Mary & George is a British television historical drama series created by D. C. Moore. Based on Benjamin Woolley's book The King's Assassin, it examines the complex romance between James VI and I and George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham. Directed by Oliver Hermanus, Alex Winckler, and Florian Cossen, it also explores the intrigue and power dynamics of 17th-century England, highlighting the personal and political consequences of their affair.
Mary & George premiered on Sky Atlantic in the United Kingdom on 5 March 2024, and aired on Starz in the United States on 5 April.
Contents
Cast and characters
Main
Julianne Moore as Mary Villiers, Countess of Buckingham
Nicholas Galitzine as George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham
Tony Curran as James VI and I
Laurie Davidson as Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset
Sean Gilder as Sir Thomas Compton
Mark O'Halloran as Francis Bacon
Pearl Chanda as Frances Carr, Countess of Somerset
Trine Dyrholm as Queen Anne
Simon Russell Beale as George Villiers
Niamh Algar as Sandie Brookes
Adrian Rawlins as Edward Coke
Samuel Blenkin as Prince Charles
Amelia Gething as Frances Coke, Viscountess Purbeck
Nicola Walker as Elizabeth Hatton
Kate Fleetwood as Cunning Mary
Mirren Mack as Katherine Villiers, Duchess of Buckingham
Unax Ugalde as Diego Sarmiento de Acuña, Count of Gondomar
Joseph Mawle as Sir Walter Raleigh
Recurring
Jacob McCarthy as Christopher "Kit" Villiers, 1st Earl of Anglesey
Tom Victor as John Villiers, 1st Viscount Purbeck
Alice Grant as Susan Feilding, Countess of Denbigh
Rina Mahoney as Laura Ashcattle
Emily Fairn as Jenny
Lydia Fleming as Anne Turner
Angus Wright as Sir David Graham
Guest
Ankur Bahl as Xander, Mary's bookkeeper
Khalil Gharbia as Jean, George's tutor in France
Dimitri Gripari as Vincent, Jean's assistant
David Weiss as Christian IV of Denmark, the brother-in-law of James I
Ryan Oliva as Arthur Wearstrap, Graham's henchman
Matt Barkley as Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex
Dylan Brady as Peter Carr, Somerset's cousin
Jamie Michie as Captain Harrison, a captain under Raleigh's command
Simon Winkler as Francis Manners, 6th Earl of Rutland
Cat Simmons as Cassie, a captive freed together with Sandie
Aine Mcnamara as Maria Anna of Spain, the Spanish Infanta
Alex Brendemühl as Olivares, the Spanish Chief negotiator and the favourite of the king of Spain.
Robert Lonsdale as John Felton
Production
Mary & George is a seven-part limited historical drama series created by D. C. Moore, with Oliver Hermanus serving as the lead director. Both Moore and Hermanus are executive producers, alongside Liza Marshall for Hera Pictures and Sam Hoyle for Sky Studios.
In October 2022, it was announced that Julianne Moore would lead the series, portraying Mary Villiers, Countess of Buckingham. Nicholas Galitzine joined the cast in January 2023, playing her son, George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham. Additional cast members were revealed in March 2023.
Principal photography began in England in January 2023, starting in London. Notable filming locations included Knole in Kent, which was shut down for filming in late January and early February, and Ham House in Richmond, used to represent a London palace from 22 to 26 May 2023. Additionally, filming took place at Old Hunstanton Beach in Norfolk in early June 2023.
Title sequence
The title sequence was created by Peter Anderson Studio, based in London. It features scenes from the drama depicted as Jacobean-era oil paintings, alongside period artworks, including Artemisia Gentileschi's 1613 painting "Judith Slaying Holofernes," Frans Snyders' 1614 painting "Still Life with Dead Game, Fruits, and Vegetables," and Jean-Baptiste Oudry's 1723 painting "Hjortjakt." The images are overlaid with a typographical mask, designed as a portal to engage the audience and provide glimpses into a world filled with secrets and covert actions. Peter Anderson Studio describes the sequence as "a peephole into the souls of those who vie for power within the darkened courts of history."
The title sequence was described as "visually and musically stunning" by a review in Collider.
Release
Mary & George was presented at the MIPCOM in Cannes, with NBCUniversal Global Distribution managing international rights on behalf of Sky. The series premiered on Sky Atlantic in the United Kingdom, and also aired in Ireland, Germany, and Italy. In the United States and Canada, it was released by Starz. Initially, AMC Networks was set to distribute the series in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and India, but they later dropped the project. Foxtel picked up the series for streaming in Australia, with availability starting on 6 March 2024.
In May 2023, first-look images of Mary & George were published in Vogue magazine. During the Edinburgh Television Festival in August, Meghan Lyvers, Director of Original Drama at Sky Studios, announced that the series was expected to be released "in the coming year."
The initial trailer for the series debuted on 16 November 2023, followed by the release of the official trailer on 1 February 2024, with the series confirmed to premiere on 5 March 2024 on Sky Atlantic.
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 49 reviews for Mary & George are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The website's critics' consensus reads: "Bawdy, irreverent, and ruled by Julianne Moore in top form, Mary & George is a regal treat for fans of frothy court intrigue." This sentiment was echoed by The Guardian's Joel Golby, who awarded the miniseries 5 stars, calling it "a wickedly lewd delight" that feels "fresh and new and interesting." On Metacritic, the series holds a weighted average score of 73 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".