The Tudors backdrop
Drama•Romance

The Worst Episodes of The Tudors

Every episode of The Tudors ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of The Tudors!

Binge this in 1d 9h•Peaking at 8.6/10

The Tudors is a history-based drama series following the young, vibrant King Henry VIII, a competitive and lustful monarch who navigates the intrigues of the English court and the human heart with equal vigor and

Airs on
Showtime
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons4

All1234

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
    Click to reveal
    The Tudors Season 4 Episode 1 - Moment of Nostalgia
    6.1/10(732 votes)

    #1 - Moment of Nostalgia

    S4:E1

    A long hot summer, thirty years into the reign of King Henry VIII, and well into middle age, Henry takes his fifth wife, Katherine Howard. The Queen's "low background" combined with her youth and beauty, arouses a lusty familiarity in certain members of King Henry's court most notably his handsome young servant Thomas Culpepper.

    Director:Dearbhla Walsh
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. The Tudors Season 2 Episode 2 - Tears of Blood
    6.2/10(833 votes)

    #2 - Tears of Blood

    S2:E2

    Christmas at the Tudor court is a time for ringing in the new. Mistress Anne Boleyn has replaced the banished Queen Katherine. The King's chaplain, Thomas Cranmer, makes a fact-finding visit to Lutheran Germany while Henry withdraws both the authority and taxes of the Catholic Church at home. And a royal visit to France finally convinces Anne to consummate her relationship with Henry, even as his best friend Charles Brandon suggests that she is no virgin.

    Director:Jeremy Podeswa
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. The Tudors Season 2 Episode 6 - The Definition of Love
    6.5/10(779 votes)

    #3 - The Definition of Love

    S2:E6

    As the Reformation gathers pace Sir Thomas Cromwell becomes ever more powerful as propagandist-in-chief of a new moral order. Royal confidence has given way to doubt. Henry is haunted by the memory of the executed Thomas More while Queen Anne Boleyn's insecurities border on paranoia. Her husband's affairs continue and an effort to have her daughter Elizabeth betrothed to a French royal fails when the French King refuses to recognise that the infant Princess is of legitimate birth.

    Director:Ciarán Donnelly
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. The Tudors Season 3 Episode 6 - Search for a New Queen
    6.5/10(670 votes)

    #4 - Search for a New Queen

    S3:E6

    Matchmaking begins in earnest as Cromwell schemes to secure the Reformation by marrying Henry to a Protestant wife - but the king's marital reputation precedes him; the condition of Henry's wounded leg turns life-threatening.

    Director:Jeremy Podeswa
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. The Tudors Season 3 Episode 1 - Civil Unrest
    6.6/10(781 votes)

    #5 - Civil Unrest

    S3:E1

    King Henry marries for the third time, taking as his queen the demure noblewoman Jane Seymour. A growing number of his subjects protest the king's decision to abandon the Catholic Church.

    Director:Ciarán Donnelly
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. The Tudors Season 2 Episode 5 - His Majesty's Pleasure
    6.7/10(864 votes)

    #6 - His Majesty's Pleasure

    S2:E5

    Attempts to legitimise the King's marriage and increase his power hit unmovable obstacles as Sir Thomas More and Bishop Fisher insist that only God can be head of the church. Imprisoned in the Tower of London they face likely execution unless they take the Oath of Allegiance. Meanwhile Henry's wandering eye continues to roam.

    Director:Ciarán Donnelly
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 BEST Episodes of The Tudors

    READ
  7. The Tudors Season 3 Episode 5 - Problems in the Reformation
    6.7/10(704 votes)

    #7 - Problems in the Reformation

    S3:E5

    Henry remains in seclusion while mourning the queen's death, an opportunity that enemies of the crown seize to murder several friends of the court; Cromwell is disturbed when Henry doesn't resist his new church's similarities to Catholicism.

    Director:Jeremy Podeswa
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. The Tudors Season 1 Episode 5 - Arise, My Lord
    6.8/10(1041 votes)

    #8 - Arise, My Lord

    S1:E5

    Henry is shocked when he learns that his ally, Emperor Charles V of Spain, has released France's King Francis I from prison. He's equally surprised when Anne Boleyn turns him down after offering to make her his sole mistress.

