In Season Three, King Henry VIII continues adding to his legacy of collecting wives, angering the Roman Catholic Church, and gaining as much wealth and power as he can manage. The members of his court continue to try and make places for themselves in serving Henry, whilst keeping their heads. Thomas Cromwell, now Lord Great Chamberlain, has his hands more than full balancing his own duties, trying to please both the King and his own agenda. As his own power grows, so do his enemies and every false step inevitably leads one pace closer to his own end.


In a cast rich with historical characters, Thomas certainly holds his own. We are more than certain that James Frain shall too, at least for the bulk of The Tudors new Season Three.

Otto Truchsess von Waldburg (b. at Castle Scheer in Swabia, 26 February 1514; d. at Rome, 2 April 1573) was a German Catholic theologian, who was Cardinal-Bishop of Augsburg (1543-73).

He studied at the Universities of Tübingen, Padua, Pavin, and Bologna, and received his degree of Doctor of Theology at Bologna. At an early age he received canonries at Trent, Spires, and Augsburg. In 1541 he became an imperial councillor and when on an embassy to Rome was made a papal chamberlain.

On 10 May, 1543, he was elected Bishop of Augsburg; in 1544 he was appointed cardinal-priest of the Title of St. Balbina by Pope Paul III for settling a long-continued dispute between the emperor and the pope.

The condition of his diocese was mournful: the clergy were ignorant and depraved, and Protestantism was widespread. He sought to mend matters by visitations, edicts, synods, and the improvement of instruction. He founded the University of Dillingen, now a lyceum, and the ecclesiastical seminary at Dillingen (1549-55). In 1564 he transferred the management of these institutions to the Jesuits.

In 1549-50 and again in 1555 he took part in the papal elections at Rome. In 1552 his diocese was devastated by the troops of Maurice of Saxony. He went once more to Rome in 1559 and was there made the head of the Inquisition and, in 1562, Cardinal-Bishop of Albano. In 1567 he held a diocesan synod at Dillingen.

From 1568 he lived altogether at Rome. He was a moral, religious man, of much force of character, to whom half measures and shiftiness were foreign. He incurred the hatred of the Protestants for his protest against the Religious Peace of Augsburg (1555).

The Tudors remains in power. Just a few weeks after the show returned to the air for a sophomore run, Showtime has given the series a third season order, just like it did when the network picked up the drama for a sophomore season in the same month of its highly successful debut. Giving more validation is the fact that The Tudors recently grabbed a Creative Emmy Award for "Outstanding Costumes for a Series."

Additionally, The Tudors also received a Creative Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series" for the second season of the critically acclaimed program.

Given the show's history and critical reception, the news doesn't come as a surprise. For The Tudor's first run, it was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Drama Series in 2007, while lead star Jonathan Rhys Meyers was also nominated for the Best Actor in a Television Drama Golden Globe for his role as King Henry VIII. Moreover, the series was nominated for eight Irish Film and Television Awards in 2008 and won seven, including Best Drama Series, acting awards for Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Lead Actor), Nick Dunning (Supporting Actor) and Maria Doyle Kennedy (Supporting Actress), and craft awards for Costume Design, Production Design and Hair/Makeup. Brian Kirk was also nominated for Directing, but lost to Lenny Abrahamson of Prosperity.

The Tudors, for those show are not familiar, is a drama series loosely based on the early reign of Henry VIII and his fixation with ensuring his legacy and challenging the Catholic Church. Aside from the aforementioned stars, the series also features Henry Cavill as Charles Brandon, Anita Briem as Jane Seymour, James Frain as Thomas Cromwell, Joss Stone as Anne of Cleves, Sarah Bolger as Lady Mary, Joanne King as Jane Boleyn, Max von Sydow as Otto Truchsess von Waldburg, Roger Ashton-Griffiths as Sir John Hutton and Mark Hildreth as Reginald Pole.

Season 3 is set to premiere in 2009 on Showtime