The Royals - Season Two

A murdered king and his corrupt brother who's taken over the throne, a vengeful prince and even a ghost or two. The E! Network's first scripted series, "The Royals," sounds like Shakespeare but better resembles the Kardashians. And even before its pilot episode aired, it was renewed for a second season, which is now out on DVD.

After the beloved King Simon was executed by an unknown assailant, the desperately beautiful and tortured Prince Liam (William Mosley) took over the throne with his sexy and self-destructive twin sister, Princess Eleanor (Alexandra Park), by his side. But that only lasted until Mum and Uncle teamed up to concoct a false paternity test and had the rightful heirs declared illegitimate.

Elizabeth Hurley (from the "Austin Powers" franchise) channels Joan Collins (who is actually in this show as well) in her portrayal of the manipulative, Monarchy-mad Queen Helena, the widow of King Simon and the sometime conspirator of the flamboyantly sinister new king, Cyrus (Jake Maskall).

Though the hijinks among Helena, Cyrus and his two Cinderella's stepsisters-type daughters, Princess Penelope and Maribel Henstridge (Lydia Rose Bewley and Jerry-Jane Pears), is strictly highbrow camp, Liam and Eleanor's revenges and romances are serious melodrama.

Two heroically handsome men are vying for the dishonored princess' hand, her former bodyguard who can't get over his impulse to watch over her, Jasper Frost (Tom Austen), and the man with a face so lovely that it almost turned Eleanor's new bodyguard gay, Twysden "Beck" Beckwith II (Andrew Cooper).

The working-class American, Frost, though common, will likely win the princess, but she can't quite forgive him for sleeping with her mother. He may prove the hero still in his new position as Liam's bodyguard; he's helping Liam to uncover the secret society that may have killed his father.

Much of this show that was one of 2015's top new scripted cable series is quite fun to watch, but the action gets drawn down in long and drippy sentimental montage sequences where the plot is choked up in a music-heavy sound mix.

"The Royals: Season Two"
DVD
$29.98 srp
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