    Director:Brian Kirk
    Writer:Michael Hirst

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. The Tudors Season 1 Episode 10 - The Death of Wolsey
    6.8/10(994 votes)

    #9 - The Death of Wolsey

    S1:E10

    Cardinal Wolsey is down but not yet out. Although exiled, he tries to gather last-minute support from his old enemy, Queen Katherine. She hesitantly agrees to his plan, as she finds herself in a situation similar to that of the fallen Cardinal. But their plot is intercepted by the King's new advisors and Wolsey must pay the ultimate price.

    Director:Ciarán Donnelly
    Writer:Michael Hirst

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. The Tudors Season 2 Episode 7 - Matters of State
    6.8/10(766 votes)

    #10 - Matters of State

    S2:E7

    The English Reformation is in full swing. Queen Anne suffers from nightmares and feels threatened by Katherine and her daughter. Henry pays an unplanned visit to an old friend, Sir John Seymour, father of Jane Seymour.

    Director:Dearbhla Walsh
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. The Tudors Season 2 Episode 9 - The Act of Treason
    6.8/10(860 votes)

    #11 - The Act of Treason

    S2:E9

    Anne has lost a son and with it her last chance at a lasting marriage with Henry. The King's affections are shifting anyway: the Seymour family are awarded rooms at court and seem likely to replace the Boleyns as royal favourites. Several in the court begin to move against Anne who is accused of adultery. Arrests are made of suspected lovers and of Anne herself. All, including the Queen, are sentenced to death.

    Director:Jon Amiel
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. The Tudors Season 4 Episode 5 - Bottom Of The Pot
    6.8/10(673 votes)

    #12 - Bottom Of The Pot

    S4:E5

    Lord Hertford’s investigation into allegations of the Queen’s infidelities moves with speed. Deeply upset by revelations of his beloved young wife’s sexual past, Henry weeps. But once adultery is uncovered, his response is swift and decisive.

    Director:Ciarán Donnelly
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. The Tudors Season 1 Episode 7 - Message to the Emperor
    6.9/10(971 votes)

    #13 - Message to the Emperor

    S1:E7

    England's population is suffering, both from a lack of food and from a lethal plague called 'The Sweats'. As a result, King Henry feels depressed and not his usual, confident self. He starts having doubts about the future and his ability to rule the country. Fortunately for him, a change is coming up.

    Director:Alison Maclean
    Writer:Michael Hirst

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. The Tudors Season 1 Episode 3 - Wolsey, Wolsey, Wolsey!
    7.0/10(1176 votes)

    #14 - Wolsey, Wolsey, Wolsey!

    S1:E3

    A visit from Charles V forces Henry to conceal his growing disaffection from Queen Katherine, who is the influential Spanish monarch's aunt - even as Henry comes face-to-face with the seductive Anne Boleyn for the first time.

    Director:Steve Shill
    Writer:Michael Hirst

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. The Tudors Season 2 Episode 1 - Everything is Beautiful
    7.0/10(884 votes)

    #15 - Everything is Beautiful

    S2:E1

    The King makes himself head of the Church of England while the Catholic Church fights a losing battle to control Henry VIII's desire for an annulment. Anne Boleyn demands that Henry break off contact with Katherine, so the noble Queen is banished from court. On top of that The Reformation is underway.

    Director:Jeremy Podeswa
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. The Tudors Season 3 Episode 3 - Dissention and Punishment
    7.0/10(701 votes)

    #16 - Dissention and Punishment

    S3:E3

    Henry reconciles with his estranged daughters Mary and Elizabeth in time for the Christmas holidays, but betrays and brutally suppresses the rebellion against him after making conciliatory promises to the uprising's leaders.

    Director:Ciarán Donnelly
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. The Tudors Season 3 Episode 8 - The Undoing of Cromwell
    7.1/10(725 votes)

    #17 - The Undoing of Cromwell

    S3:E8

    Henry moves swiftly to annul his loveless marriage to Anne of Cleves, and beds a new mistress, 17-year-old Katherine Howard; Princess Mary falls in love with Duke Philip of Bavaria; Cromwell's fall from favor is sudden and dramatic.

