The Regime premiered on March 3, 2024,[2][3] with all six episodes debuting in the US on HBO and Max, and in the UK exclusively onSky Atlantic andNow from April 8, 2024.[4]
Though the miniseries received mixed reviews, Kate Winslet's performance has been singled out for praise from critics.[5]
The series depicts a year within the palace of a crumblingauthoritarian regime.[6] After not leaving the palace for quite some time, Chancellor Elena Vernham becomes increasingly paranoid and unstable and turns to a volatile soldier, Herbert Zubak, as an unlikely confidant. As Zubak's influence over the chancellor grows, Elena's attempts to expand her power eventually result in the palace and the country fracturing around her.[7]
Matthias Schoenaerts as Herbert Zubak, a recently disgraced soldier appointed as Elena's personal "water diviner" who quickly becomes her most trusted advisor.[8]
Guillaume Gallienne as Nicholas Vernham, Elena's French, poetry-loving husband who becomes suspicious of her relationship with Zubak and his influence over her.
Andrea Riseborough as Agnes, the Palace Manager and Elena's right-hand woman.
Danny Webb as Mr. Laskin, the head of the country's security service.
Henry Goodman as Mr. Singer, one of Elena's ministers.
David Bamber as Victor Schiff, one of Elena's ministers.
Hugh Grant as Edward Keplinger, the former chancellor who was ousted seven years earlier and has since been held prisoner in a cell located beneath the palace.
Pippa Haywood as Susan Goin, the formerMinister of Finance who is imprisoned after being falsely accused of conspiring to assassinate Elena.
Jessica Frances Dukes as Deborah Kaiser, the wife of an American CEO seeking to access the country's cobalt resources.
The project was announced byHBO in July 2022 with Will Tracy serving as showrunner, withStephen Frears directing andKate Winslet,Frank Rich andTracey Seaward acting as executive producers. The writing team includes Seth Reiss,Juli Weiner, Jen Spyra,Gary Shteyngart, andSarah DeLappe.[18] The miniseries will mark Winslet's third lead role in an HBO drama series afterMildred Pierce, andMare of Easttown.[19] In April 2023, the title of the project was officially revealed to have changed from the working titleThe Palace toThe Regime.[20]
Filming in Austria took place in January 2023 at theSchönbrunn Palace and at theLiechtenstein Garden Palace on Fürstengasse, in the 9th district of Vienna.[27] A first look image released in February 2023 showed Winslet filming on set in Austria, withprincipal photography also taking place in the United Kingdom atWentworth Woodhouse near Rotherham, South Yorkshire.[28]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 51% of 80 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.60/10. The website's consensus reads: "Kate Winslet reigns supreme with another commanding performance even asThe Regime's hold over its scabrously satirical tone proves wobbly."[29] OnMetacritic, the series holds a weighted average score of 56 out of 100, based on 41 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[30]
