'The Serpent Queen's' Reign Will Continue in Season 2

It's official: Catherine de Medici's reign will continue. Starz has officially renewed its sharp, biting period drama The Serpent Queen for a second season just as the first wrapped up this weekend. The series stars Samantha Morton (Harlots) as the infamous French Queen and aims to put a more contemporary spin on her story. From its fourth-wall-breaking narration to its explicit focus on female characters, this is a show that doesn't judge its often controversial heroine but instead celebrates her ability to not just survive but thrive in a hostile, male-focused world. (The real Catherine, after all, went on to become one of the most powerful and longest-serving rules in French history.)

The first season covered the Queen's early life, starting when the young Catherine arrived in France when she was just 14 and married the second son of the French king. Over the show/s first eight episodes, she must learn to both navigate an openly hostile court and manage her relationship with her new husband, who is very famously in love with his mistress, a woman 25 years his senior. With her future uncertain, she must quickly learn who she can trust while outmaneuvering anyone who underestimates her determination to survive at any cost.