Matthew Weiner had the world at his feet after Mad Men. When he announced a $50 million anthology series for Amazon Prime Video called The Romanoffs, people expected another Mad Men. They expected Don Draper in a fur hat. Instead, they got something much weirder, much more expensive, and far more polarizing than anyone anticipated.
It wasn't a period piece. Not really.
The show follows eight separate stories of people across the globe who believe—rightly or wrongly—that they are descendants of the Russian royal family. Honestly, the premise is a bit of a flex. Weiner took his massive budget and flew all over the world, filming in seven different countries with a cast that looks like a SAG-AFTRA fever dream. We’re talking Isabelle Huppert, Diane Lane, Aaron Eckhart, and Christina Hendricks.
But here’s the thing about The Romanoffs. It doesn't care if you like it.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Show
If you go into this looking for a history lesson on Nicholas II or the tragic basement in Yekaterinburg, you’re going to be annoyed. The show isn't about the dead royals. It's about the living ego. It’s about how we use the past to justify being a jerk in the present.
Each episode is a standalone film. Some run for 90 minutes. That’s a massive time commitment for a single "episode" of television. Most people bailed after the first two because the pacing is, well, deliberate. Some would say slow. I’d say it’s dense. Weiner uses the Romanov name as a metaphor for a specific kind of inherited trauma—or inherited entitlement.
Take the first episode, "The Violet Hour." It’s set in a gorgeous Parisian apartment. It feels like a classic French film, but then it pivots into a commentary on racism and class. The connection to the czars is thin, almost ghostly. It’s just a grandmother (Marthe Keller) clinging to her lineage to make herself feel superior to the world around her.
The show basically asks: does your bloodline actually matter if you’re a mess?
💡 You might also like: Ashley My 600 Pound Life Now: What Really Happened to the Show’s Most Memorable Ashleys
The Massive Ambition (and the Massive Budget)
Amazon spent a fortune. You can see every dollar on the screen. The locations aren't sets; they're the real deal. When an episode takes place in Vladivostok, it looks and breathes like it. This wasn't the era of "everything is a green screen." This was peak prestige TV, where a creator could demand—and receive—the moon.
Why the Anthology Format Was a Risk
Anthologies are hard. You have to start over every week. You have to make the audience care about a whole new set of characters in minutes. Most shows do this with a recurring theme, like Black Mirror does with tech. The Romanoffs does it with a delusion.
- Episode 3: House of Special Purpose. This one is the standout for many. Christina Hendricks plays an actress filming a show about—you guessed it—the Romanovs. It’s a meta-commentary on the industry. It’s creepy. It’s claustrophobic. It’s also the most "Russian" the show ever gets, even though it’s about a production.
- Episode 4: Expectations. This features Amanda Peet and it’s a brutal look at mid-life crises and infidelity. The "royal" connection? It’s almost an afterthought.
- The Global Scope. From Mexico City to London to the Swiss Alps, the sheer variety is staggering.
The problem is that by the time you hit Episode 6, you might find yourself wondering why you're still watching. The quality fluctuates wildly. That's the danger of giving a visionary total control. You get the genius, but you also get the indulgence.
Is It Factually Accurate to the Romanov History?
Sorta. But not in the way you think.
The show doesn't claim these people are definitely royals. In fact, most of them probably aren't. Historically, after the 1918 execution of the family, rumors persisted for decades that Anastasia or Alexei had escaped. Dozens of "imposters" popped up. The most famous was Anna Anderson, who spent her whole life claiming to be the Grand Duchess.
The Romanoffs taps into that specific human desire to be "special." It uses the real historical tragedy as a backdrop for modern-day vanity. If you’re a history buff, you’ll catch the Easter eggs. The "House of Special Purpose" was the actual name of the Ipatiev House where the family died. The show uses these references as psychological triggers for the characters rather than plot points.
Why the Critics Were So Harsh
When it premiered in 2018, the reception was... icy.
📖 Related: Album Hopes and Fears: Why We Obsess Over Music That Doesn't Exist Yet
Critics felt it was too long. Too self-important. There was also the shadow of the MeToo movement, as Weiner had faced allegations of misconduct around that time. It made the show’s often cynical, male-centric perspective harder for some viewers to swallow.
But looking back on it now, The Romanoffs feels like a relic of a time when TV was allowed to be truly experimental. It doesn't follow a "Binge Model" logic. It doesn't have cliffhangers. It’s just a collection of short stories about people who think they are more important than they are.
Honestly? It's kind of refreshing.
In a world of "content" designed by algorithms to keep you scrolling, this show feels like a book of short stories you found in an old library. Some stories are boring. Some are haunting. All of them are beautifully written, even when they’re frustrating.
The Casting Genius
You can’t talk about this show without mentioning the acting.
Jack Huston, Diane Lane, and Kathryn Hahn bring an incredible amount of weight to characters we only see for an hour. Hahn, in particular, in the episode "End of the Line," is heartbreaking. She plays a woman traveling to Russia to adopt a child, and the tension is unbearable. It’s a masterclass in acting that makes you forget the "Romanov" hook entirely.
That’s the secret of the show. The best episodes are the ones where the characters forget they’re supposed to be royalty and just act like humans.
👉 See also: The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads: Why This Live Album Still Beats the Studio Records
What to Do If You Want to Watch It Now
Don't binge it.
Seriously. If you try to watch all eight episodes in a weekend, you’ll hate it. The tone shifts too much. One episode is a comedy, the next is a horror-thriller, the next is a courtroom drama.
A Better Way to Experience The Romanoffs:
- Pick and choose. You don't have to watch them in order. They aren't connected.
- Start with Episode 3. "House of Special Purpose" is the best entry point for the "vibe" of the show.
- Watch Episode 7. "End of the Line" is the most emotional and grounded.
- Skip the ones that don't grab you in the first 20 minutes. Life is too short for 90-minute episodes that don't click.
The show is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video. It remains a fascinating failure for some and a misunderstood masterpiece for others. It’s a testament to what happens when a creator is given a blank check and a map of the world.
The Legacy of the Show
The Romanoffs didn't get a second season. It was never meant to. It stands as a singular, strange moment in TV history. It’s a show about the stories we tell ourselves to survive. Whether you’re a descendant of a czar or just someone trying to get through a Tuesday, we all have those myths.
If you want to dive deeper into the reality behind the fiction, you should check out the DNA evidence from 2007 that finally closed the case on the real Romanov children. It puts a very different perspective on the "delusions" portrayed in the series. It’s also worth reading The Family Romanov by Candace Fleming for the real-world context that Weiner so expertly deconstructs.
For your next steps, start with "House of Special Purpose." It features a stunning performance by Christina Hendricks and perfectly captures the show's blend of historical obsession and modern paranoia. If that episode doesn't hook you, the rest of the series probably won't either, and you'll save yourself twelve hours of confusion.