Not every series can survive in the golden age of streaming, with yet another falling victim to cancellation after just one season but surprisingly good reviews.
Starz original series Becoming Elizabeth has gone the way of the dodo within eight episodes, with the series which attempted to turn Queen Elizabeth I into a Game of Thrones-esque tale of sexual and political intrigue falling into the graveyard of streaming, Starz confirmed today.
Greenlit in 2019 with British playwright Anya Reiss helming the series and Alicia von Rittberg as the titular queen, it may have featured a cavalcade of local stars but clearly wasn’t enough to win over audiences globally. von Rittberg was praised for her performance in the eight-part series which launched in June 2022, but won’t be going down in the memory.
The series saw just 158,000 total views since it was released, making it even less viewed than its own trailer. Ouch. Becoming Elizabeth featured some strong talent alongside von Rittberg, with Game of Thrones and The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey appearing as Lady Jane Eyre.
Sitting on 85 percent on Rotten Tomatoes with critics, and a similarly positive audience score of 77 percent it’s clearly not for a lack of talent or trying the series has faced the remorseless scythe. For fans of British dramas and comedies, there’s several “wait where have I seen them before” moments, especially if you’re into Downton Abbey, Peep Show, or The Inbetweeners.
Becoming Elizabeth is currently available to stream on Starz.