Skip to content
MovieCove
The White Queen

The White Queen

2013Miniseries1 season10 episodes~60 min/epTV-MAMidcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows

Set against the backdrop of the Wars of the Roses, the series is the story of the women caught up in the protracted conflict for the throne of England.

Your rating, lists and review

Where to watch

Where can I watch The White Queen?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists The White Queen streaming on Howdy via Prime Video, Prime Video (free) and STARZ and to rent or buy on Apple TV and Prime Video.

Rent / Buy

BuyBuy

Highlights

What stands out about The White Queen?

The White Queen earns 3 badges, led by Crowd Pleaser and Before they were famous.

  • Reception
  • Cast

Reception

Is The White Queen worth watching?

The White Queen's Midcredits score is the 81st percentile of all shows, from 35K ratings across 2 sources. 86% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

81st percentile

Better received than 81% of shows

83rd percentile among Drama80th percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)73rd
Approval (how many liked it)85th

Acclaim

Crowd Pleaser: Rating-distribution shape vs the catalog

How much people like it

76 /100

73rd percentile of all shows

75th percentile among Drama71st percentile among 2010s

Rating distribution

Most people land high, with a thin tail of low scores from those it didn't reach.

Approval

How many liked it

86% liked it

85th percentile of all shows

85th percentile among Drama84th percentile among 2010s
86% rated it 7–1014% rated it 1–6

Reach

How many have seen it

93rd percentile

35K ratings across platforms

91st percentile among Drama92nd percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 9% in 30 days

What reviewers say

Common ground

A lavish BBC/Starz costume drama that prioritizes melodrama and romance over historical fidelity, with both camps acknowledging its entertainment value.

Fans praised

  • strong female-led perspective on the Wars of the Roses
  • compelling performances, especially Amanda Hale and Janet McTeer
  • sumptuous costumes and production design

Detractors panned

  • wooden acting and stilted, exposition-heavy dialogue
  • gratuitous sex scenes and reliance on witchcraft as plot device
  • historical inaccuracies and anachronisms (zippers, modern hairstyles)

What stands out

CinematographyDivisive75

visually beautiful, but locations feel wrong

ActingDivisive68

Amanda Hale's intensity praised, but many call cast wooden

AtmosphereDivisive60

immersive court intrigue undercut by anachronisms

CharactersDivisive55

women as scheming pawns vs. cardboard figures

OriginalityDivisive55

female perspective fresh, but formulaic soap opera

Plot and storyDivisive50

convoluted and repetitive, but gripping for some

PacingDivisive45

slow start, later relentless but rushed

DialogueDivisive40

characters telling each other what they already know

Preferred by

Women vs men

Preferred by Women

Women scored it 12 points higher than men.

No notable difference between the other groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Under-30s vs over-30s 3 points apart
  • Critics vs users 1 point apart
  • US vs non-US 8 points apart

Episodes

1 season

Miniseries · 2013 · 10 episodes · 7.1 average across 10 rated episodes

  • S1E1

    In Love With The King

    Jun 16, 201359 minTMDB rating 6.8
  • S1E2

    The Price of Power

    Jun 23, 201358 minTMDB rating 6.5
  • S1E3

    The Storm

    Jun 30, 201358 minTMDB rating 7.7
  • S1E4

    The Bad Queen

    Jul 7, 201358 minTMDB rating 6.7
  • S1E5

    War At First Hand

    Jul 14, 201358 minTMDB rating 6.8
  • S1E6

    Love and Death

    Jul 21, 201358 minTMDB rating 6.7

Watch experience

What is The White Queen like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Earnest, dark and intense — an even-paced watch that leaves you haunted.

ToneFeelDemandexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

What it feels like

Moods
TenseMelancholicThrilling
Heaviest: late
Register
Solemn: Grave and dignified; treats its subject with weight and respect.Melodramatic · 9% of shows: Heightened emotion, played large.
Told as
SerializedSingle-season story
ToneThe series plays its high-stakes political drama and romance straight, treating the ambitions and suffering of its characters with solemn seriousness.
The rideThe synopsis promises a sustained atmosphere of scheming and danger, with emotional weight building toward the climax of the power struggle.
StructureThe story is presented chronologically across the series without formal framing devices or structural gimmicks.
Episode formatThe synopsis describes a continuous historical story told across ten episodes, each advancing the overarching arc of the Wars of the Roses.
Season formatThe series has only one season covering a complete narrative arc of the Wars of the Roses, concluding the story.

