Having been a fan of Tudor history for many years, I was highly disappointed by this attempt to depict one of the most turbulent, turning points in European and world history. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers portrayal of Henry VIII of England makes him come off as a lisping, spoiled frat-boy and not the powerful monarch that Henry was. In fact, the entire casting of this series looks like a period version of "Desparate Housewives". The people of this particular time period should have only wished that they looked this good.<br /><br />"The Tudors" also take generous liberties with actual historical events, characters and costuming. The all too frequent depictions of sexual activity only serve as a distraction to the complex social, political and religious events of the period.<br /><br />What could have been a very good series is really just a soft-core pornographic Renaissance festival. If you are truly interested in seeing a historical and accurate depiction of Tudor life and events, rent "Anne of the Thousand Days", "A Man for All Seasons" or the PBS specials "The Six Wives of Henry the Eighth" or "Elizabeth R".