The Hollow Crown - Season 2 ((full)) Jun 2026

The series is renowned for its ensemble of legendary British actors:

But history, like Shakespeare, did not end with the conquest of France. The War of the Roses—thirty years of bloody civil strife between the houses of Lancaster and York—demanded its own stage. Four years later, in 2016, The Hollow Crown - Season 2 arrived. Adapted from Shakespeare’s oft-overlooked "first tetralogy" ( Henry VI, Parts 1, 2, & 3 and Richard III ), this season is a darker, more violent, and more cynical beast. Where Season 1 was about the burden of kingship, Season 2 is about the collapse of order. It is a political horror show played out in mud-soaked fields and candlelit corridors. The Hollow Crown - Season 2

As the French, led by Joan of Arc, reclaim English territories, a power vacuum erupts at home. The noble House of York, led by the brilliant but ruthless , challenges the legitimacy of the Lancastrian line. What follows is a thirty-year nightmare: battles of St. Albans, Towton, and Tewkesbury; the madness of the king; the rise of Queen Margaret, who becomes a terrifyingly competent warrior-queen; and the slow, horrific emergence of the hunchbacked Richard, Duke of Gloucester —a figure of pure Machiavellian cunning who will stop at nothing to claim the crown for himself. The series is renowned for its ensemble of

The series streamlines Shakespeare's three Henry VI plays into two films, focusing on the rise of the House of York. Review: A Descent into Civil War Performances and Casting As the French, led by Joan of Arc,

The production values of The Hollow Crown - Season 2 are exceptional, with impressive sets, costumes, and cinematography. The series was filmed on location in the UK, using a combination of historic sites and purpose-built sets to bring Shakespeare's world to life.