If you want to go back to the beginning of when the English monarchy got super interesting, check out this historical drama trilogy based on the novels by Philippa Gregory, the author of “The Other Boleyn Girl.” The first show, “The White Queen,” stars Rebecca Ferguson as Elizabeth Woodville, a young woman who marries King Edward IV during the height of the “Wars of the Roses,” during which two houses, York and Lancaster, battle for the throne. That fight finally comes to a close when Elizabeth’s daughter, Elizabeth Princess of York, marries Henry Tudor of the House Lancaster, who then becomes Henry VII. Their marriage and the new era is laid out in “The White Princess,” which stars Jodie Comer as the titular princess and eventual queen.
Henry VII and Elizabeth’s second son was the famous Henry VIII, whose first wife was Catherine of Aragon, a princess of Spain. Charlotte Hope stars as “The Spanish Princess,” the young woman who’s betrothed to Henry’s older brother and eventually marries the second in line. These three shows all have compelling, strong, and yet flawed women in their lead roles, just like “The Crown,” and seeing history unfold over three eras and three series, with characters re-cast with new actors in each, is pretty similar to “The Crown” as well.
