'Marie Antoinette' Season 2 Will Reign Again in March 2025

Marie Antoinette may never have said, “Let Them Eat Cake,” but history seems obsessed with her anyway. The extraordinarily wealthy and somewhat traumatized young bride of Louis XVI lived a life of extremes, little parenting, and less help in adulting; she buried herself in beauty and comfort until the populace turned on her for existing, and then she lost her head. The French series from Canal+, titled simply Marie Antoinette, first debuted on PBS in 2023, promising a new, more feminist look at the young queen. While it wasn’t all that progressive a show despite those claims, it was something of a rarity, an old-fashioned costume drama that’s not all that concerned with historical accuracy but does love a good emotional sobbing catharsis. Now, the series returns for Season 2, delving into the latter years of Antoinette’s life.

The BBC already confirmed in 2024 that it was bringing the show to the U.K., and most fans knew that meant PBS should be saying something soon, one way or another, about a premiere date. The series initially ran as the 10 p.m. ET series directly following Sanditon’s final season in the spring of 2023, but that did not guarantee the show would take the same slot when it returned for a second season. However, with Wolf Hall’s return already claiming the 9 p.m. berth, Marie Antoinette Season 2 fits quite well with the lineup, which will also eventually include Call the Midwife Season 14, starting March 30, 2025. 

“We are so excited that PBS’s audience will get to see the anticipated second season of Marie Antoinette,” PBS’s Vice President of Program Content Strategy and Scheduling, Maria Bruno Ruiz, said in a statement. “The tension in Season 2 builds with each episode as we experience the beginning of the end for King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. The French debt increased with more loans, the affair of the diamond necklace became scandalous, and the inner circle of Versailles closed in on the king and queen. Season 2 features incredible talent and storytelling, spectacular breathtaking costumes, and set designs that take viewers right inside the walls of the Palace of Versailles.”

Here's the series synopsis:

The period drama continues to chronicle the life of one of history’s most influential and controversial figures. Season 2 sees Antoinette and Louis facing unprecedented challenges at the height of their power. As financial crises loom nationwide and political rivalries intensify, the royal couple must navigate an increasingly hostile court and a changing France. From Versailles to the Palais Royal, the seeds of a revolution began to take root, threatening the very foundations of France’s long-standing monarchy.

Here are the episode titles:

• Episode 1: “The Worst Winter” 
• Episode 2: “A Poison Pen” 
• Episode 3: “Treacherous Legacy” 
• Episode 4: “The Pursuit of Happiness” 
• Episode 5: “Enemies Assemble” 
• Episode 6: “Hated, Humbled, Mortified”
• Episode 7: “Madame Deficit” 
• Episode 8: “The End of the Beginning”

Emilia Schüle (Berlin Station) returns as the title character, Marie Antoinette, and Louis Cunningham (Bridgerton) reprises his role as Louis XVI. The ensemble cast includes returnees Jack Archer (Call the Midwife) as Provence, the future Louis XVIII; Roxane Duran (Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris) as Joséphine; Oscar Lesage (Dangerous Liaisons) as Chartres, eventually Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans; Crystal Shepherd-Cross (Versailles) as Adelaïde; Caroline Piette (Munch) as Victoire; Jasmine Blackborow (Shadow & Bone) as Lamballe; Liah O'Prey (Domina) as Yolande, Duchess of Polignac; Martijn Lakemeier (Safe Harbor) as Fersen, and Yoli Fuller (The Veil) as Saint-Georges.

Newcomers for Season 2 include Freya Mavor (Industry) as Jeanne, Guy Henry (Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story) as Vergennes, James Northcote (Catherine the Great) as Calonne, Alexander Bhat (Shardlake) as Villette, Selva Rasalingam (Renegade Nell) as Caglisotro, Callum McGowan (Jamestown) as la Motte, Patrick Albenque (The New Look) as Breteuil, and Jessica Clark (True Blood) as Félicité.

Series creator Deborah Davis (The Favourite) penned all episodes of Season 2, with directors Edward Bazalgette and Raf Reyntjens splitting helming duties. Season 2 is executive produced by Claude Chelli, Stéphanie Chartreux, Margaux Balsan, and Louise Ironside. The series is a CANAL+ Creation Originale produced by CAPA Drama, Banijay Studios France, and Beside Productions.

Marie Antoinette Season 2 will premiere on most local PBS stations, the PBS App, and the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel on Sunday, March 23, 2025, at 10 p.m. ET, directly following the finale of Lucy Worsely Investigates Season 2 at 8 p.m. and the debut of Wolf Hall: The Mirror & The Light at 9 p.m. ET. All eight episodes of the new series will be available on PBS Passport for members to stream starting on premiere day. Season 1 is available to stream for members on PBS Passport and on the Prime Video Masterpiece Channel.