‘Mary and George’: A period piece with ‘a contemporary tone’ that is primed for Emmys

The delicious “Mary & George” may well serve up a feast of Emmy nominations. This limited series on Starz stars Julianne Moore as the Countess of Buckingham, who groomed her son, George Villiers (Nicholas Galitzine), to seduce King James I (Tony Curran). The Countess uses her son as a pawn to scheme her way to riches, titles, and influence in 1600s England.

The series, adapted by award-winning playwright D.C. Moore from Benjamin Woolley’s bestseller “The King’s Assassin,” is a sumptuous period drama. The show is in the same vein as Yorgos Lanthimos‘ Oscar-winning “The Favourite,” swapping out the usual stuffy nature of such fare for a raucous, romp through history.

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Moore, who won the Best Actress Oscar in 2015 for “Still Alice,” is on reliably good form here. She chews up every scene and commands the screen with authority. Galitzine, meanwhile, proves he is more than just the most handsome man in the show — his George Villiers is a complex beast — both appealing and pitiful. Meanwhile, the great Curran gets a chance to shine in front of US audiences here. His turn as King James I is one of the year’s best supporting performances on TV. Critics agree, this is a show more than worth watching.

Elizabeth Gregory (London Evening Standard) noted: “Beyond the show’s fabulous costumes and beyond the superb acting from Moore, which is often well-matched by Galitzine, this is a frisky true (or at least true-ish) account of astonishing social advancement.”

Dan Einav (Financial Times) summarized: “The new seven-part series dispenses with the formality and frippery often found in British period pieces in favour of bracing coarseness and a contemporary tone.”

Lucy Mangan (The Guardian) commented: “The stakes increase with every episode as the family climbs higher up the rungs of the social and court ladder and the whole thing remains tremendous.”

Craig Mathieson (The Age) wrote: “At the centre of it all Moore is flinty fierce, playing a woman who will waste no more of her life merely enduring. What a ferocious, funny take on the period drama this is.”

Not surprisingly, it has a jaw-dropping score of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. That is better than four of the 2023 Emmy nominees for Best Limited Series: “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” (57%), “Daisy Jones and the Six” (69%), “Fleishman is in Trouble” (87%), and “Obi-Wan Kenobi” (82%). Only the winner, “Beef,: had a higher Rotten Tomatoes grade: 98%.

“Mary & George” ticks off many of the boxes of typical nominees in this category.

Firstly, it’s a period piece, which is a genre that often makes the cut. “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” “The Queen’s Gambit,” “The Underground Railroad,” “Mrs. America,” “Fosse/Verdon,” “Genius: Picasso,” and “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” are all examples of such shows.

The tone and style of “Mary & George” fit with the taste of TV academy members. The series is bawdy and brash and refuses to restrict itself to straight-up drama. This mixture of darkness and comedy is one that Emmy voters like. One such show, “Beef,” just won this award while others, such as “Pam & Tommy” and “I May Destroy You” have reaped bids.

And Moore is an Oscar-winning movie star. That sprinkling of stardust will propel this show toward a nomination. There have been plenty of shows with A-listers that go on to earn a nomination in this category. “Obi-Wan Kenobi” featured Ewan McGregor, “Dopesick” starred Michael Keaton, “Mare of Easttown” starred Kate Winslet, “Mrs. America” starred Cate Blanchett,” the “Watchmen” cast included Regina King,” “Sharp Objects” showcases Amy Adams,” and “Fosse/Verdon” starred both Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams.

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