Empire of the Tsars: Romanov Russia with Lucy Worsley

The series represents especially England as a great inspiration for Peter the a Great. The Dutch, however, are seem to be marginalised. Make no mistake: Saint-Petersburg is inspired by Amsterdam, The Netherlands, as the tsar lived there for some time. Not that either of them states should be trumpeting about it, because tsar Peter did horrible things, as we all know by now. However, it does feel a little wobbly, and uneven; it's only the English (not even British) angle one gets to see. More information about it all would be brilliant.

Also, this 'documentary' can't seem to find its way between being serious or funny. So it mashed up both. Most BBC series are one or the other, and they usually shine in their own way. I can name millions of documentaries from both BBC or foreign broadcasters that grabs you from the moment you start watching; so intriguing, so exciting, so brilliant to watch! However, this is mismatched, and one can't understand whether to take this seriously or as some sort of satire.

Make no mistake: this could've been a brilliant documentary, with a significant impact on how to see Russia today compared to how it was with the Romanovs. But it just doesn't bring it home. It stays between the lines of 'interesting' and 'funny'. It doesn't do anyone or anybody any favour; there's much more to tell. In the best case, it might bring people to get inspired to do research about this dynasty (and the Russia before and after that). But other than that, it's pretty much the same of how Discovery Channel or NGC are making their documentaries right now. Easy on the facts, much more action or, as in this case, humour. And that's a pity, because how many moments are there to investigate this all?

All and all: rather pleasant to watch, but not a 'must see'.

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

This show is basically an indictment of the Romanov dynasty. The last Tsar was loved by his people but you wouldn't know that from the "information" this documentary presents. There was a steady, stealth group in Russia that vowed to bring down the monarchy long before it ended. This group is responsible for the DEATHS of tens of millions of Russian Christians, peasants and aristocracy. They stole the wealth from Russia and killed with glee. This group is still in power around the world. Don't be fooled by false narratives on tv and even in books. They hide the truth.

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.