More than three years after Mad Men left Don Draper finding peace on a beach, show creator Matthew Weiner will return for his first project since the critically acclaimed series. A long way from the ad agencies of Madison Avenue, it's an unconventional anthology series about eight people who believe they are descendants of Russia's royal Romanov family. Today, we finally have our first look at The Romanoffs.
As a news release from Amazon describes the show:
Set in seven countries around the globe, The Romanoffs was shot on location in three continents collaborating with local productions and creative talent across Europe, the Americas, and the Far East. Each story takes place in a new location with a new cast. The first episode, “The Violet Hour’ stars Marthe Keller, Aaron Eckhart, Ines Melab and Louise Bourgoin and the second story, “The Royal We,” starring Corey Stoll, Kerry Bishe, Janet Montgomery and Noah Wyle.
The first trailer shows this globe-hopping, loosely connected narrative play out with a massive cast that also includes Mad Men's Christina Hendricks and John Slattery, along with Diane Lane, Kathryn Hahn, and many more.
And, at least by the looks of this first trailer, The Romanoffs clearly strikes a different tone than Mad Men, with a bumbling-seeming Eckhart describing himself "half Russian, half German, half French."
"The reason that I picked the Romanovs is that in an era where we have social media and so much theoretical connection to each other it really seems like we're further apart than ever," Weiner said in an interview last year. "And I love this idea that these characters believe themselves to be, whether they are or not, descendants of this last autocratic family who are part of one of the great true crime stories of all time. I also love that it's the chance to talk about nature vs. nurture, what they have in common, and what is left of a grand heritage."
Clearly, this isn't the typical story about the the last imperial dynasty to rule Russia. And clearly, this is not the same type of period piece that was Mad Men, either.
The first two episodes of The Romanoffs premiere 12 October on Amazon.
Matt Miller is a Brooklyn-based culture/lifestyle writer and music critic whose work has appeared in Esquire, Forbes, The Denver Post, and documentaries.
