TVSquad

R&B singer Joss Stone is giving television acting a try. Stone is taking on the role of Anne of Cleves in season three of Showtime's The Tudors. Anne of Cleves was Henry VIII's fourth wife; the marriage was annulled after less than a year. The role is Stone's first significant part on a TV series. She previously appeared in an episode of American Dreams and in the film Eragon.

Fans of the singer will have to wait a while for Stone to turn up on the drama series. The third season begins with the king's marriage to Jane Seymour (played by Anita Briem), with Anne of Cleves coming into the picture later on.

Period television is hard to keep on the air these days, regardless of quality or ratings. And it always seems to come down to one thing...cost. After losing Deadwood, Carnivale and Rome before their time, it was with trepidation that I took a look at The Tudors. Showtime has touted The Tudors as the most expensive production they've ever undertaken. Looking at the extras on The Complete First Season DVD set would seem to back this up, and it certainly shows in the beauty of the sets and costuming on display on the screen. It's been renewed for a second season, but how long will Showtime be willing to pay for it? They did seem to save some money on the editor for the packaging of the DVD set, since she/he didn't seem to know which episodes were on which disc.

• At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes.
• ABC has two new episodes of Extreme Makeover at 7 (season finale), then the season finales of Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters.
• FOX has the season finales of King of the Hill, The Simpsons (also the 400th episode), Family Guy, and American Dad.
• NBC has a new Dateline at 7.
• At 8, Food Network has a new Emeril Live, followed by a new Iron Chef America.
• At 9, PBS has a new Masterpiece Theatre.
• VH-1 has a new Celebrity Fit Club at 9.
• Also at 9: HBO has a new Sopranos, then a new Entourage.
• At 10, Lifetime has the season finale of Blood Ties.
• Comedy Central has a new Mind of Mencia at 10.
• Fox News has a new 1/2 Hour News Hour at 10.
• There's a new ep of The Tudors at 10 on Showtime.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 7, ABC has a new America's Funniest Home Videos, followed by new episodes of Extreme Makeover and Desperate Housewives.
• CBS has a new 60 Minutes at 7, then a new Amazing Race and the movie Crossroads: A Story of Forgiveness.
• NBC has a new, two-hour Dateline at 7, then new episodes of Deal Or No Deal and The Apprentice (live finale).
• There's a new War At Home on FOX at 7, followed by new episodes of King of the Hill and The Simpsons.
• At 8, The CW has a new 7th Heaven.
• ESPN has the Red Sox/Yankees game at 8.
• PBS has a new Nature at 8.
• Also at 8: Food Network has a new Emeril Live, then a new Iron Chef America.
• At 9, Discovery has a new Planet Earth.
• HBO has a new Sopranos at 9, then a new Entourage.
• The TV Land Awards airs at 9 too.
• At 10, Comedy Central has new eps of Mind of Mencia and Reno 911.
• BBC America has a new Footballer's Wives: Overtime at 10.
• Showtime has a new episode of The Tudors at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, followed by new episodes of The Amazing Race, Cold Case, and Without A Trace.
• ABC has a new America's Funniest Home Videos at 7.
• NBC has a new Dateline at 7.
• At 8, FOX has the two hour premiere of Drive.
• The CW has a new 7th Heaven at 8.
• Discovery has two new episodes of Planet Earth starting at 8.
• Also at 8: Food Network has a new Challenge, with footage of the Food Network Awards.
• At 9, ABC has a new Desperate Housewives, then a new Brothers & Sisters.
• HBO has a new Sopranos at 9, then a new Entourage.
• At 10, Lifetime has a new Blood Ties.
• Comedy Central has a new Mind of Mencia at 10, then a new Reno 911.
• Showtime has a new ep of The Tudors at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

So, it turns out Henry VIII isn't just that portly guy at the Renaissance Faire with a gigantic turkey leg greasing up his maw. He was an athletic would-be humanist with an over-the-top appetite for sex and a body hard enough to qualify him for gay porn, or at least, that's how Showtime's The Tudors, the latest in bodice-ripping historical dramas, portrays him.

Holy history porn. If you dig Rome, and Deadwood does it for your fictive nonfiction-loving self, then Showtime's The Tudors may be right up your alley. It's a journey through Henry VIII's kingship and many, many marriages with more tits, ass, intrigue and bloody violence than you can shake a royal stick at.

Showtime is offering a VIP preview of The Tudors' first two episodes online. (The password is "king.") The series, starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, premieres on Sunday, April 1st at 10PM. The series focuses primarily on the king's affair with Anne Boleyn, his obsession with producing a male heir and the political intrigue of the court. And, did I mention that it's essentially softcore for the Anglophile set?

[Via Pop Candy]