Anybody like The Tudors, on Showtime?

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I love the rich sets, the costumes, the acting and the history! And I also like reading books about that era in history. My husband had to build me a new bookshelf, for all my Tudors-related books!

That, plus the hot steamy sex scenes that are so prevalent in the series. Seriously, that show is pretty much a mix between soap opera and hard-core porn.

Alas, though, the show only airs on HBO, and I do not have that channel.

However, I have to disagree with the casting of Jonathan Rhys-Myers as Henry VIII. Yes, he's sexy as hell, but the official portraits show us that Henry VIII was obese and not very attractive. Not only that, but the show's cast is nothing but a bunch of extremely sexy men and insanely gorgeous women. I feel that is unrealistic. I sincerely doubt that anybody in 16th-century England was even remotely attractive.

I agree that JRM is not historically accurate, but I think he's aging well in the role.

I personally prefer the actor who plays Charles Brandon. Yum!

Realistic?

Well to be quite fair, since the beginning of the first series occurs before Henry's sister marries Charles Brandon or even leaves for her first marriage, Henry could plausibly be quite young. He was actually athletic, tall, had well shaped calves, and was actually widely considered a fine specimen of a man in his youth.

However, to be fairer still, he is soon involved with Anne, and he was getting on a bit by then. To further confuse matters the sister that married Charles Brandon does not marry the King of France (first) and is not called Mary, but rather Katherine, which leaves poor old James IV of Scotland without a wife, and Mary Queen of Scots without a Grandmother.

I think reality long since left the building, without going into the many and varied details.

Do I like this show? Not really sure, but I watch it despite poor tv reception, and will eventually track it down on dvd so I can see all those costumes properly.

Well, their standards for attractiveness back then were probably way different than today's. For instance, hygiene was pretty much a luxury, reserved for those in the upper class and royalty, and even they rarely bathed. Queen Elizabeth I (daughter of Henry VIII) took the initiative to bathe at least once a month.

This was a society where most people shat in the rivers or in "chamber pots", the contents of which were simply dumped in the streets when they were full.

Seasons 1 and 2 are out on DVD. Season 3 will be soon (you can pre-order it now).