Reign: Totally CW, But for the Lack of Vampires

The CW will be adding several new shows to its line up this fall, and most of them are as supernatural as you'd expect. They've got the Vampire Diaries spinoff, the Romeo and Juliet with aliens thing, and the sci-fi standards. But then there's Reign:

My first thought when I saw ads for Reign was, "This is Gossip Girl. It's Gossip Girl, but with a dash of Downton Abbey." Apparently, I'm not the only one. Huffington Post's Alex Moaba called it "a Game of Thrones meets Gossip Girl thing." Let me be clear, I think this is a good thing. Yes, the plot and setting make it ripe for historical inaccuracy and anachronism, but I will ignore those if Reign proves to be as intriguing a political drama as the trailer promises.

Source: cwtv.com/reign

And I suspect that it will. Here's something interesting: the creators of the show aren't your typical CW stock. Laurie McCarthy and Stephanie Sengupta's past credits include several formula police procedurals like Ghost Whisperer, CSI: Miami, Hawaii Five-0, and Law and Order. (For what it's worth, Sengupta is leaving the show before it even premieres.) I have to wonder if their experience will result in Reign being a mystery-followed-by-solution heavy show, which I believe would greatly benefit the plot. This might balance out the romance/seduction side that's ever-present on this youth-focused network.

As for the cast, I'm most excited to see Megan Follows, who plays Queen Catherine de' Medici. Since her breakout role as Anne of Green Gables (a personal favorite of mine) in the 1980s, Follows has become quite the accomplished actress, both on screen and on the stage. I suspect her stage experience might translate nicely to regal nature of her role on Reign. Again, if the trailer is any indication, this show will be full of some genuinely good acting, which is not always a sure thing on the CW.

The final reason this trailer has me excited for Reign is the music. One of the great advantages to telling a historical story today is that it gives the creators a chance to interpret it through a (literal and figurative) modern lens. The soundtrack of the trailer comes across as classic, but the drumbeats and energy give it a present-day twist.

Reign won't premiere until October. You can catch it Thursday nights on the CW. I know I will.