BBC Versailles set to be axed after viewers tire over graphic sex scenes.
The upcoming third season of BBC’s sexy drama Versailles will be its last. The big budget Franco-Canadian about the construction of the Palace of Versailles has been cancelled following a sizable drop in ratings. Set during the reign of Louis XIV, the series earned the reputation for being one of the steamiest BBC dramas ever as it didn’t shy away from a constant spate of sex scenes and full-frontal nudity.
The abundance of sexual content may have actually been too much for people to handle. The Sun reports that the series was axed because viewers grew tired of the “constant sex scenes.”
“At first, viewers were open to all the pornographic scenes but slowly the BBC saw Versailles ratings drop to just one million viewers — and it seems to have had the same effect in France too,” a source told The Sun. “They believe it will have run its course after the third series, which will see Louis XIV achieve absolute power, so they have decided there won’t be a series four.”
Season 1 was received fairly well by critics and audiences alike, earning an 80% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes. A second season was ordered prior to the Season 1 premiere. Variety reports that the third season will premiere in the U.S. on Ovation starting in October, but fans looking to watch the first two seasons are in luck. The BBC drama is currently available to stream on Netflix.
