Reign - A CW show

When I was i high school, if a show was on the WB channel it was almost guaranteed that I would watch it -Gilmore Girls, Dawson's Creek, One Tree Hill, Buffy, the list goes on and on. It has since become the CW but the premise is the same - the shows are generally targeted to teens. Many of the teens in the department of my library mention this channel and the shows it airs frequently. At a recent Teen Advisory Board meeting I held we discussed shows that they like. Several of them mentioned Reign.

Premiering in 2013, Reign is a fictionalized history of the early years of Mary Queen of Scots. Beginning prior to her marriage to Prince Francis, and continuing through until (thus far) we meet Queen Elizabeth of England. Teens can learn a bit of history as they watch Mary leave Scotland for France with a group of girlfriends to be her ladies in waiting, to her and Francis learning how to balance ruling a kingdom with their marriage (and a potential love triangle with Francis' illegitimate half brother) during the time of fighting amongst Catholics and Protestants, all while dealing with rival houses wanting to take their power. Later seasons see the arrival of Queen Elizabeth of England as a rival for Mary.

Teens may be attracted to a show such as this for the drama, as it is not the best depiction of history. Though those interested in the time period will appreciate the dialogue and the costumes. Differing from typical teen dramas that are recycled year after year - only changing scenery and character names for the same tired (yet proven successful to gain an audience) story lines, this is a teen drama that portrays a time period not often seen in teen dramas. Using characters that have existed in real life, but giving them a somewhat fictionalized story can both teach teens a bit of history and lead them to research the real story on their own, and entertain them simultaneously.

The two teens that mentioned this show like this show primarily because of the drama and love stories. Though they did also enjoy the time period it takes place in, one of them specifically stating that she was "over dramatic shows set on the beach in California," citing several teens dramas of the past (The O.C. and Beverly Hills 90210 to name a couple).

Having only watched trailers and clips of this show, I can say that while it would not be something that draws me in now, I would have definitely watched this show religiously if I were still in high school and of the target age range.