This compelling presentation reincarnates the life story of Great Britain’s King Charles II nicknamed “The Merry Monarch.” Focusing on the monarch’s tumultuous life, the film covers Charles’ romance with his mistress as well as his decade-long exile. “The Last King” is a 3 hour, two part television miniseries from the BBC which traces the life of King Charles II who ruled from 1649 until his death in 1685. The story begins just before his Restoration to the throne in 1660.

It’s not always good to be king in this fascinating BBC/A&E historical drama, featuring a complex performance by Rufus Sewell as the exiled British monarch who returned to a volatile, post-Cromwell England in the 17th century. Pressed to forgive the enemies who killed his father, Charles II takes the throne and finds himself squeezed from all sides by vicious power brokers, his vengeful mother (Diana Rigg), a manipulative mistress (Helen McCrory), dubious advisers, a contrarian best friend (Rupert Graves), and his bewildered Portuguese wife (Shirley Henderson). Problems with the Plague and Charles’s own, restless libido further complicate family and political dramas, but beneath the king’s operatic tenure are visible strains of progressive government: Charles, after all, ushered in an early era of democracy in England. The Last King’s sharp script never slows, but it’s the cast’s intense performances that bring royal intrigues to life. –Tom Keogh

When the forces of the English Revolution unseated — and beheaded — his father, Charles II fled to the Netherlands, only to reclaim the throne and usher in an era of prosperity years later. This BBC miniseries — aired stateside on A&E — focuses on those later years, as the hedonistic Charles (Rufus Sewell) takes control of the United Kingdom, leads its people through plague and civil unrest, and — amidst Protestant outcries — ousts his Catholic brother James as heir to the throne. Meanwhile, his duplicitous mistress Barbara (Helen McCrory) works her machinations behind the scenes, scheming for her cousin George (Rupert Graves) to ascend the throne. The Last King: The Power and Passion of Charles II also stars Shirley Henderson as Charles’ long-suffering wife, Catherine. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

Starring Rufus Sewell, Rupert Graves, Charlie Creed-Miles, Christian Coulson, Shirley Henderson.

Note: Originally the BBC miniseries was entitled Charles II: The Power & the Passion, The Last King.