Have you ever gotten hooked on a streaming series and you can’t wait for the next season? But it never comes? So you’re left with an eternal cliffhanger in your mind. That’s what happened to me with the Victoria tv series.
I’ve streamed short movies and shows where there’s always a nice neat ending, but I’d never streamed a long ongoing series until earlier this year.
First, I got hooked on Downton Abbey, a British television show I was able to binge watch in a week. It had a nice ending, although it left me longing for more British period dramas.
I then found Poldark. It had a decent ending. Then, I found the Victoria tv series, based loosely around the real events of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, probably my favorite of the three, but it left me needing closure.
Victoria Series Ends With Eternal Cliffhanger (spoiler alert)
At the end of the very last episode, in the last series, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert kiss, then he collapsed to the floor holding his head.
“Albert!” Queen Victoria calls to him several times, but he remains motionless on the floor. The credits roll, and I was left looking for Season Four.
Surely there had to be another season coming soon. After all, that last season was released three years prior in 2019. And still no Season Four?
Daisy Goodwin, writer of the show, definitely had more in store for the series.
“[Series four] is going to be an absolute humdinger.”-
Daisy Goodwin, 2019
When asked if he would continue playing Prince Albert up until Prince Albert’s death (Prince Albert dies at age 42), Tom Hughes responded,
“Ultimately it’s not up to me…people have to still want it. There needs to be an appetite for it…if there’s an appetite, it would be nice to finish.”-
Tom Hughes, 2019 interview
The ratings were good. People wanted more. The show was never officially cancelled. But ITV’s comment about the show was puzzling.
“There are no plans presently to film Victoria, but that’s not to say we won’t revisit the series with the production team at a later date.” —
ITV 2021
The Real Reason There’s No Victoria Season Four (allegedly)
After more digging, I believe I discovered the real reason that the Victoria tv series hasn’t continued. And it’s forced me to accept that there probably won’t ever be a Season Four, and I’m left with Prince Albert collapsed on the floor.
It turns out that Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes fell in love in real life as they played Queen Victoria and Prince Albert on the show.
They were in a relationship for four years and lived together throughout the series. That explains their beautiful chemistry on the show.
They were really in love. But then, in 2020, they broke up, and Jenna moved out of the home they shared.
My instincts tell me that’s the real reason I’ll never see Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes as Queen Victoria and Prince Albert again.
It’s over. Their relationship and the Victoria tv series. And I have to let it go. There won’t be a Season Four.
All that remains are Seasons 1, 2 and 3 should I choose to watch them again. And, actually, I have.
I’ll never find out why Prince Albert collapsed near the fireplace.
Although I can speculate that maybe it was a foreshadowing of things to come. Because in real life, Prince Albert does die young, at age 42. But in that last episode, he still had ten years left, and Queen Victoria still had two more children to give birth to.
Tom Hughes and Jenna Coleman’s Breakup Is Awkward
When I shared my discovery with my husband and how I was left hanging at the end of the series, he had a one word response: “Awkward.”
Until he said that, I guess I still had hope that I’d see Jenna and Tom play Queen Victoria and Prince Albert again — because they’re actors they could somehow pull it off…come back together to do the show even though they’d broken up.
But my husband’s “awkward” was right on point.
These are two normal people who’d fallen in love and broke up.
How do you continue to film a series with someone you broke up with after a four year relationship? How awkward would it be to film in roles as husband and wife, with romantic scenes, gazing into each other’s eyes, kissing?
That would take some serious acting.
Breakups are hard enough to deal with. Why would they torture themselves by trying to finish a show they might not even be able to pull off anyway? After all, the love we saw on screen with Jenna and Tom was real. How would they be able to bring the chemistry back to their roles as Queen Victoria and Prince Albert?
I’ve had breakups in my past, and I can’t think of one boyfriend that I would’ve been able to do a movie with after we broke up. I’m not an actor, but even with the finest acting skills it would not have been possible.
Because in a situation like that, it’s not about acting skills.
Tom Hughes, Jenna Coleman and The Power of A Breakup
Falling in love is one of the most powerful emotions, and the feelings that come with breaking up are equally as strong, if not stronger.
Maybe the show was on hiatus at one point, as everyone waited and hoped that as time went by that Jenna and Tom would be able to come together and film again, once their breakup emotions surpassed. But even then it would’ve been awkward.
What if they’re both dating other people? How would they — the other people — feel about them filming together as a married couple?
It makes me sad to think that Tom and Jenna won’t be able to finish their roles together as Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, unless they get back together as a couple, in real life.
It can happen. My husband and I, before we got married, broke up for two years. We went our separate ways, and then God brought us back together again, and we got married.
Moving On From The Victoria Series
For now it looks like Tom Hughes and Jenna Coleman have moved on, both playing in other movies and shows. So I have to move on too.
Clearly, Jenna Coleman has moved on based on her statement about reprising her role as Queen Victoria:
“There may be another series…I’m waiting until I age a bit more. There’s too much good story [not to make any more series].”-
Jenna Coleman, 2020
Of course she makes no mention of the real reason for the pause in the series. I guess she’s thinking that the previous memory of she and Tom Hughes as the Queen and Prince will eventually be forgotten by the audience, and maybe if they wait and jump ahead ten years, after Prince Albert is dead, the show can resume.
I don’t watch too many shows, so finding a good one is always nice. The series brought the Victorian era to life in a modern way, and actually watching the series prompted me to research various historical facts on Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and that whole era.
The Victoria tv series is a dramatization of real life events, so of course I can always read books or watch documentaries about Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, but it’s not the same.
You know the saying the show must go on? Well, in this case, it doesn’t look like the show will go on.