How it leaves you

what you carry away
Haunting · 9% of shows
Why it leaves you this wayThe series leaves you with the sobering weight of history's cost, as triumph gives way to loss and the cycle of conflict continues.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all shows
Monster — 18% of shows. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of shows. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 6% of shows. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 2% of shows. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 12% of shows. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 4% of shows. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 7% of shows. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 8% of shows. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 40% of showsPredator — 7% of shows. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 3% of shows. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of shows. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 3% of shows. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of shows. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of shows. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of shows. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of shows. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of shows. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of shows. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — 1% of shows. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of shows. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of shows. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of shows. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of shows. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 2% of shows. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 4% of shows. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of shows. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — under 1% of shows. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of shows. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 1% of shows. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — under 1% of shows. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of shows. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — under 1% of shows. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 2% of shows. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of shows. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of shows. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of shows. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 2% of shows. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of shows. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — under 1% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 1% of shows. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 1% of shows. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 1% of shows. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 1% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 3% of shows. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of shows. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 1% of shows. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of shows. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 6% of shows. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 1% of shows. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).Tragedy
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 18%: Predator 7% · Tyrant 3% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 3% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 6%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 2% · Mission 4% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage under 1%
  • Voyage 2%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 1% · Survival ordeal under 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent under 1%
  • Comedy 12%: Romantic comedy 2% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 2%
  • Tragedy 4% (this title): Hubris 1% · Obsession under 1% · Corruption arc 1% · Doomed love 1% · Crushed by fate 1% (this title)
  • Rebirth 7%: Redemption 1% · Healing 3% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 1%
  • Mystery 8%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 6% · Enigma 1%
  • No archetype 40%

Tragedy: A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin. · Crushed by fate: Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.

4% of shows fit this archetype

with Overcoming the monster underneath

A loose fit — the map only half-holds this one.

Why this archetypeThe series arc follows the Wars of the Roses as a sequence of doomed ambitions and lost causes, where each woman's pursuit of power is ultimately crushed by the larger forces of history and violence.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 31% of showsSelf — 27% of showsPower — 7% of showsMorality — 11% of showsSurvival — 9% of showsSociety — 10% of showsIdeas — 5% of showsRomantic love — 10% of showsMarriage — 2% of showsFamily bonds — 22% of showsParenthood — 1% of showsFriendship — 18% of showsLoyalty — 7% of showsIdentity — 20% of showsComing of age — 9% of showsAging — under 1% of showsSelf-worth — 7% of showsAmbition — 14% of showsPurpose — 16% of showsMemory — 3% of showsObsession — 2% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 5% of showsCorruption — 3% of showsGreed — 2% of showsClass — 4% of showsOppression — 2% of showsFreedom — 4% of showsJustice — 14% of showsDuty — 2% of showsRevenge — 1% of showsGuilt — 1% of showsRedemption — 3% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — under 1% of showsSacrifice — 2% of showsBetrayal — 3% of showsDeception — 6% of showsSurvival — 12% of showsWar — 1% of showsViolence — 2% of showsMortality — 2% of showsGrief — 4% of showsTrauma — 5% of showsMental illness — under 1% of showsAddiction — under 1% of showsIllness and disability — under 1% of showsCommunity — 25% of shows. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 3% of showsPrejudice — 2% of showsDisplacement — 1% of showsFaith — 1% of showsTradition vs change — 3% of showsFame — 5% of showsLegacy — 3% of showsFate — 1% of showsFree will — under 1% of showsTruth — 6% of showsHope — 4% of showsNature — 3% of showsArt — 2% of showsTechnology — 1% of showsSelfPower
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 31%: Romantic love 10% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 22% (this title) · Parenthood 1% · Friendship 18% · Loyalty 7%
  • Self 27%: Identity 20% · Coming of age 9% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 14% · Purpose 16% · Memory 3% · Obsession 2%
  • Power 7% (this title): Power 5% (this title) · Corruption 3% · Greed 2% · Class 4% · Oppression 2% · Freedom 4%
  • Morality 11%: Justice 14% · Duty 2% · Revenge 1% · Guilt 1% · Redemption 3% · Forgiveness under 1% · Sacrifice 2% · Betrayal 3% (this title) · Deception 6%
  • Survival 9%: Survival 12% · War 1% · Violence 2% · Mortality 2% · Grief 4% · Trauma 5% · Mental illness under 1% · Addiction under 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 10%: Community 25% · Isolation 3% · Prejudice 2% · Displacement 1% · Faith 1% · Tradition vs change 3% · Fame 5% · Legacy 3%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 6% · Hope 4% · Nature 3% · Art 2% · Technology 1%

