The Royals

Production by Mastermind Laboratories, Varsity Pictures, Lionsgate Television, UCP

Directed by Mark Schwahn, James Lafferty, Les Butler

The Royals is an American prime time television soap opera that premiered on E! on March 15, 2015. Created by Mark Schwahn and starring Elizabeth Hurley, it is the network's first scripted series. The show began as a loose adaptation of the Michelle Ray novel Falling for Hamlet. E! renewed The Royals for a second season two months before its debut, and picked up a third season on January 5, 2016. E! renewed the series for a fourth season on February 16, 2017; the fourth season premiered on March 11, 2018. On August 16, 2018, it was announced that E! had canceled the series after four seasons. Additionally, it was reported that Lionsgate Television was shopping the series to other networks with discussions already underway for a pick-up by sister network Pop.

Hurley stars as Queen Helena, a fictional contemporary queen consort of England, along with William Moseley and Alexandra Park as her twin children, Prince Liam and Princess Eleanor; Jake Maskall as Helena's brother-in-law and nemesis, the new King Cyrus; Tom Austen as Eleanor's bodyguard and blackmailer, Jasper Frost; and Oliver Milburn as Ted Pryce, the Royal Family's head of security. Season 1 also starred Vincent Regan as Helena's husband, King Simon, and Merritt Patterson as Liam's love interest, Ophelia Pryce.