The Royals are back. More than two years after E! UK dropped it, the scripted drama charting the life of a fictional British Royal Family is returning to the UK on StarzPlay, which launched just today via Amazon Prime Video Channels. As of today, all four seasons of the series are available to stream for StarzPlay subscribers.
Set and shot in London, The Royals follows the exploits of a fictional Royal Family. The drama series pits public perception of the royal family against the reality of life inside the castle walls, from the lavish parties and high stakes political summits, to the private family gatherings and secret romances. However being born into this elite circle comes at a cost and the Royals’ lives are played out on a world stage where press is 24/7 and social media drives an insatiable appetite to follow their every move.
The drama, which is the first ever original scripted series for the U.S. E! network, was created by One Tree Hill‘s Mark Schwahn and is set up as a co-production between Lionsgate Television and Universal Cable Productions, The Royals stars Elizabeth Hurley, Vincent Regan, William Moseley, Alexandra Park, Tom Austen, Jake Maskall, Ukweli Roach and Oliver Milburn. Joan Collins guest stars as the Grand Duchess of Oxford. The executive producers are Mark Schwahn, Brian Robbins, Joe Davola and Shauna Phelan. E! has not yet ordered a fifth season.
In addition to The Royals and select Starz original series, StarzPlay will also bring Lionsgate owned titles to the UK. The most notable title is Epix post-presidential comedy Graves, which has never aired in the UK before. Both seasons are available to stream for StarzPlay subscribers.
Other key launch titles include Sweetbitter, Vida, Boss, Party Down, Survivor’s Remorse, Swedish Dicks, Crash, Dan Vs, The Dresden Files, Houdini, The Kill Point, Wildfire, Chasing Life, Money & Violence, Running Wilde, Con Man, Head Case, Deadbeat and Head Case.
As TVWise previously reported, the launch of StarzPlay will have no impact on existing UK licensing agreements for Starz original series or Lionsgate owned programming. Amazon Prime Video UK and Channel 4 retain rights to Outlander, while Netflix UK retains first run rights to Power. The one Starz original without a UK home, the J.K. Simmons fronted Counterpart, will not be available on StarzPlay because, as is the case with Outlander, Sony Pictures Television controls international rights.
