The Royals - Season One

The Greek gods were never intended to be worshiped, and humans certainly weren't expected to use them as mentors or models. They were just the subjects of stories, extremely powerful and beautiful immortals that were meant to be marveled at as they behaved shockingly. The tradition of these mythological figures continues in "The Royals," the E! Network's first scripted series.

Loosely based on Michelle Ray's novel "Falling for Hamlet," the show centers around a fictional and contemporary version of the British royal family by hyper stylizing them as an over-the-top tabloid trash.

Elizabeth Hurley paints a portrait of the perfect modern regal, Queen Helena, while her children, Prince Liam (William Moseley) and Princess Eleanor (Alexandra Park), bed hop and do drugs.

That is until her eldest dies, and the stunned Liam must address the fact that he is next in line to the throne. The current sovereign, King Simon (Vincent Regan) is so appalled by the state of his family that he proposes disbanding the monarchy. After all, they are purposeless and publicly funded examples of excess.

Before this can happen the daughter of the royal head of security, the American born Ophelia (Merritt Patterson), helps Liam see his potential as a leader, and he works toward becoming a man of substance. Of course, since the model for this series is "Hamlet," the King's brother, Prince Cyrus (Jake Maskall), has his own plans for the throne, and this feckless family member is not above regicide.

The absurd sound mix on this series heavily favors the music, letting the soundtrack tell the story and almost letting the unimpressive dialogue fall into the background. Beyond their stunning beauty these characters are rather uninteresting, and the narrative takes forever to unfold, slogging forward amidst a spectacle of opulent locals and elegant costumes.

This DVD collection includes a few promotional special features, including "Madness in Great Ones: Creating 'The Royals,'" "Behind the Royal Wardrobe" (of course) and "Private vs. Public: A Modern-Day Monarchy."

"The Royals"
DVD
Not Rated | 450 minutes
www.eonline.com/shows/the_royals