Power

Power · 5% of showsBetrayal · 3% of showsFamily bonds
Interrogates its theme: Questions its theme without settling the answer.Societal stakes: Consequences reach a whole social order.Ensemble lead
How it treats its themeThe series examines the relentless pursuit of power through the actions of three women who scheme, manipulate, and betray in a war-torn royal family dispute.
StanceThe series questions what power costs, centering the three women's schemes within the broader crisis of the English throne.

The world

MedievalInstitutionalRuralUrbanStylized realism
Orchestral classicalFolkSupportive music · original score · John Lunn
SettingEngland during the Wars of the Roses, 1464
MusicThe score blends period-appropriate folk instruments with orchestral drama to underscore the medieval setting and emotional stakes.

Content guide

Is The White Queen okay for kids?

TV-MA

The White Queen is rated TV-MA. As of October 3, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at intense (67/100), sexual content at intense (69/100), language at mild (33/100), drug and alcohol content at moderate (36/100) and frightening material at intense (60/100). Overall it is heavier than 34% of TV-MA shows.

Ratings in 22 other countries
  • UK15
  • Canada14+
  • AustraliaMA 15+
  • Germany16
  • France16
  • Ireland15
  • South Korea19
  • Brazil16
  • Denmark15
  • FinlandK16
  • Greece16
  • Hungary16
  • MexicoAA
  • Norway15
  • PhilippinesPG
  • Poland16
  • Portugal16
  • Russia18+
  • Spain16
  • SwedenFrån 15 år
  • Switzerland16
  • Türkiye18+
Overall
Moderate · all five categories
Heavier than 62% of all showsHeavier than 34% of TV-MA shows
Violence & Gore
Intense
typical for a TV-MA show
heavier than 52%
Sex & Nudity
Intense · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
heavy for a TV-MA show
heavier than 78%
Profanity
Mild
light for a TV-MA show
heavier than 4%
Alcohol & Drugs
Moderate
light for a TV-MA show
heavier than 20%
Frightening / Intense
Intense
typical for a TV-MA show
heavier than 51%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

The reason to think twice is sexual content, violence, and frightening material. Everything else sits at or below what TV-MA shows usually carry.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other shows that have them.

What content warnings does The White Queen have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in The White Queen?

Cast

Aneurin Barnard
as Richard Duke of Gloucester
Rebecca Ferguson
as Queen Elizabeth
newcomer then · star now
Amanda Hale
as Lady Margaret Beaufort
Newcomer: A standing when this show came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Faye Marsay
as Anne Neville
Newcomer: A standing when this show came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Max Irons
as King Edward
Ben Lamb
as Anthony Rivers
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.
Tom McKay
as Jasper Tudor
Newcomer: A standing when this show came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Juliet Aubrey
as Countess of Warwick
David Oakes
as George Duke of Clarence
Eleanor Tomlinson
as Isabel Neville
Rising: A short career with a standing when this show came out above the median working actor today.

Crew

More like this

What are shows like The White Queen?

TMDB's suggestions for shows like The White Queen include The White Princess (2017), The Crown (2016) and The Tudors (2007).

Like this, but

Explore by

What other shows share a tag with The White Queen?

124 other shows share the rarest tag below, premise: siege. Each tag opens Browse with the shows that share it.