Starz Cancels 'The Serpent Queen;' Aims for 'Queen Elizabeth I' Spinoff

The Serpent Queen's second season ended with a bloodbath and a bang. The series reached one of the most memorable parts of Catherine de Medici's reign as queen of France: St Bartholomew's Massacre. This massacre is actually well known to modern audiences, as it's the basis for Game of Thrones' famous Red Wedding sequence from Season 3. In a series retelling the life of one of France's least understood women rulers, ending a second season with it made sense after the first ended with her in power as Regent as her underage son crowned. However, it's only one of many exploits France's queen pulled off, leaving the show with multiple directions to go. However, despite there being so much more history to dive into, Starz has decided to cancel the series and chase after making one based on Season 2's hot character, Queen Elizabeth I, played by Minnie Driver.

It's one of several cancellations this week. However, unlike, say, Kaos, which was barely given a second to exist before Netflix trashed it, The Serpent Queen was given Starz's best go, two seasons that debuted on both its linear channel and its streaming service, one episode a week, as much promotion as a small-time TV network can afford, especially one that was just axed from its parent company and money source, as Lionsgate exited the network, letting it sit in the corner until someone offers enough money to buy it.

That doesn't make the cancelation any less infuriating, or the sudden pivot to trying to make a guest star character suddenly the center of her own show no one asked for. Queen Elizabeth I has had award-winning films and TV shows made about her already; no one had made an ongoing series about Catherine De Medici, period.

According to Deadline, which broke the news, Starz' producers felt the show wouldn't be able to top the massacre, and considering the show's sluggish ratings (despite both seasons being critically praised), it was felt from here on out would be diminishing returns. It's a bit of a shock, to be honest, as the entire cast's Season 3 option had already been exercised, which means this doesn't save money; once the contracts are signed, Starz is on the hook to pay everyone, even if the new season doesn't go forward. 

That makes this decision feel like it's been made due of a bit of panic. Outside of Outlander, Starz put itself on the map with three Phillipa Gregory series in succession: The White Queen, The White Princess, and The Spanish Princess. These three series covered English history from the House of York vs. the House of Lancaster through King Henry VIII's first marriage. However, a follow-up, Becoming Elizabeth, which basically served as an unofficial sequel, was canceled after its only season was buried under prestige peak TV offerings. The Serpent Queen continued the historical narrative, focusing on France and Italy. Now it seems Starz has decided that returning to English royalty is a better bet to get viewers' attention, a disappointing decision, to say the least.

Perhaps the most concerning thing here is that this as-yet-untitled Queen Elizabeth I spinoff they're floating has no cast: the producers are trying to get Minnie Driver to reprise her role but have to announce the news without her on board. This suggests she's driving a hard bargain or isn't that interested, making this announcement a power play on Starz's part to get her to agree or cut bait. Also, it's a bit of a test balloon to see if there's an adverse reaction from fans upon learning the creators are being asked to switch royal households like this. From our little corner, I would say that the response is currently running negative, so perhaps the Driver's choice not to sign on immediately was wise.

Both seasons of The Serpent Queen are streaming with all episodes on Starz. We'll have more on this spinoff if it happens.