‘The Serpent Queen’ Canceled After 2 Seasons at Starz

The Serpent Queen will not be returning for a third season at Starz, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

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The news comes a little more than a month after the season two finale aired in August. The Serpent Queen , based on the book Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France by Leonie Frieda, is about the life of Catherine de’ Medici, the 16th century Queen of France.

In the second season, Catherine’s grip on power is tested as she faces power struggles, conflicts and betrayals while attempting to unite France. The show, created by Justin Haythe ( The Lone Ranger ), starred Samantha Morton as Catherine, in addition to Amrita Acharia, Enzo Cilenti, Ruby Bentall, Nicholas Burns, Beth Goddard, Raza Jaffrey and Danny Kirrane.

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The Serpent Queen was produced in-house by Lionsgate Television and 3 Arts Entertainment. Francis Lawrence ( The Hunger Games ) and Erwin Stoff ( The Matrix ) served as executive producers. The show was initially ordered straight to series in early 2021 when Starz CEO Jeffrey Hirsch was aiming to program the cable network with “ premium female ” programming at the time, focusing on content made for women ages 24-54 who enjoy stories about women in history. (The “premium female” term has since been changed to “female forward.”)

A spinoff series is also currently in development at Starz, as the network looks to continue its partnership with The Serpent Queen ’s exec producers Haythe and Stoff. While casting has yet to be announced, the show will be focused on Queen Elizabeth The First.

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