets and costumes look a tad more realistic than what Disney might whip up, but only a tad. The performances are decent, although often bordering on melodramatic excess, which is to be expected, really. Watching Davis and Fairley compete to see who can masticate more scenery makes Princess worth a look. Read full review

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User Reviews

asmanraj

May 7, 2017

This is a great period drama series that is every bit as entertaining as The White Queen. It should appeal to fans of Outlander. All of the performances are competent, but Essie Davis and Michelle Fairley steal the show.

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CarterReviews

May 9, 2017

If you found the White Queen -- for which the White Princess serves as a prequel to -- a dull drag through a time period and setting in which corrupt people rape those under them (figuratively and literally), then you will find that lightning does strike twice (and burn your crops).

TheIf you found the White Queen -- for which the White Princess serves as a prequel to -- a dull drag through a time period and setting in which corrupt people rape those under them (figuratively and literally), then you will find that lightning does strike twice (and burn your crops).

The White Princess is a stale show, devoid of smiles, humor, or any in-show characters enjoying themselves. It is an hour of even-toned, emotionless actors either dominating someone by means of their high status, or someone being dominated because of their lack of status. The relationships in play here are neither engaging nor entertaining, seemingly everyone has a rain cloud over their head. Even shows such as Game of Thrones -- which is largely criticized for its sexual violence (among other vices) -- break up the satanism with a cast of unique characters and doses of humor or points of interest.

It is good to see Vincent Regan (300, Snow White & the Huntsman) in the mix, as he is regrettably under utilized in film and television in general, and Michelle Fairley (Game of Thrones, Resurrection) tends to bring a sense of gravitas to a production, but even she is present to do nothing more than glare and personify the uninteresting archetype of "royal-mother-who-would-do-anything-to-make-sure-her-son-is-king."

As for the star of the show, one Jodie Comer, there is nothing to grasp onto. Everything occurring is entirely 'been there seen that'. We already know rape is wrong. We already know women were mistreated in the Renaissance Era (and beyond). To show a young girl struggling in dire situations could be impactful, if only we actually knew something about her. A line she speaks, "All I have ever wanted, all my life, is to marry a man for love", it does not instill feelings of sadness or sympathy, but rather feels cliche. You can show a dog being run over by a car to make people feel something, that does not make it art.

Set pieces, costuming, and the sort are not astounding, nor do they stand in the way. By my account the budget seems to not hinder the show's potential in the least, but that is where the quality ends. The minutes feel long in this story, and what exactly the viewer is supposed to be entertained by or looking forward to is beyond me. The opening theme is nearly identical to that of the aforementioned White Queen, which is a pleasant sounding theme, but like the show it is attached to, it does not flourish, it merely remains in a single place, not attempting to be refreshing. The rest of the show's soundtrack is entirely forgettable.

There is nothing new here, but that is not what makes this show lumber like a wet giant, as nothing in entertainment is new to begin with. The fact of the matter is that I am one who seeks shows such as this, hoping to find something to be engaged in. I want to make predictions, feel emotions, and think about the show after I finish watching it. But throughout the 60 minute run of the first episode, I was as boring as this show, just sitting on my couch, soullessly, as I watch tears fall from a girl's face whilst a king rapes her for approximately 30 seconds, both of them sitting upright and hardly moving, awkwardly (not that there was a way to make it appealing). This is a show devoid of life, character, and any motivation other than screwing people over or trying to not get screwed over. It is a plain piece of white bread, a blank sheet of white paper, sterile, colorless and uninspired, a model house with white walls, white appliances, and white furnishings. It would seem the White Princess is a fitting title.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

Seasons & Episodes

71

Series Overview
Season 1

71
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: April 16, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E8. Old Curses
  Air Date: June 4, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E7. Two Kings
  Air Date: May 28, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E6. English Blood on English Soil
  Air Date: May 21, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E5. Traitors
  Air Date: May 14, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E4. Pretender, The
  Air Date: May 7, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E3. Burgundy
  Air Date: April 30, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E2. Hearts and Minds
  Air Date: April 23, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E1. In Bed With the Enemy
  Air Date: April 16, 2017