The Tudors: King Henry VIII and 6 Wives a Historic Epic on BBC America

The Tudors, the epic drama about King Henry VIII and his six wives is moving to BBC America. The historic series starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers as King Henry VIII was on Showtime Premium Cable for four seasons. The epic drama will now be available on basic cable, starting on January 15, 2011. BBC America is airing a marathon of season one and two, so viewers can immerse themselves in royal intrigue, lust and betrayal.

The drama was based on the life of the man who led a very important era of English history and of church history. The Tudors focuses on the years of King Henry VIII's reign of nearly 40 years. The show highlights his relationships with his friends, advisers, enemies, mistresses and queens. In the end, it seemed that no one benefited from a relationship with the autocratic king.

The film is extravagant, with lush brocade costumes, gold crowns and scenes in the palaces. The romanticism of the Renaissance era is cut by the jarring scenes of violence and executions. The Tudors may not be appropriate for young children and people with weak stomachs due to the graphic nature of the sexual scenes and violence.

Personally, I would have enjoyed the story more if they had left out the excruciating execution scenes. Violence, though, was a part of King Henry's kingdom. King Henry saw himself as ordained by God and believed he was always right, which turned out to be deadly for his associates, including adviser Thomas More.

Johnathan Rhys Meyers does not really look like the portraits of King Henry, who was known for gluttony and was heavy set. The filmmakers went for a sleeker looking, more attractive person to portray the king.

King Henry was married six times.. He wanted the marriage to his first wife Catherine of Aragon to be annulled so he could marry Anne Boleyn. The church would not recognize the annulment and marriage, so he declared himself the Head of the Church of England, splintering from the Catholic Church. The Reformation of the Church of England may have been his most significant historical contribution.

The king had a lusty relationship with Anne Boleyn and he did make her his queen, When she failed to bear a son he was disappointed. When she was accused of adultery, he allowed her to be beheaded for treason.

He married Jane Seymour who her reportedly thought was his perfect wife, but she died from complications following childbirth. Young Katherine Howard caught his eye and he made her his forth queen, but the marriage was ill fated. She was accused of adultery and beheaded.

King Henry VIII allowed a marriage to be arranged with Anne of Cleves, but he found her unattractive. He had the marriage annulled, her but they remained close friends and he treated her as a sister. His sixth wife was Catherine Parr, who survived the king.

The Tudors is a dramatization based on historic events. King Henry VIII is portrayed by Johnathan Rhys Meyers. The cast portraying his wives includes: Maria Doyle Kennedy as Catherine of Aragon, Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn, Annabelle Wallis as Jane Seymour, Tamzin Merchant as Katherine Howard, Joss Stone as Anne of Cleves and Joely Richardson as Catherine Parr.

The Tudors will be on BBC America, so it can reach the basic cable audience. The next epic drama on Showtime will be The Borgias.