We’ve got a pretty wide range of rerun selections tonight, including the chance to get in on the ground floor, and several marathon runs. Check it out:

• Legend of the Seeker, Syndicated, Check local listings. This show isn’t set to return until October, but that means there’s time to catch the whole thing in reruns, starting today. Whether you’ve read The Sword of Truth series or not, this is pretty fun sword and sorcery adventure.
• Wipeout, ABC, 8 p.m. This goofy obstacle course is back for a second season, and even though it doesn’t really matter, if you want to see that season premiere, ABC is giving you that chance.
• Battle of the Sexes, ABC, 9 p.m. Another season premiere, this time you might want to get in on the ground floor, meeting the nine new couples and watching them splatter one another with paintballs.
• Saturday Night Live, E!, 9 p.m. Remember when Lindsay Lohan hosted SNL in 2004? That’s right, it’s Mean Girls era pre-trainwreck Lindsay and that classic Hermione Granger with boobs sketch!
• Saturday Night Live Remembers Chris Farley, E!, 10 p.m. Stick around then to see a retrospective of the late, great Farley.
• Saturday Night Live, NBC, 11:30 p.m., but don’t give up yet. Flip to NBC and catch Justin Timberlake hosting SNL so you can see the “Dick in a Box” sequel, “Mother Lover!”
• The Tudors, Showtime, 7 p.m. In this third season finale, it’s time for Henry to clean house and throw the latest chick out. Women may not grow on trees, but Henry picks ‘em like they do.
• Marathons. If you’re one of those addictive types, why not stick with marathons of one show all night. TVLand has The Andy Griffith Show, it’s original crew House on USA, America’s Next Top Model on Oxygen, Ice Road Truckers on History. We has The Locator from 8-10, which my wife is hooked on. She keeps telling me I should find my father.

Don’t you hate it when network television cheats with the length of their season? A 22-24 episode year ends up being 20-22, sometimes with a clips show thrown in to really annoy us. Well, cable’s picked up on the sneak as well; last night’s eighth episode of season three of The Tudors was the finale. What?

Kind of annoying, but in a sense, a bit of a relief, as well. Ever since the announcement that the show would only air four seasons, I’ve been keeping a wary eye on how exactly the writers intended to truncate a factual life like King Henry’s. Well, the past few episodes have certainly answered that question. Read the rest of this entry »

I figure you’re thinking one of two things: either “What?” or, “Their having multiple sexual partners is not the same thing.” Well, I suppose some of you might be thinking how Bill is worse as a polygamist than Henry is as an adulterer (I’m looking at you, Sebastian).

But, either way, you’re all wrong. So, ha!

There actually is a bond that Henry VIII of The Tudors, and Bill Henrickson of Big Love share, and it’s not how often they get to simulate sex in front of their respective show’s crew. I’ll give you one hint: old guy, white beard, long flowing robes.

That’s right, it’s their relationship to God. What’s that, you say? Henry was a Reformed Catholic, while Bill is a Mormon who believes in the Principle (is that how you’d explain it, Jen?). There isn’t a lot of theology that overlaps between the two beyond the basics.

Okay, so let’s move beyond what anyone reared in a Judeo-Christian society knows and focus instead on our actual overlap: each man led his own church. Didn’t see that one coming, did you? Read the rest of this entry »

Preposterous! I know; I too have been there. Even though the comparison occurred to me first, my initial reaction was to laugh at it. What’s the connection? You can’t even draw one between the two actors (or can you?).

But the more I tossed the idea around in my head, the more interesting the similarities became. Merely stripping away the aesthetics of an argument leaves a tremendous amount of room to evaluate the core. And, at their core, Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) and King Henry VIII (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) have a lot in common. Believe.

The truth is that even the two actors portraying these larger-than-life characters have commonalities. Both are native to their respective kingdoms (Gandolfini was born in New Jersey, Rhys Meyers in Ireland). While that may seem insignificant, a lot of research goes into an actor’s portrayal of another person, be they real or fiction. A natural association with their surroundings (although Rhys Meyers lives in modern times and I assume Gandolfini’s family was not mafia) adds brevity to a performance. To me, both nature and nurture play a large role in their respective success. Plus, both actors have a history in theater. Its subtle, but it bleeds through in both of their performances, making the overly dramatic more grounded and accessible. I marvel at that each and every time I watch them both.

But those facts are true for Gandolfini and Rhys Meyers the actors. What’s similar between their most recognizable characters? Read the rest of this entry »

The most interesting thing out of Henry’s court this past week came to my attention in a short paragraph in the Art’s section of The New York Times: The Tudors will end its run after next season. I was a bit surprised by the news. First of all, Showtime just announced their rejection of all four of their pilots in development. In addition, I was enjoying the idea that The Tudors was designed to be dynastic, to carry the series through the end of Elizabeth I’s reign. Instead, we’ll get the truncated story of Henry VIII, his final two marriages crushed into next season’s ten episodes. What about numbers four through six? We’ll see some of them, but not to the same extent that we’ve gotten to know Henry’s first and last wives.

So be it. Last night’s episode certainly did not make the argument to prolong the series’ life. Too much time was spent on the aftermath of the Pilgrimage of Grace, and not enough on the drama that was King Henry. With less than twenty episodes left, I hope they ramp it up soon. Read the rest of this entry »

Can you lance them both with a stick? Okay, that’s gross, particularly because I said ulcer and not boil. Although, I wouldn’t necessarily put it past what they considered “modern” medicine in the time of Henry VIII….

Anyway … this week’s episode of The Tudors continued the dynasty’s march through history with yet another lesson in the formation of the Church of England. I have to say: I’m not Catholic, but Henry (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and all of his subjects most definitely were. Loyalty oath to the king or no, every single one of those mixed-up kids subscribed to Catholic dogma. And yet, with the world shifting beneath their feet, they struggled to rebuild, not from the ashes or even the flames, but from a house not yet set on fire, the direction of their country. Sure, it was because Henry was an egomaniacal serial-groom, but today, the Church of England is a truly profound and beautiful institution that instructs the lives of many millions of people. While Henry’s motives may not have been virtuous, it’s hard to argue with the result. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m a big fan of the English monarchy. The lifecycle of Britain is absolutely fascinating, and the Tudor dynasty was one of its most colorful.

Deep breathe everybody: King begat Duke, whose illegitimate son, John Beaufort, had a granddaughter, Lady Margaret. By Margaret’s marriage to Edmund Tudor, illegitimate half-brother of King Henry VI, she became royal. After the fall of the House of Lancaster, the Tudors arose. Henry Tudor’s victory on the battlefield against an unpopular King Richard III, brought the former’s family the throne. And from Henry VII came our hero, Henry VIII (I am, I am!)

And exhale! Read the rest of this entry »