The CW's 'Reign' Ended Too Soon

Reign, which aired on The CW from 2013-2017, starred Adelaide Kane as the famous Mary, Queen of Scots, throughout her teenage and early adult years. As Mary learned what being a Queen would entail, the cost that came with the title and the losses she would face took a toll, turning the innocent Mary we meet in the pilot episode into the hardened woman that is ruling by the series’ end. Alongside Kane starred Megan Follows as the notorious Catherine de' Medici, the Queen Mother of France, whom Mary bonded with over the loss of Francis (Toby Regbo), and, in Season 3 and 4, Rachel Skarsten as the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth I of England, the woman that Mary was pitted against due to their rivaling claims to the throne in England and difference in religion. From the very beginning of Reign, Mary’s life was fraught with danger, lies, and peril. There were clearly no qualms about showing how difficult life was for the Queen of Scots, as the series begins with Mary’s food tester being poisoned at the convent and Mary subsequently being rushed to the castle in France. Mary had no idea just how difficult life would become as she came of age, finally ready to rule.