Look no further for your next period drama fix — The Serpent Queen has got your back.
The story of Catherine de Medici is coming back for a second season with The Serpent Queen Season 2, and we can’t wait to see what schemes Catherine will get up to next.
Here’s everything we know about the upcoming season, including the cast, plot, trailer, and more.
Has The Serpent Queen Been Renewed for Season 2?
Fortunately, we will be seeing more of The Serpent Queen coming to our screens before long.
The series was renewed for Season 2 back in October of 2022.
Now, we just have to wait for the series to begin production.
How Did The Serpent Queen Season 1 End?
The Serpent Queen Season 1 ended with a lot of scheming, a crowning, and even more schemes.
We see Rahima narrate this episode and know that she has a significant place in the plot as she has a copy of the Queen of England’s emblem — something that comes in handy at the very end of the episode.
The season finale picked up where we left off in The Serpent Queen Season 1 Episode 7. Francis was on his way to being kidnapped when his health took a turn for the worse, thwarting Catherine’s plan.
While chaos ensues, Catherine mounts a horse and leaves, stopping Montmorency from killing Antoine. How? By stabbing Montmorency herself.
Catherine tells Antoine to hide at a farmhouse down the river but keeps his location to herself, a secret that will come in handy later.
With Francis ill and dying of tuberculosis, his younger brother Charles IX is in line for the throne, but Charles is only about nine years old, so his reign would fall under a regent — currently Antoine.
The sitting regent and the current kind have to agree to transfer the title of regent, so Catherine needs both Francis and Antoine to agree to transfer power for things to go in her favor.
Since nothing goes her way without a bit of hard work put into it, Catherine goes behind Mary’s back and gives Louis clemency in exchange for Antoine’s location. After she gets her way, she tells Mary of her plan and suggests making Mary regent.
In the meantime, she sends Mathilde to take care of Montmorency, though she is unsuccessful.
Antoine refuses to give away his power, so Catherine has Mary cut off one of Louis’s fingers to send to Antoine and force his hand. Montmorency finds his way to Antoine and forces Antoine to sign the regency over to Catherine.
Catherine talks to Francis, convinces him to endorse her as regent, and then convinces him to take a strong opiate Ruggieri gave her to end his suffering.
Catherine has won, and Mary is absolutely fuming at what’s happened.
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Back to Rahima, we know that she knows that Catherine intercepted Mary’s letter to Elizabeth and forged a reply, hence the importance of the fake seal.
Mary was convinced the seal was authentic and is summoned back to Scotland to work on a plot with Elizabeth to overthrow Catherine — learning once she’s there that it was all a ruse and her presence there is a threat to the stability of the nation.
Rahima has secured herself a title and property in exchange for her help, Charles IX is crowned king with Catherine as regent, and Mary is left in Scotland.
The Serpent Queen Season 2 Plot
Creator Justin Haythe has been very careful not to let too much slip about The Serpent Queen Season 2.
During an interview with IndieWire, he had the whole season written out on a whiteboard that he had turned the other direction so no one could see.
However, he did tease some of his plans for the next season.
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“I’ve got a lot of very specific ideas about where I want Season 2 to go,” Haythe said.
“I wanted to start with what I think was Catherine’s real ambition to try to modernize France. She built the Tuilleries. She brought a lot of artists to France.
“She tried to introduce religious tolerance and somehow got from there to the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, and that’s an interesting arc.”
The Serpent Queen Season 2 Episodes
The Serpent Queen Season 1 had eight episodes, each about 52 minutes long. We are anticipating another eight episodes for The Serpent Queen Season 2.
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The Serpent Queen Season 2 Returning Cast
At this time, we can only say for certain that Samantha Morton will be back as Catherine de Medici.
As far as the other cast members, there has been some recasting and new additions to the cast.
Hopefully, we will see characters such as Ruggieri, Mathilde, and even Diane de Poitiers return, but there’s no official word on whether or not they’ve been recast.
Will we see more of Antonia Clarke as Mary Queen of Scots? It’s possible, but we just don’t know yet.
The Serpent Queen Season 2 Cast Additions
There are several new additions coming to the cast of The Serpent Queen Season 2, including Minnie Driver (Good Will Hunting, Chevalier).
New series regulars are joining Driver, including Angus Imrie (Emma), Emma McDonald (Moonhaven), Stanley Morgan (I Used to Be Famous) and Philippine Velge (Station Eleven).
Other recurring roles are coming as well, with Rosalie Craig (1899), Isobel Jesper Jones (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes), Bill Milner (Son of Rambow), Ashley Thomas (Them), and Alexandre Williams (The Wheel of Time) joining.
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Driver will take on the role of Elizabeth I, the famous Virgin Queen. Imrie plays Henry IV, the son of Antoine de Bourbon and Jeanne d’Albret.
McDonald is taking over the role of Rahima, previously held by Sennia Nanua. Morgan plays Ankou, the younger brother of King Charles. Velge plays Margot, Catherine’s eldest daughter.
Craig plays Jeanne d’Albret, Antoine’s wife. Jones plays Edith, a protestant preacher. Milner plays King Charles IX, the oldest son of Catherine de Medici and now the King of France.
Thomas plays Alessandro de Medici, and Willaume plays Montmorency, the wise and humorless Constable General of France.
The Serpent Queen Season 2 Trailer
There is no trailer or teaser for The Serpent Queen Season 2 at this time.
We can expect one before too long as the series begins production.
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The Serpent Queen Season 2 Release Date
Right now, there is no set release date for The Serpent Queen Season 2.
However, we do know that the release is anticipated to be later this year, so hopefully, we will get a date before long.
Where to Watch The Serpent Queen Season 2
The Serpent Queen airs on Starz, and Season 1 can currently be streamed on the platform.
Season 2 will air on the platform once it is released.
Will you be tuning in for The Serpent Queen Season 2?
Let us know in the comments below.
In the meantime, stay tuned at TV Fanatic for the latest news in television.
Devin Piel, an entertainment news writer from the Midwest with a passion for true crime and binge-streaming the latest Netflix series, is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. You can follow her on X.