    Director:Jeremy Podeswa
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. The Tudors Season 1 Episode 1 - In Cold Blood
    7.4/10(1627 votes)

    #18 - In Cold Blood

    S1:E1

    Henry prepares for war with France but receives cautious counsel from the powerful Cardinal Wolsey, who urges a treaty; the king learns that his queen's lady-in-waiting Elizabeth Blount is pregnant with his child.

    Directors:Steve Shill, Charles McDougall
    Writer:Michael Hirst

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. The Tudors Season 2 Episode 8 - Lady in Waiting
    7.6/10(768 votes)

    #19 - Lady in Waiting

    S2:E8

    At Henry's command Jane Seymour is made a lady-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn, to the discomfort and suspicion of the Queen. When Henry is seriously injured in a jousting match all thoughts turn to who might succeed him. There will be far-reaching consequences if Anne's pregnancy does not deliver a healthy son.

    Director:Dearbhla Walsh
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. The Tudors Season 1 Episode 9 - Look to God First
    7.8/10(906 votes)

    #20 - Look to God First

    S1:E9

    Cardinal Wolsey's fall is quick and pitiless. Stripped of office and authority, he is banished from the court and sent far from his much-beloved King. His unlikely successor is Sir Thomas More, a man unlike the overbearing Wolsey in every way but one...his loyalty to Henry.

    Director:Ciarán Donnelly
    Writer:Michael Hirst

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. The Tudors Season 2 Episode 3 - Checkmate
    7.9/10(800 votes)

    #21 - Checkmate

    S2:E3

    Henry's patience finally wears out and he marries Anne in secret, appoints his Lutheran chaplain Thomas Cranmer the head of the Church of England, and strips Queen Katherine of her title and status; the king and new queen have their first child, and are disappointed that it's a girl...whom they christen Elizabeth.

    Director:Colm McCarthy
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  22. The Tudors Season 3 Episode 4 - The Death of a Queen
    7.9/10(716 votes)

    #22 - The Death of a Queen

    S3:E4

    The leaders of the Pilgrimage of Grace uprising are put to death, but Brandon is disturbed by the cruelty and mercilessness of the suppression; Henry celebrates the birth of a son but his joy is short-lived as Queen Jane dies within days.

    Director:Ciarán Donnelly
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  23. The Tudors Season 4 Episode 2 - Sister
    7.9/10(651 votes)

    #23 - Sister

    S4:E2

    Thomas Culpepper - Henry VIII’s newest servant - continues to make eyes at his King’s young bride, Katherine Howard. Her servant suggests seduction. While the King shows his age by going to bed early during the Christmas celebration the young but not so innocent members of his court party on.

    Director:Dearbhla Walsh
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  24. The Tudors Season 4 Episode 3 - Something For You
    7.9/10(648 votes)

    #24 - Something For You

    S4:E3

    Buoyed by the happiness that a young wife brings an aging man, Henry is noticeably more tolerant and forgiving than he once was. Such goodwill is well appreciated by the peasants of the North who gratefully accept Henry’s forgiveness for the Pilgrimage of Grace revolt, during a Royal visit. But the King’s benevolence may yet be tested by his new Queen: Katherine Howard has submitted to seduction by the young and handsome Thomas Culpepper.

    Director:Dearbhla Walsh
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  25. The Tudors Season 4 Episode 4 - Natural Ally
    7.9/10(629 votes)

    #25 - Natural Ally

    S4:E4

    Rejuvenated by his tour of the north of England, Henry feels a new man and longs after his new Queen; unaware that her affections are diverted elsewhere. Katherine’s past begins to catch up as an old liaison comes looking for a job threatening to reveal all about their sexual history. Someone beats him to it when an anonymous letter is sent to the King containing accusations of adultery. Although unconvinced of the rumor, Henry confines Katherine to her apartments pending a thorough investigation.

    Director:Ciarán Donnelly
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Worst Episodes Summary

"Moment of Nostalgia" is the worst rated episode of "The Tudors". It scored 6.1/10 based on 732 votes. Directed by Dearbhla Walsh and written by Unknown, it aired on 4/11/2010. This episode scored 0.1 points lower than the second lowest rated, "Tears of Blood".