Iconic Historical Figures Featured in Masterpiece Period Dramas this Month

Calling all history buffs, drama enthusiasts and period piece fanatics! Two of the most iconic figures of their time return to your screens this month for their biopic series from Masterpiece. Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, a sequel to the 2015 series, and Season 2 of Marie Antoinette premiere on Sunday, March 23, at 9pm and 10pm on CET. Learn more about the series below:

Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light

Premieres Sunday, March 23, at 9pm on CET

This new series picks up right where Wolf Hall left off with the beheading of Anne Boleyn in May of 1536. Reuniting the original creative team and many members of the Wolf Hall cast, Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light will trace the final four years of Cromwell’s life, completing his journey from self-made man to the most feared, influential figure of his time.

As Cromwell navigates the moral complexities that exist during the rule of King Henry VIII, he is caught between his desire to do what is right and his instinct to survive. Rebellion at home, traitors plotting abroad and the threat of invasion all test the regime to a breaking point. But the inevitable question remains: how long can anyone survive under Henry’s cruel and capricious gaze?

“The Mirror and the Light picks up exactly where Wolf Hall ended, with the execution of Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn,” said director Peter Kosminsky in a press release. “I’m overjoyed to be able to reunite the extraordinary cast we were lucky enough to assemble for Wolf Hall, led by the brilliant Mark Rylance and Damian Lewis, with the original creative team of Gavin Finney (DOP), Pat Campbell (Designer) and Joanna Eatwell (Costume Designer). We are all determined to complete what we started – and to honour the final novel written by one of the greatest literary figures of our age, Hilary Mantel.”

Cromwell is as complex as he is unforgettable: a politician and a fixer, a diplomat and a father, a man who both defied and defined his age. Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light airs Sundays, March 23 through April 27, at 9pm on CET and will be available on the PBS App. Watch a preview: https://watch.cetconnect.org/video/wolf-hall-the-mirror-and-the-light-preview-fakiyb/.

Watch episodes from the 2015 series, Wolf Hall, on the PBS App: https://watch.cetconnect.org/show/wolf-hall/.

Marie Antoinette – Season 2

Premieres Sunday, March 23, at 10pm on CET

Journey to the Palace of Versailles at the height of the “ancien régime” for a rare glimpse into the life of one of history’s most iconic leaders, Marie Antoinette, from a young dauphine to the last queen of France. After marrying King Louis XIV, Marie attempts to recreate Versailles in her image: free, independent and feminist. But her royal enemies will do everything they can to bring her down.

In the new season, Marie and Louis face unprecedented challenges at the height of their power. As financial crises loom across the nation and political rivalries intensify, the royal couple must navigate an increasingly hostile court and a changing France. From Versailles to the Palais Royal, the seeds of a revolution began to take root, threatening the very foundations of France’s long-standing monarchy.

“We are so excited that PBS’s audience will get to see the anticipated second season of Marie Antoinette,” said Maria Bruno Ruiz, Vice President, Program Content Strategy and Scheduling at PBS, in a press release. “The tension in Season 2 builds with each episode as we experience the beginning of the end for King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. The French debt is increasing with more loans, the Affair of the Diamond Necklace is scandalous, and the inner circle of Versailles is closing in on king and queen. Season 2 features incredible talent and storytelling along with spectacular breathtaking costumes and set designs that take viewers right inside the walls of the Palace of Versailles.”

With eight new episodes, Season 2 of Marie Antoinette airs on Sundays, March 23 through May 11, at 10pm on CET and will be available on the PBS App. Watch a preview: https://watch.cetconnect.org/video/marie-antoinette-season-2-preview-bhztnc/.

Catch up on episodes from Season 1 with CET Passport: https://watch.cetconnect.org/show/marie-antoinette/.