Period television is hard to keep on the air these days, regardless of quality or ratings. And it always seems to come down to one thing...cost. After losing Deadwood, Carnivale and Rome before their time, it was with trepidation that I took a look at The Tudors. Showtime has touted The Tudors as the most expensive production they've ever undertaken. Looking at the extras on The Complete First Season DVD set would seem to back this up, and it certainly shows in the beauty of the sets and costuming on display on the screen. It's been renewed for a second season, but how long will Showtime be willing to pay for it? They did seem to save some money on the editor for the packaging of the DVD set, since she/he didn't seem to know which episodes were on which disc.

So, it turns out Henry VIII isn't just that portly guy at the Renaissance Faire with a gigantic turkey leg greasing up his maw. He was an athletic would-be humanist with an over-the-top appetite for sex and a body hard enough to qualify him for gay porn, or at least, that's how Showtime's The Tudors, the latest in bodice-ripping historical dramas, portrays him.