'The Regime' to Reign in March
Kate Winslet as Dear Leader in 'The Regime'
HBO
Succession may be over, but HBO's political satire is not taking a break anytime soon. The latest series, The Regime (initially titled The Palace), is the brainchild of one of Succession's writers, Will Tracy, who also happens to be an alum of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. (Perhaps this is why he's comfortable writing about people with British accents.) Set in a small European country with delusions of grandeur that they are an equal superpower with the United States (ahem), the series stars Kate Winslet as the new Chancellor, who quickly becomes a would-be dictator.
The project was initially announced back in July 2022 in the wake of Mare of Easttown's success, with Winslet both starring in and executive producing. The announcement came within weeks of another HBO potential limited series, Trust (based on the Hernan Diaz novel), which Winslet was also going to star in and executive produce; it was obvious then that she was not going to do both, at least not at the same time. Unfortunately, world events made The Regime more topical than anyone would like, so it apparently took precedence.
However, The Regime is leaning into the comedy aspects of ludicrous dictatorship in the story far more than Succession, whose black comedy elements sometimes seem to go over people's heads. The new series's first trailer makes it evident that The Regime's won't.
The logline for The Regime is pretty simple.
The Regime tells the story of one year within the walls of the palace of a modern European regime as it begins to unravel.
Winslet stars alongside a powerhouse cast of Matthias Schoenaerts (Far From The Madding Crowd), Guillaume Gallienn (The Little Prince), Andrea Riseborough (Alice & Jack), Martha Plimpton (Frozen II), Hugh Grant (A Very English Scandal), Danny Webb (Churchill), David Bamber (Enola Holmes), Henry Goodman (Golda), Stanley Townsend (Dangerous Liaisons), Louie Mynett (The Man Who Fell To Earth), Rory Keenan (Versailles), Karl Markovics (Babylon Berlin), and Pippa Haywood (The Doll Factory).
The six-episode limited series was written by Will Tracy, with Seth Reiss, Sarah DeLappe, Gary Shteyngart, Jen Spyra, and Juli Weiner. Directors Stephen Frears (The Queen) and Jessica Hobbs (The Crown) split helming duties. Frank Rich executive produces along with Tracy, Seaward, Winslet, Frears, and Hobbs.
The Regime will premiere on Sunday, March 3, 2024, at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and will stream on Max beginning at the same time, with one episode a week to follow.
