The Tudors

Apparently some folks in the U.K. are getting their knickers in a twist about the Showtime series The Tudors. They say that King Henry the Eighth would not have looked like Jonathan Rhys-Myers (um not many do - SWOON), the plotline had to be "dumbed down" for American viewers, and there are glaring anachronisms in the production (non-period coaches, radiators, asphalt).



Lemme 'splain something to y'all across the pond.


1. No one wants to see a carbon copy of Henry the Eighth on the screen. We've seen portraits of him in later life. Granted, he was not as portly in his early years, but I can't think of too many leading men that rock the red hair. He was not as pretty as Jonathan Rhys-Myers....so we shall keep him. Oh hi pretty boy....



2. Okay so the characters are referenced by easy to recognize names for us Americans. That does annoy me a bit, because I am a history buff, and consider The Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser to be one of my favorite books. I wish people would read more and be generally smarter, but alas I don't think that's going to happen any time soon with all the cable channels and video games that occupy so many hours of American free time.

3. Regarding the anachronisms - asphalt can easily be covered by dirt. A radiator can be covered by furniture or a really spectacular shot of Jonathan Rhys-Myers ass, so that no one even notices the anachronism. Someone was not doing their job. They obviously need to include more gratuitous ass shots in the production.

Y'all just need to get a pint at the pub and chill.