Parents' Guide to Wolf Hall: The Mirror & The Light

Provided viewers come to this series with a working knowledge of Tudor England under Henry VIII, this elegant and intricate adaptation of the book of the same name is positively riveting. Otherwise, keep your phone handy to look up the names and historical happenings you'll hear repeated during The Mirror & The Light without exposition: Thomas Cromwell, Geoffrey Pool, the Duke of Norfolk, the English Reformation's closing of monasteries, and so on. The dearth of exposition keeps the pace zippy but may confuse those who don't know much about Cromwell's life or the political strife and machinations that are forever linked to his name.

That said, main character Cromwell is front and center in The Mirror & The Light, and whether the viewer sees him as a hero or a villain, it's hard not to pity him, particularly as fleshed out by Mark Rylance, he of the big sad eyes and woebegone face. As the series begins, he's at the peak of his political power as chief minister to King Henry VIII; four years (and a lot of backroom deals) later, his head rolled just the same as many others Henry hated or feared. In between is the fascinating tale of one of history's more enigmatic individuals, and a truly tumultuous era in English history. The Mirror & The Light is classy, expensive television that's as captivating as the best-told history.