PICK OF DIGITAL & ON DEMAND TV

THE EMPRESS, NETFLIX

FANS of The Crown and Victoria will find a lot to relish in this new Germanlanguage period drama series set during the 19th century. Chockful of romance, jealousy, politics, back-biting and soulsearching, it tells the true story of Elisabeth, or Sisi (Devrim Lingnau, pictured), a free-spirited Bavarian noblewoman who travels to the court of the Austro-Hungarian Empire when her elder sister is suggested as a possible match for the Emperor Franz Joseph. However, when the young ruler falls for Sisi rather than her sister, the 16-yearold duchess finds herself caught up in a whirl of intrigue as she struggles against the restrictions of court life and the disapproval of Franz’s family, especially his domineering mother, Archduchess Sophie. And the royal couple’s troubles don’t end there, with Franz’s brother Maxi also harbouring designs on the throne, while enemy forces threaten the borders of the empire, and unrest begins to brew among the citizens of Vienna. All six episodes are available from today.