History has repeated itself once again.  Showtime has given The Tudors a third season order just a few weeks after the show returned on the air for a sophomore run.  The drama series loosely based on the early reign of Henry VIII has significantly surged in the ratings, prompting the network to give an early renewal to the show just like it did when the network picked up the series for a second season order in the same month of its highly successful debut, which became the highest rated series premiere of the network in three years.

The announcement comes after Showtime recently reiterated its commitment to original programming. The network is now expected to invest into more original series like The Tudors, as well as Dexter and Weeds.

"The Tudors is now a fixture for us at Showtime, and we're on our way to completing the entire saga of all six wives of Henry VIII," Showtime president of entertainment Robert Greenblatt said.

At present, The Tudors is averaging 912,000 total viewers per first-run episode, which is on par with its freshman run of 964,000 total viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Season 3, which premieres in 2009, will begin production on June 16 in Dublin, Ireland with series star Jonathan Rhys Meyers set to return as King Henry VIII.  Meanwhile, the number of episodes has yet to be determined for the new season, which will follow the king as he weds third queen Jane Seymour (Anita Briem) and then Anne of Cleves, who is yet to be cast.

For now, fans can catch the remaining season 2 episodes of The Tudors, which also stars Henry Cavill as Charles Brandon, Callum Blue as Anthony Knivert, Henry Czerny as Norfolk, Jeremy Northam as Thomas More, Kris Holden-Reid as William Compton, and Sam Neill as Thomas Wolsey, just to name a few, every 9pm ET/PT on Showtime.


-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: The Futon Critic
(Image courtesy of Showtime)