Isabel: After 39 Episodes, Still a Great Historical Series

Michelle Jenner as the title character in Isabel

Back in 2013 I wrote my first substantive blog post about Television Española‘s (“TVE” for short) fantastic first season of Isabel, a series on the life and reign of Queen Isabel I of Castilla and León.  Having premiered in September 2012, the show had just concluded its first 13 episode season.  At the time, I said that it was the best historical show I had ever seen, easily beating out The Borgias, Rome, and even The Tudors.  This was in large part because of the show’s attention to historical detail.  Rather than cut out many of the leading nobles who schemed for power, as other such series do, Isabel kept them all in, masterfully navigating the very large cast of characters (including some who have the same or similar names).  It also did not cut corners when it came to filming on location across Spain, giving the show an incredibly authentic feel. In short, Isabel is not dumbed down.

Isabel: Better Than The Tudors or The Borgias

Iberian Peninsula, 1270-1492

Last year (September 10-December 3) Televisión Española (otherwise known as “TVE”) released what many claim is its best show ever: Isabel, a saga about the life and times of Queen Isabel I of Castilla and León (1474-1504) and her husband King Fernando II of Aragón (1479-1516), Sicily (1468-1516), and Naples (1504-1516, as Fernando III).  They united the various kingdoms of Spain under a single Crown and finished the Reconquista of Muslim Spain by defeating the Emirate of Granada and its final sultan, Muhammad XII (1487-92).

As a history buff, historical fiction has always fascinated me.  Having watched The Tudors, The Borgias, and Rome and thought all excellent (if historically inaccurate), I expected something similar.  One more, albeit good, show.  But Isabel astounded me: it’s the best piece of historical fiction I have ever seen, and by far the most accurate.  The actors are great, the script is well done, and the fascinating story and characters history has provided were left undisturbed.  The fact that it is in its “original” Spanish only improved it (although as a native Spanish speaker, that pro may only apply to those similarly situated).  The next season is already anxiously awaited.