Drama Fit for a Queen: PBS Sets "Marie Antoinette" Season 2 Premiere Date

The captivating historical drama returns on March 23, 2025.

Credit: (C) Rémy Grandroques / Capa Drama / Banijay Studios France / Beside Productions / CANAL+

LOS ANGELES, CA / ARLINGTON, VA, February 4, 2025 - PBS announces the return to Versailles with MARIE ANTOINETTE, Season 2 premiering on Sunday, March 23, 2025, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings). The period drama continues to chronicle the life of one of history's most influential and controversial figures. Emilia Schüle ("Berlin Dance School") returns as the title character, Marie Antoinette, and Louis Cunningham ("Bridgerton") reprises his role as Louis XVI. The series, a CANAL+ Creation Originale in association with CAPA Drama (Newen Studios), Banijay Studios France, and Beside Productions, invites audiences to peek behind the curtain of the personal and political life of the last Queen of France.

MARIE ANTOINETTE Season 2 sees Antoinette and Louis facing unprecedented challenges at the height of their power. As financial crises loom across the nation and political rivalries intensify, the royal couple must navigate an increasingly hostile court and a changing France. From Versailles to the Palais Royal, the seeds of a revolution began to take root, threatening the very foundations of France's long-standing monarchy.

The ensemble cast includes Freya Mavor, Jack Archer ("Call the Midwife"), Jasmine Blackborow ("Shadow and Bone"), Oscar Lesage ("Dangerous Liaisons"), Crystal Shepherd-Cross ("Chronicles of the Sun"), Roxane Duran ("Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris"), Caroline Piette ("Beats Per Minute") and others.

"We are so excited that PBS's audience will get to see the anticipated second season of MARIE ANTOINETTE," says Maria Bruno Ruiz, Vice President, Program Content Strategy and Scheduling at PBS. "The tension in Season 2 builds with each episode as we experience the beginning of the end for King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. The French debt is increasing with more loans, the Affair of the Diamond Necklace is scandalous, and the inner circle of Versailles is closing in on king and queen. Season 2 features incredible talent and storytelling along with spectacular breathtaking costumes and set designs that take viewers right inside the walls of the Palace of Versailles."

MARIE ANTOINETTE Season 2 will be available to stream on all station-branded PBS platforms including PBS.org, and the PBS App, available on iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast, and VIZIO, as well as PBS Passport and with PBS Masterpiece on Prime Video.

Viewers can catch up on Season 1 of MARIE ANTOINETTE on PBS.org, the PBS App, and with PBS Masterpiece on Prime Video. For more information, visit pbs.org/pressroom.

Episode One "The Worst Winter" - Sunday, March 23, 2025, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET

Marie Antoinette and Louis embrace modern rule, but enemies lurk everywhere, even in Versailles.

Episode Two "A Poison Pen" - Sunday, March 30, 2025, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET

Marie Antoinette's affair with Fersen reignites--could it be part of a carefully orchestrated plot?

Episode Three "Treacherous Legacy - Sunday, April 6, 2025, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET

The people of Paris openly protest against Marie Antoinette as she protects her unborn child.

Episode Four "The Pursuit of Happiness - Sunday, April 13, 2025, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET

Marie Antoinette overhauls her image, and the King and Queen find happiness when they experience a taste of "ordinary" life.

Episode Five "Enemies Assemble" - Sunday, April 20, 2025, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET

When Marie Antoinette is implicated in the diamond necklace theft, she is determined to prove her innocence and punish those responsible.

Episode Six "Hated, Humbled, Mortified"- Sunday, April 27, 2025, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET

As the public trial begins, events quickly spiral out of Marie Antoinette and Louis's control.

Episode Seven "Madame Deficit" - Sunday, May 4, 2025, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET

Marie Antoinette deals with personal grief. Political turmoil, a struggling economy, and personal attacks push Louis toward a nervous breakdown.

Episode Eight "The End of the Beginning" Sunday, May 11, 2025, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET

Amid the revolution's advance, Marie Antoinette struggles to support Louis's rule. When he succumbs to depression, she steps up to rule in his place.

MARIE ANTOINETTE was created by Deborah Davis ("The Favourite") and directed by Edward Bazalgette (episodes 1-4) and Raf Reyntjens (episodes 5-8). The series is a CANAL+ Creation Originale produced by CAPA Drama, Banijay Studios France, Beside Productions, MARIE ANTOINETTE, Season 2 is executive produced by Claude Chelli, Stéphanie Chartreux, Margaux Balsan, and Louise Ironside. Banijay Rights handles international distribution for Marie Antoinette and secured the agreement with PBS Distribution for the series.

About Banijay Studios France (A Banijay Entertainment Company)

Banijay Studios France relies on a team of renowned producers who develop and produce content for French and international audiences. The company has built up a reputation over the years thanks to major brands such as Versailles (three seasons for Canal+), Mouche (Canal+), Germinal (France TV), Skam (12 seasons for France.tv slash) and many others, and is continuing its productions with Marie-Antoinette and Les disparus de la Forêt-Noire, a police drama (TF1).

About CAPA Drama (A Newen Company)

CAPA Drama was created in the early 1990s as an extension of the famous press agency with the aim of creating and producing ground-breaking films and TV series.

In over 25 years, CAPA Drama has asserted its tone and identity by exploring all genres and styles of storytelling as demonstrated by its series of political films such as S.A.C Des Hommes dans l'Ombre (Canal+) or L'Ecole du Pouvoir (Canal+), as well as its successful police drama series such as Braquo (4 seasons for Canal+ - winner of the International Emmy Award for best series in 2012).

Over the last few years, CAPA Drama has expanded and continued to explore various genres with all French networks and platforms. Recent productions include the true-crime drama series Un Homme Ordinaire (4 x 52' for M6 - inspired by the unsolved mystery of Xavier Dupont De Ligonnès), the critically acclaimed spy miniseries Thanksgiving (3 x 52' for Arte), and the futuristic drama series Osmosis (8 x 52' for Netflix). In addition to local productions, CAPA Drama has developed an expertise in international co-productions, as reflected by Its successful period drama series Versailles (3 seasons for Canal+).

About Banijay Rights

Leading global distributor, Banijay Rights, represents a world-class, multi-genre portfolio of 205,000 hours of standout programming. Handling the distribution for content powerhouse, Banijay Entertainment, the division specialises in the exploitation of premium scripted and non-scripted brands to broadcasters worldwide.

Representing quality, excellence and experience in the business of linear and non-linear television and ancillary activity across all platforms, Banijay Rights' catalogue encompasses a host of top titles from Banijay's 130+ in-house labels, and a number of third-party producers, spanning drama, comedy, entertainment, factual, reality, family, formats and theatrical.

Delivering high-quality IP, which was born locally and travels globally, the distributor offers the best stories told the best way. Its landmark brands include Survivor, Big Brother, MasterChef, Peaky Blinders, Rogue Heroes, Marie Antoinette, Grantchester, Deal or No Deal, Home and Away, Mr Bean and Black Mirror.

Built on independence, creative freedom, entrepreneurialism and commercial acumen, Banijay Rights operates under the direction of Chief Executive Officer, Cathy Payne.

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