“Die Kaiserin” gives a well-deserved spotlight to the story of one of the most enigmatic empresses in history

The Austrian Empire is in disarray. War is looming in the corner with France and Russia on their borders. Emperor Franz Joseph I needs to act decisively to save his empire. But first, for the future of the royal family, he needs a wife. Will the Duchess Elisabeth help him stabilize his throne or will she usher the crumbling of his empire?

“Die Kaiserin” (The Empress) has one big challenge. Based on the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, the series needs to introduce its relatively unknown story to a wider audience not that familiar with history. The first few episodes did just that. But it has, ofcourse, slowed down the narrative.

The series centers on the events in and out of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the 19th century and focuses on the enigmatic Empress Elisabeth (Devrim Lingnau) and her husband Emperor Franz Joseph I (Philip Froissant) during the tumultous times of the empire.

Lingnau is perfect as Elisabeth and the chemistry between her and Froissant is undeniable. It’s what makes this series iressitible. Froissant is really captivating to watch on screen. He was given ample time to shine as Franz but it felt short. It was not really his fault. The script could be given a polish next time.

I am glad to report that this series did not focus entirely on sex or trivial things. It was a serious show majority of the time, which really give credence to this interesting piece of history. The costumes and set design are great, giving you the real 19th century Europe vibe.

Geek Rate

(Sun Worthy. 4 out of 5 stars). There’s a lot of promise to this series. The first season understandably focuses on the first few days of Elisabeth as empress. The intriguing and dramatic parts of her life that made the empress a great historical figure will come next. We wait impatienly for the second season.

Reignell Francisco

I’m a content creator with passion for travel, history, football, and anything on TV. Visit my YouTube channel onelostgeek for my travel stories. Business inquiry: geekgodreview@yahoo.com