Premiering October 17 on the CW, Reign is the latest entry into the Renaisance soap opera genre. In the United States it will air on Thursdays, in the 9/8c timeslot following The Vampire Diaries. Reign will tell the story of Mary Queen of Scots, the sister of King Henry VIII. Mary lived from 1542-1587. Her life was filled with enough marriage, murder, and political melodrama to make it a great subject for a mini-series.

This CW production obviously intends to capitalize on the popularity of Showtime's recent hits The Tudors and The Borgias. Set in renaisance Italy, The Borgiasbased on the Renaissance family, famous for political power and poisoning their enemies, and The Tudors, which recounts the life of Henry VIII and his six wives were widely popular for their period locations, lush costuming, and raucous plot lines. In the past CW has not invested as much money in production values, nor filmed as much nudity as the premium channel Showtime. It remains to be seen whetherReign can meet the high audience expectations set by the previous shows.

The cast of Reign certainly provides plenty of eye candy, staring Adelaide Kane as Mary Queen of Scotts, and Toby Regbo as Francis II, king of France,the most important of her several husbands. Alan Van Sprang , who also had a role in The Tudors, plays King Henry II of France. Other notable historical characters in the show are Catherine de' Medici , and Nostradamus. There is no shortage of possible plot twists, sex, and melodrama. The first season will include thirteen episodes. Time will quickly tell if Reign can live up to it's royal pedigree.