Curious About Amazon's The Romanoffs? Here's a Quick Primer

Published on Sep 21, 2018 at 3:50 PM

Amazon's new drama series The Romanoffs is one of the most expensive streaming series ever created. With a budget of $70 million over eight episodes, it's safe to say that we can expect a pretty epic first season from the new anthology series. The premise of the show focuses on several, possibly intertwined stories about people who are descended from members of the Russian imperial family. It's set in the modern day and has a star-studded cast, with each episode telling a different self-contained story.

So far, there have only been a couple of teasers released, but they've already got us excited for the show's debut on Oct. 12! Amazon is releasing The Romanoffs in weekly installments like traditional TV, rather than a bingeable all-at-once release. Here's what we know so far about each storyline.

Episode 1: "The Violet Hour"

The series premiere is a Paris-set tale about an old family house that plays a pivotal part in the family's future.

Episode 2: "The Royal We"

Corey Stoll and Janet Montgomery will play a couple whose marriage is on the rocks. Over the course of their storyline, they both face individual temptations.

Episode 3: "House of Special Purpose"

The award for "creepiest historical reference" has to go to this episode, which is named after the house in Ekaterinburg, Russia, where the last Romanov tsar and his wife and children were brutally murdered. The plot of this episode revolves around an argument between a movie star and a director.

Episode 4: "Expectation"

John Slattery reunites with Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner in this episode. It takes place over the course of a single day in which a woman has to deal with every lie she's told throughout her life.

Episode 5: "Bright and High Circle"

Starring Diane Lane, Andrew Rannells, and Ron Livingston, the plot of this episode involves a tight-knit community that comes under strain when one person is suspected of something terrible.

Episode 6: "Panorama"

The story of episode six will take viewers to Mexico, where an idealistic reporter unexpectedly falls in love with the subject of his latest research — who might not be exactly what he thinks.

Episode 7: "End of the Line"

Episode seven's logline has the clearest tie to the show's historical premise. In this plot thread, one couple will travel abroad in pursuit of answers about their family's legacy, but they face more challenges than they anticipated along the way.

Episode 8: "The One That Holds Everything"

The season finale will expand the scope of the story to a global scale. Starring The Crown's Ben Miles and Mamma Mia 2's Hugh Skinner, the core of the episode will follow a single man as he tries to outrun a mysterious family curse. Whether this will tie into previous episodes and other "Romanoff" descendants remains to be seen.