The Lion in Winter
Schemes and double-crosses abound inThe Lion in Winter, the story  of England's King Henry II (Patrick Stewart,Star Trek: The Next Generation,X-Men) as he manipulates (and is counter-manipulated) by his wife,  Eleanor of Aquitaine (Glenn Close,Dangerous Liaisons,Fatal  Attraction), and their three ambitious sons, each of whom hopes to  ascend to the throne. The ghost of the1968 film versionhangs over this  2003 miniseries; Stewart and Close can't match Peter O'Toole and  Katharine Hepburn in that classic. Nonetheless this new version is solid  work, and though the witty dialogue verges into camp, the script's  cunningly orchestrated machinations work like a charm, drawing the viewer  in with every fiendish ploy and overturned expectation. Also featuring  Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (Velvet Goldmine,Bend It Like Beckham)  as the King of France.--Bret Fetzer