Co-Editor-in-Chief, TV

EXCLUSIVE: Starz is not moving forward with a third season of The Serpent Queen, starring Samantha Morton as Catherine de Medici: But it's not all bad news for the cast of the historical drama series — I've heard their options have been picked up, so the actors will be paid for the unproduced episodes of Season 3.

There’s also good news for longtime fans of The Serpent Queen — a spinoff focusing on Queen Elizabeth The First is in the works from the same creative team of writer/executive producer Justin Haythe and executive producer Erwin Stoff, sources say. No talent is currently attached, but Minnie Driver guest-starred as the British queen in Season 2 of The Serpent Queen and is expected to reprise her role, I hear.

The cancellation decision comes just over a month after The Serpent Queen concluded its second season on Starz. Both seasons were well-received, with a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes and multiple Top 10 lists. But the series, perhaps hurt by the lengthy nearly two-year gap between seasons, returned to lower ratings as some fans who helped the show secure a Season 2 renewal ahead of the October 2022 Season 1 finale did not return.