Dangerous Liaisons is an American period drama television series, loosely based upon the novel of the same name by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. It premiered on Starz on November 6, 2022. Ahead of its premiere, the series was renewed for a second season. In December 2022, the series was canceled, reversing the early renewal. It was also reported that the executive producers were shopping the series elsewhere.
Contents
Cast and characters
Main cast
Nicholas Denton as Pascal Valmont
Alice Englert as Camille
Hakeem Kae-Kazim as Majordome
Hilton Pelser as Gabriel Carré
Kosar Ali as Victoire
Nathanael Saleh as Azolan
Paloma Faith as Florence de Régnier
Maria Friedman as Berthe
Colette Dalal Tchantcho as Ondine, Vicomtesse de Valmont
Mia Threapleton as Rose
Fisayo Akinade as Theo, Chevalier de Saint-Jacques
Clare Higgins as Madame Jericho
Antonia Campbell-Hughes as Marie Antoinette
Kathryn Wilder as Eloise de Chalon
Matthew Steer as Emile
Lesley Manville as Geneviève de Merteuil
Michael McElhatton as Jean de Merteuil
Carice van Houten as Jacqueline de Montrachet
Tom Wlaschiha as Henri de Montrachet
Lucy Cohu as Christine, Comtesse de Sevigny
Dimitri Gripari as Danceny
Matilda Tucker as Suzette
Miltos Yerolemou as Antoine
Maggie O'Neill
Christian McKay
Agnes O'Casey as Emilie de Sevigny
Richard Earl as Duc de Lanvin
Sarah E Bentley as Duchesse de Lanvin
Guest cast
Gabriel Andrews as Opera Goer
Production
Development
In November 2013, it was announced Christopher Hampton would adapt Dangerous Liaisons by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, with Colin Callender and Tony Krantz set to serve as executive producers, with BBC set to distribute in the United Kingdom. In July 2019, it was announced Starz had ordered and greenlit the series, with Harriet Warner set to serve as showrunner and writer, with BBC no longer attached, and Hampton no longer attached as writer, and only as executive producer. In November 2022, Starz renewed the series for a second season. The following month, Starz canceled the series. However, the remaining episodes of the first season will air as scheduled. It was also reported that the executive producers are currently shopping the series elsewhere.
Casting
In May 2021, Alice Englert and Nicholas Denton joined the cast of the series. In June 2021, Lesley Manville, Carice van Houten, Paloma Faith, Michael McElhatton, Kosar Ali, Nathanael Saleh, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Hilton Pelser, Mia Threapleton, Colette Dalal Tchantcho, Lucy Cohu, Fisayo Akinade, Maria Friedman and Clare Higgins joined the cast of the series.
Filming
Principal photography began in the Czech Republic in May 2021.
Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 50% approval rating with an average rating of 6.3/10, based on 14 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "While Alice Englert and Nicholas Denton make for a convincingly dangerous duo, this prequel to the esteemed novel feels too calculated to stir up a ton of heat." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 57 out of 100 based on 9 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".