Jodie Comer’s 8-Episode Historical Miniseries Is Still Worth a Weekend Binge
Kendall Myers is a Senior Author with Collider. As part of the TV and Movies Features team, she writes about some of the most popular releases before, during, and after they premiere. In three years, she has written over 900 articles with topics ranging from classic sitcoms to fantasy epics.
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Historical dramas have long highlighted royalty, especially the women. From Victoria to The Crown, this pattern has plenty of examples, but The White Princess is quietly one of the best. The Starz miniseries follows The White Queen, and despite The White Princess' limited run, the story continues in The Spanish Princess, exploring the multi-generational drama of this time period. Despite this connection, The White Princess is designed as a standalone series, allowing audiences to start wherever they choose, and they cannot go wrong with this 2017 series.
Jodie Comer, known for her Emmy-winning role in Killing Eve, plays Elizabeth of York as the series explores her marriage to Henry VII (Jacob Collins-Levy) and the political implications of the match. Focusing on a fascinating time in history and featuring several stellar performances, the series is unforgettable. Though eventful, The White Princess consists of only eight episodes, making it a quick but exciting watch. With its addictive story, the series is an ideal binge for history buffs and political drama fans alike.
What Is 'The White Princess' About?
The White Princess is full of secret plotting and political intrigue, making it an exciting watch. Based on Philippa Gregory's book by the same name and inspired by English history, the story begins in 1485, following years of hostilities between the houses of Lancaster and York over England's throne. The recently crowned Henry Tudor and Elizabeth of York, or "Lizzie," are forced to marry to end the conflict, but neither is thrilled about the match. Resentful and hating each other, Lizzie and Henry plot against each other, looking out for their own interests despite their marriage. This dynamic makes The White Princess stand out because rarely are enemies forced to be so close. However, the animosity between Lizzie and Henry is just the beginning of the show's drama.
Collider Exclusive · 8 Questions · 2 Minutes Which Iconic Fandom Should You Join? Harry Potter · Lord of the Rings · Star Wars · Star Trek
Eight honest questions about how you actually are: what you put on when you need cheering up, how deep you go into the things you love, what you argue about, what you keep on your shelf. Answer them and we will tell you where you belong. Four of the biggest fandoms on earth are taking new members, and they could not be more different from one another.
⚡Harry Potter(Wizarding World)
💍Lord of the Rings(Middle-earth)
⚔️Star Wars(A Galaxy Far Away)
🖖Star Trek(The Final Frontier)
01
What do you put on when you need cheering up? Nobody is brave about this one.
02
How deep do you go into something you love? There is no shallow end here, only different deep ends.
03
What do you and your friends actually argue about? Every fandom has one argument it has been having for years.
04
How do you feel about a room full of strangers? Every one of these comes with a very big room.
05
Where would you rather spend a week? Pick on instinct rather than on budget.
06
What do you believe about people, mostly? All four of these stories have an answer, and they disagree.
07
What is actually on your shelf? Look over at it before you answer.
08
What do you actually want from a story? Eight questions in, this is the one that picks your fandom.
Membership Confirmed Your Fandom Is…
Four of the largest communities on the planet, and four completely different reasons to belong to one. Here is yours, what it would give you, and the argument you would be having within a week.
Harry Potter
You belong to the fandom that is really about comfort. Hogwarts works on people because it is a place rather than a plot, and the pull is not the wizard war so much as the corridors, the food, the weather and the sense that somebody is expecting you.
- You are drawn to belonging, which is why this fandom sorted itself into houses within about five minutes and has never stopped.
- This is the most social of the four, and the one most likely to know which type every single person in your life would be.
- The books are built to be reread rather than analysed, and rereading is exactly what you do with things you love.
- The new HBO series is bringing the whole thing back one book at a time, which means the arguments are about to start all over again.
Lord of the Rings
You belong to the deepest fandom on this list, the one where somebody has always read further than you and is quietly delighted to say so. Middle-earth rewards patience more than any other world in popular culture.
- You like the sense that the story you are reading is only the visible part of something enormous, which is precisely how Tolkien built it.
- This fandom takes adaptation seriously to a degree that other fandoms find slightly alarming, and it has good reasons for that.
- Your favourite thing about the books is probably the bit that is not action at all, which is the walking, the songs and the long goodbyes.
- Nobody here thinks heroism belongs to the powerful, and the whole story exists to make that argument.
Star Wars
You belong to the loudest and largest tent of the four, the one where three generations are all watching the same thing and none of them agree about any of it. That disagreement is not a flaw in this fandom, it is the main activity.
- You want something you can share with absolutely everybody, from a six year old to a grandparent, and this is the only one on the list that really does that.
- Nobody argues like Star Wars fans argue, and the argument has been running since roughly 1980 with no sign of resolution.
- The pull here is sensory before it is narrative, since it is the sound design, the score and the look of a used and dented galaxy.
- You would be first in the queue, in costume, with strong opinions and a genuinely good time.
Star Trek
You belong to the thinking fandom, the one that turns up for the argument rather than the explosion. Trek has always been a series of ethical problems in space, and the people who love it love being asked what they would have done.
- You are an optimist in a way that is currently unfashionable, and this is the only major franchise still willing to say the future might be better.
- The best episodes are the ones where nobody fires anything, which is a sentence that makes perfect sense to this fandom and to nobody else.
- Starfleet Academy brought the franchise back to a classroom in 2026, which is appropriate, because Trek has always been a bit of a seminar.
- You would want the conversation afterwards more than the episode itself, and here you will always find somebody willing to have it.
The suspicion and scheming extend beyond the couple as their families (namely their respective mothers) aren't ready to make peace. While Henry's mother, Margaret Beaufort (Michelle Fairley), works to remove any threats to her son's rule, Lizzie's mother, Elizabeth Woodville (Essie Davis), actively plots to take over the kingdom, destabilizing the peace that Henry and Lizzie's marriage is supposed to form. Lizzie quickly gets caught in the middle of the power struggle, especially as her respect for her husband grows, and her children become his heirs. As Lizzie must choose who to protect, the series emphasizes the emotional stakes, adding another layer to the complex political maneuvering that makes The White Princess so addictive.
'The White Princess' Performances Set the Historical Series Apart
The White Princess has a lot to love, but the performances particularly stand out. Often praised for its female leads, the series' cast adds a rare level of tension and depth. Comer herself is great, and though she has proven herself many times since, The White Princess was a breakout role for her. Meanwhile, Fairley and Davis, as the respective mothers, consistently steal their scenes, becoming highlights of the series by bringing an intensity to their roles. Yet, these talented women aren't the only performers with a difficult job. Henry is a complex part, and Collins-Levy plays into the nuances of the character, proving himself the best man for the role. Even among powerhouses like these, several members of the supporting cast stand out as well, including Lizzie's gentle cousin, Maggie (Rebecca Benson), and the tragic Perkin Warbeck (Patrick Gibson). These unforgettable performances help to set The White Princess apart, but they cannot make the show work on their own.
The White Princess is such a stellar series because of its story. It covers a fascinating time in history, which is why Starz has made three separate series about it. Though the personal character arcs are certainly dramatized, the historical series accurately portrays the political chaos of the era, full of paranoia and pretenders. This context allows The White Princess to tell a truly thrilling story that fans of drama and history alike will not be able to look away from.
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