# Reign (2013)

> A young Mary, Queen of Scots navigates romance, betrayal and power plays at the treacherous French royal court.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/43886

## Facts

- Seasons: 4
- Episodes: 78
- Episode runtime: 42 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, romance, history
- Created by: Laurie McCarthy, Stephanie Sengupta
- Network: The CW
- Cast: Adelaide Kane, Toby Regbo, Will Kemp, Dan Jeannotte, Torrance Coombs, Megan Follows, Celina Sinden, Caitlin Stasey
- TMDB rating: 7.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2710394/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: melodramatic, sensual, glossy, intriguing

## What critics say

Viewers find the series a glossy, soapy costume drama whose sumptuous period styling and Megan Follows's Catherine de' Medici outweigh a loosely historical, sometimes sterile script.

## Synopsis

Reign (2013-2017) is a US historical costume drama series created by Laurie McCarthy and Stephanie Sengupta for The CW. Adelaide Kane plays Mary Stuart, a young Scottish royal betrothed to the French Dauphin, played by Toby Regbo, and she must survive a court where every alliance is a trap. Megan Follows is the scheming Catherine de' Medici, the queen mother whose machinations drive much of the conflict, while Torrance Coombs appears as Sebastian and Celina Sinden as Greer among the principal supporting players. Loosely inspired by the early life of Mary, Queen of Scots, the show follows her romances, political schemes and palace rivalries across four seasons and seventy-eight episodes. Each episode is built from concrete court machinations: secret letters, forced marriages, poisonings and shifting loyalties among the nobility. The tone is glossy and melodramatic, with sensual romance and sumptuous period sets, and the series leans toward soap-opera plotting over strict history. Fans of The Tudors and Versailles will find resonance in its blend of royal scheming and romantic intrigue, as well as the sweep of a teen-friendly costume saga.

## Shows like Reign

- [Marie Antoinette (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/120387)
- [Mary & George (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/133629)
- [Knightfall (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/63690)
- [The Spanish Princess (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/73417)
- [The Royals (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/55312)
- [Becoming Elizabeth (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/123832)
- [Isabel (2012)](https://ember.film/tv/38640)
- [The White Princess (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/61432)
- [The Empress (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/108751)
- [The Serpent Queen (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/98308)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt