Empire of the Tsars: Romanov Russia with Lucy Worsley

I was excited to watch this show because I don't really know much about Russian history and was looking forward to it. Lucy totally ruined the show. She is obviously anti-Russian and considers Russians to be lower people than herself. However, she is the one who is rude (interrupting the historian at the Tretyakov gallery) and with low class manners, recording and talking during the church service (just one example of crassness). She seems to be the worst person to do a documentary on another country (it seems like she just visited Russia for the first time for this documentary). Maybe Brits will enjoy this documentary because it keeps saying West is superior to Russia. Look somewhere else for a good history show, because this one only offers Lucy's uneducated personal commenting, and she even blocks the beautiful russian scenery and architecture with herself in most of the frames.

*I am not a Russian, and don't care much about either Britain or Russia, but Lucy's narrative is disgusting.*

OMG, it's the Romanovs and they made it boring. It's honestly as dull and boring as an art history documentary. When it really should be chaotic and dynamic and and riveting.

Years back, in the early '00s, the History Channel did a "Russia Land of the Tsars" documentary that isn't exactly as focused, but is still a LOT more... entertaining.

There is no reason why you should sit through a documentary about the Tsars and have it put you to sleep.

The execution was horrible.

Many beautiful songs in the documentary, no way to find them.

My husband and I got so tired of Lucy Worsley, and her two red dresses with matching lipstick, that we quit halfway through the second episode. A great commentator is either invisible or compliments the subject. Lucy was just annoying. Which is too bad, because the material was interesting. We'll look elsewhere for information on the Romanovs.

If you are looking for an exhaustive look at the Romanov dynasty of Russia, then you may want to skip "Empire of the Tsars". While it's a good show, it's not complete and in order to be so, the program would have to include several more episodes. Instead, it's an overview of the more important Romanovs--with particular emphasis on Peter the Great, Catherine the Great and how the later incompetent Tsars lost control of the nation by refusing to make meaningful change. As such, it's an excellent history lesson for the average person--a person that doesn't need every name and date but just coverage of the highlights.

I noticed that one reviewer really, really hated the host, Lucy Worsley, and the language was very harsh. While I agree she is NOT a typical host and seems decidedly working class in her language and style, the criticism seems unfair. I actually enjoyed her modern and somewhat less professorial and professional manner. Well worth seeing overall.