Victoria, a television show produced by PBS, follows young Queen Victoria when she gets coronated at the age of eighteen. The queen is forced to navigate difficulties relating to her age, gender, and the pressure to marry and produce an heir. Victoria conveys these challenges in a slightly dramatized fashion while still maintaining, for the most part, its historical accuracy.
The show has been critically acclaimed across the board, and it is easy to see why. Victoria features Jenna Coleman, Tom Hughes, and Rufus Sewell as the main characters, all of whom embody their roles wonderfully. Offstage, the producers have done a wonderful job with production. In particular, the soundtrack and costumes are quite extraordinary. The soundtrack features gorgeous original pieces, clearly composed carefully in relation to the time period in which Victoria is set. The costumes, particularly the queen’s dress, are regal and exquisite, helping to impress upon the viewer the sheer decadence of the royal lifestyle.
I typically dislike historical TV shows or movies. In fact, it took about a month for my family to convince me to watch an episode of Victoria with them because I was so convinced that it would be a bore. I immediately discovered that I was wrong, and within a few days I had finished the first season.
The challenges that the queen face are relatable to the struggles that any other eighteen-year-old might face, which makes the show all the more enjoyable to watch. Victoria seamlessly blends comedy, romance, drama, and history into a satisfying bundle that is sure to please a wide variety of viewers, whether they are AP Euro students cramming for an exam or someone looking for a great new show.