Ahead of its series debut on Sunday, March 15, E! has given a second season renewal to its first original scripted drama The Royals created by Mark Schwahn and starring Elizabeth Hurley.
The Royals centers on a fictional modern day royal family that features a distinguished cast that includes Elizabeth Hurley and Vincent Regan as Queen Helena and King Simon, along with William Moseley and Alexandra Park as their devious and scandalous royal twins Prince Liam and Princess Eleanor. The cast also includes Merritt Patterson, Jake Maskall, Ukweli Roach, Tom Austen, Sophie Colquhoun and Oliver Milburn. Dame Joan Collins guest stars as the Grand Duchess of Oxford.
The Royals is a co-production of Lionsgate Television and Universal Cable Productions and will begin production on season two this spring in London. The series is executive producers, written and directed by Mark Schwahn, and executive produced by Brian Robbins, Joe Davola and Shauna Phelan.
"To renew this freshman series before its highly anticipated first season premiere underscores E!'s commitment to the scripted genre and our confidence and support of this groundbreaking and rule-breaking original series," said Jeff Olde, Executive Vice President, Original Programming & Development, E!. "We're thrilled to have Universal Cable Productions joining Lionsgate as a co-producing partner as we announce a second season pick-up for this scandalously fun series."
"Lionsgate has been a great partner throughout the years, and they really delivered for us with The Royals. We're excited to be working with Jon Feltheimer, Kevin Beggs and their strong creative and production teams on this regal and excellent show," said Jeff Wachtel, President and Chief Content Officer, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment.
"We're very proud that E! chose The Royals as its first original scripted series and delighted about this early season two pick-up," said Kevin Beggs, Chairman, Lionsgate Television Group. "The cast and creative team are exceptional and E! has been a tremendous partner in supporting the creative direction of the series from day one."
