If you’re looking for a stuffy, period-accurate history lesson about 17th-century France, honestly, just keep walking. The Musketeers TV series, which ran on BBC One from 2014 to 2016, isn't that kind of show. It’s loud. It’s dirty. It’s unashamedly swashbuckling. Most importantly, it understands Alexandre Dumas’s source material better than almost any big-budget movie ever has, mostly because it realizes that the "all for one" mantra isn't just a catchy slogan—it’s a desperate survival tactic for four guys who are essentially high-functioning disasters.
Most people recognize the names. Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D’Artagnan. They’re cultural icons. But usually, they're flattened out into caricatures. The drunk one, the strong one, the religious one, and the young one. This show, created by Adrian Hodges, decided to actually look at the trauma behind those labels. It took the core of the 1844 novel and injected it with a modern, gritty energy that felt more like a Western than a costume drama.
The Grime Beneath the Gold Lace
The first thing you notice about The Musketeers TV series is that it’s lived-in. The leather is scuffed. The streets of "Paris"—which was actually a massive, sprawling set built outside Prague—are perpetually muddy. This isn't the sparkling, sterilized version of the Louvre we see in Hollywood. It’s a place where the King is a petulant child-man and the streets are filled with veterans of the Thirty Years' War who have nowhere to go.
Tom Burke’s Athos is a masterclass in controlled misery. He doesn't just drink because he likes wine; he drinks because his past is a literal graveyard. When we finally meet Milady de Winter (played with terrifying nuance by Maimie McCoy), the show doesn't treat it as a twist for the sake of a twist. It’s a genuine tragedy. You see two people who destroyed each other trying to navigate a world that has no room for their ghosts.
Then you have Santiago Cabrera’s Aramis. In the books, he’s a bit of a dandy who wants to be a priest. Here, he’s a former soldier with a massive savior complex and a penchant for falling in love with the most dangerous women in France. His faith isn't a hobby; it's a shield he uses to hide from the things he's done on the battlefield. It’s this kind of depth that kept the show alive for three seasons despite some rocky scheduling by the BBC.
The Villains That Made the Show
A hero is only as good as the guy trying to kill him. In season one, we got Peter Capaldi as Cardinal Richelieu. This was right before he became the Twelfth Doctor, and man, he was delicious in this role. He wasn't a cartoon villain. He genuinely believed that he was the only thing keeping France from sliding into chaos. He loved his country; he just happened to think everyone else was too stupid to run it. When Capaldi had to leave the show for Doctor Who, there was a massive void.
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Enter Marc Warren as the Comte de Rochefort in season two.
Rochefort was a different beast entirely. Where Richelieu was cold and calculated, Rochefort was a chaotic, obsessed psychopath with a singular focus on Queen Anne. It changed the dynamic of the show from political maneuvering to a high-stakes psychological thriller. It was a risky move, but it worked because it forced the Musketeers to act not just as soldiers, but as protectors of the crown's messy, personal secrets.
By the time season three rolled around, the show shifted again. Rupert Everett joined as the Marquis de Feron, the corrupt Governor of Paris, and Matthew McNulty played Lucien Grimaud. The stakes felt more grounded. It wasn't about grand conspiracies anymore; it was about the poverty and unrest of a city on the brink of collapse. The show leaned into its "Western" vibes hard here. The musketeers were essentially the only lawmen in a town that hated them.
Why This Version Beats the Movies
Hollywood loves the Musketeers. We’ve had the 1993 version with Charlie Sheen (which is fun but ridiculous) and the 2011 version with flying ships (which is... a choice). But The Musketeers TV series has the luxury of time. It has thirty hours to breathe.
You get to see the brotherhood actually form. It’s not instant. Luke Pasqualino’s D’Artagnan has to earn his stripes. He’s hot-headed and arrogant, and the older three spend a significant amount of time just trying to keep him from getting stabbed. Howard Charles, who plays Porthos, gives the character a back story involving the Court of Miracles—the Parisian slums—that adds a layer of social commentary the movies always skip. Porthos isn't just the "funny big guy." He’s a man who climbed out of the gutter and is fiercely protective of the family he’s built.
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The fight choreography is also light-years ahead of most TV shows. They used a style that felt visceral. It wasn't just fencing; it was brawling. They used capes, daggers, furniture, and whatever else was lying around. It felt like these guys were fighting to stay alive, not to look pretty for the camera.
