Becoming Elizabeth

TV review by Stephanie Morgan, Common Sense Media
Becoming Elizabeth TV show poster

Common Sense says

age 15+

Moody Queen Elizabeth I melodrama; violence and nudity.

Starz Drama 2022
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Parents say

age 17+

Based on 2 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Becoming Elizabeth, from director Justin Chadwick (The Other Boleyn Girl), is based on the origin story of Queen Elizabeth I (played by Alicia Von Rittberg) as she ascended to the throne after the death of her father, King Henry VIII. One of the central plots focuses on an underaged girl being groomed for a sexual relationship with an older man. The majority of the cast is White, with a few minor characters of color from other countries. There are battlefield scenes that include men being stabbed, blood spurting, and dead bodies shown floating in a river. The show is full of insults and dubious scheming. All three of the king's children worry about being murdered. Sex scenes include nudity; butt cheeks and breasts are shown. There's profanity, including "f--k" and "whore." Characters are also shown drinking, drunk, and then throwing up the next day.

Community Reviews

annaF11
annaF11 Adult
August 7, 2022
age 15+

surprisingly accurate

Am posting as I saw the other review and it complains about historical inaccuracies which aren’t in the show. Elizabeth isn’t confined to the Tower and Wyatt’s rebellion hasn’t featured in season one which covers Edward VI’s reign. Broadly the show is pretty close to the real history - a few of the events are out of order or simplified, and some dramatic licence is taken with relationships but it is a more accurate than most Tudor series.

This title has:

Educational value
PAMNJ16
PAMNJ16 Adult
July 20, 2022
age 18+

Parents Beware. Not suitable for children.

Historically innaccurate: Literary license aside, major events like Elizabeth's confinement in the Tower of London, under Edward VI was just too way way out for anyone who cares about some degree of actual history. Wyatts Rebellion took place under Queen Mary 1st, not Edward VI for example. The show's title is Becoming Elizabeth after all, so why make such a drastic mistake. Child abuse: The character of Elizabeth is portrayed as being 14 when Thomas Seymour (abuses) initiates an intimate relationship with her (Catherine Parr character talks about Elizabeth's 15th birthday coming up in that episode). Gratuitous violence/cruelty. While the period was a violent one, there is no need to go so far beyind the pale as to be deeply disturbing, even to adults. I stopped watching it immediately following the scene of psychopathic level animal cruelty in episode 6, because the writers chose to depict a scene of sickening cruelty to a falcon bird, ordered and watched by, the child king Edward VI. The screams of that creature featured in the scene, profoundly disturbing. I was made sick by this scene, heaven knows how badly the scene may affect children.

This title has:

Too much violence
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In BECOMING ELIZABETH, Elizabeth Tudor, a teenager orphaned after the death of King Henry VIII, becomes embroiled in the political and sexual politics of the English court on her journey to secure the crown.

Is It Any Good?

Aiming for sexy political intrigue, this latest re-telling of the rise of Queen Elizabeth I lands closer to soapy melodrama. Centered partly around an underaged girl being groomed by an older man and a 10-year-old boy-king screaming profanities at his underlings, Becoming Elizabeth leaves the viewer with a vague feeling of what can only be described as ickiness. Adding to the cheap feel is the overdone mood lighting and nearly dizzying camera work, both of which fail to create the dramatic tension mastered by superior periods pieces such as Game of Thrones and The Great. It's historical drama hovering just above the level of something the CW network might produce (if they were allowed to use profanity and show nudity). The costumes are beautiful, though often hidden in the dark. The dialogue is simplistic, and the scenes are fast paced and brief. Which isn't all bad if something easy to follow and mildly entertaining is all you're after. But this isn't a show people will be buzzing about.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about historical content. What's appealing about costume dramas? What would be a different way of telling a familiar historical tale like this one?

  • Are there any similarities between today's politics and those of Britain in the 1500s? How accurate do you think the show is, from a historical perspective? Was there really this much constant sex and violence?

  • Did anything you saw surprise you? How could you find out more about the period if you wanted to? What are the benefits and drawbacks about learning history through TV shows and movies?

TV Details

Our Editors Recommend

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    age 14+
  • Shakespeare in Love Poster Image

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    Lavish historical drama has explicit sex scenes.

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