Plot Synopsis

The year is 1667 and King Louis XIV is a 28-year-old monarch on the cusp of greatness, willing to stop at nothing to achieve his vision of creating the most beautiful palace in Europe -- and seizing absolute control of France and his enemies. Haunted by the trauma of the nobles' Fronde revolt, he needs to keep his rebellious aristocrats in check. To this end, he decides to leave Paris for Versailles where he will build the world's most magnificent palace. Then, Louis launches the Grande Enquete to check the legitimacy of the nobles' titles, the first stage in his strategy to bring rebellious minds to heel. Louis can't stand the wild escapades of his flamboyant homosexual brother. Louis welcomes the African Prince Annaba to Versailles. To gain access to African territories, Louis plays his trump card, his wife Marie-Therese. Henriette, Philippe's wife and Louis' mistress, is constantly harassed by the Chevalier de Lorraine. Ovation aired the U.S. premiere of VERSAILLES on Saturday, October 1, 2016 from 10pm-Midnight ET/PT, debuting back-to-back episodes. Season 2 of VERSAILLES premieres Saturday, September 30, 2017 at 10pm on Ovation. Season 2 reveals the dark underbelly of power as Louis sees the dream of his grand Versailles palace crumbling before his eyes. With phase one of the palace complete, most of France's eminent lords and ladies now live under the Sun King's roof. Drugs, gambling, and alcohol are rampant, as nobles begin to poison each other in order to get closer to the King and climb up the social ladder. Blinded by his passion for his mistress Montespan, Louis refuses to listen to the advice of the church and his closest advisors. Surrounded by darkness and depravity, he loses his sense of purpose and, in a desperate attempt to escape, leaves for war against his archenemy William of Orange. He must discover the path back to light and redemption to save his vision of Versailles. The returning cast includes George Blagden as King Louis, Alexander Vlahos as Philippe, Anna Brewster as Madame de Montespan, and Elisa Lasowski as Marie Therese. Joining the cast this season are Greta Scacchi as Madeleine de Foix, Harry Hadden-Paton as Gaston, Jessica Clark as Palatine and Suzanne Clement as Madame Agathe. The third and final season of VERSAILLES premiered in the United States on Ovation on Saturday, October 6, 2018 at 10pm ET/7pm PT. In Season 3, Louis XIV resolves to regain control of his own life, his precious Versailles, and France itself. But rebellion is in the air and new challenges are brewing inside Versailles, as well as outside. Emboldened by his new favorite mistress, Madame de Maintenon, he won't relent in his quest for absolute power, convinced of his own divine powers. His dreams come with a cost. The people are tired of paying taxes and resistance is growing. Maintenon, his new favorite, grows in influence and power within the Court. Louis becomes more dogmatic. He refuses to tolerate any disagreement, whether from his people, the Protestants or the Pope himself. Meanwhile, Queen Marie-Therese becomes intimate with her cousin, Louis' archenemy Leopold, and Prince Philippe suspects his brother is hiding a dark secret that only a mysterious prisoner in an iron mask can corroborate.
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On Saturday, December 15, 2018 from 10-11pm ET/7-8pm PT, Ovation premiered "The Final Act," a one-hour special that celebrates VERSAILLES while saying goodbye to the iconic series viewers have come to know and love. The actors, producers, writers, crew and fans all weigh in on the series in this original Ovation special.