The Women Aren't Just Props
In many adaptations, Constance Bonacieux is just a damsel for D’Artagnan to rescue. Tamla Kari plays her as the actual brains of the operation. She’s the one who understands the politics of the palace and the realities of the street. Her evolution from a linendraper’s wife to a vital part of the Musketeer inner circle is one of the best arcs in the series.
The same goes for Queen Anne. Alexandra Dowling portrays her not as a passive victim of the King’s moods, but as a woman playing a very long, very dangerous game. The tension between her duty to France and her forbidden feelings for Aramis provides the emotional backbone for some of the show's most intense moments. It's a soap opera, sure, but it's a soap opera with swords and high-stakes treason.
The Production Reality
Let’s talk about the Prague sets for a second. If you ever visit the Czech Republic, you can actually see some of the locations. They used Doksany Premonstratensian Convent for many of the interior shots. The production value was insane for a BBC drama. They weren't just reusing the same three hallways. You felt the scope of the city. You felt the cold of the winters and the dust of the training yards.
It’s actually a miracle the show stayed as consistent as it did. Between seasons, they lost their lead villain (Capaldi) and their showrunner (Hodges). Usually, that’s a death knell for a series. But Simon Ashford took the reins and kept the momentum going. They leaned into the ensemble nature of the cast. If one piece was missing, the others stepped up.
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Common Misconceptions About the Show
People often skip The Musketeers TV series because they think it’s going to be "BBC Lite"—low budget and overly polite. That’s a mistake.
- It’s too "YA" (Young Adult): Not really. While it’s aired in family-friendly slots in some regions, the show deals with heavy themes like PTSD, religious extremism, and the brutal reality of 17th-century class warfare.
- It ignores the book: It actually pulls a lot of deep cuts from Dumas. Characters like King Louis XIII and Milady are much closer to their literary counterparts than the versions you see in the Disney movies.
- The costumes are inaccurate: Look, the leather jackets aren't 1630s-accurate. They look like something out of a rock concert. But they serve a purpose. They make the Musketeers look like a paramilitary unit, a distinct group that stands apart from the puffy silks of the court.
How to Experience the Series Today
If you’re diving in for the first time, don't expect a serialized epic like Game of Thrones right away. The first season is largely "adventure of the week." It’s building the world. It’s letting you fall in love with the guys.
Once you hit season two, the show finds its gear. The stakes become permanent. Characters die. The political landscape shifts under their feet. By season three, it’s a full-on war drama.
Actionable Insights for New Viewers:
- Watch for the Chemistry: The four leads spent weeks in "Musketeer boot camp" learning to ride and fight together. That camaraderie isn't faked; it’s the heart of the show.
- Don't Google the History: The show takes massive liberties with real French history. If you try to fact-check the timeline of the Spanish war or the King’s children, your head will hurt. Just enjoy the ride.
- Appreciate the Soundscapes: The music by Murray Gold (another Doctor Who veteran) is incredible. It captures that heroic, swashbuckling feel while keeping a modern edge.
- Pay Attention to Milady: She isn't just a villain. Her story is arguably the most tragic in the entire show. Watch how her relationship with Athos evolves from hatred to something far more complex and heartbreaking.
The show ended exactly where it needed to. It didn't overstay its welcome or get canceled on a cliffhanger. It finished the story of these four men and their service to a country that often didn't deserve them. It’s a rare example of a TV show that knows exactly what it is: a gritty, emotional, and thrilling tribute to the greatest adventure story ever told. If you haven't seen it yet, you're missing out on the definitive version of the Musketeers for the modern age.
Find it on streaming, get some snacks, and ignore the leather-jacket inaccuracy. You’ll be hooked by the end of the first sword fight.
Next Steps for Fans and Researchers:
- Visit the Czech Republic Locations: Research the "Doksany" and "Krivoklat" filming locations to see the real-world scale of the Paris sets.
- Read the Original Serial: Compare the "Court of Miracles" plotlines in the show to Dumas's original descriptions in The Three Musketeers to see how the writers modernized 19th-century social commentary.
- Track the Cast’s Career: Follow the post-series work of Tom Burke (Strike) and Santiago Cabrera (Star Trek: Picard) to see how their roles as Musketeers shaped their later performances in leading dramas.