Watch the first 2 episodes of "The Tudors" online!

Again, Showtime is trying to catch up with HBO; this time, a copy of Rome. The networks have recaptured the buzz in the past few years. New series development on the pay channels isn't as exciting as it once was.
But I'm a sucker for historical pieces. And nice to see that they're trying to capture an audience by giving the first hit free.

This is a good idea.The promos for this show looked good. I'll try to watch these online. I'm really into Rome on HBO right now, but I don't get Showtime so this will be all I see of this one.

I agree that it seems Showtime is taking its cues from HBO, but they seem to be making superior products. Brotherhood is excellent, far better than The Sopranos the last couple of seasons. Dexter is also very well done and I don't expect any less from The Tudors. HBO's big advantage is Entourage, it gets bigger and bigger. HBO is missing the boat by not airing the UFC, while Showtime has started its own mma organization which has fighters under contract and still allows them to fight in other promotions. HBO and Showtime are about equal in boxing, where HBO used to reign supreme. HBO sports seems to have a lot of older guys running their programming and they are really falling behind. I think HBO is losing its grip on being the top dog, but I'm also sure they are smart enough to try and correct this, just please don't give Lisa Kudrow anymore airtime!

Showtime is definitely nipping at the heels of HBO, although the home box office network does still have Entourage and The Wire (my personal favorite).

This is a great promo ploy that ABC totally exploited to the max by offering all their shows online. Great idea! Watch out though, these two episodes of the Tudors are TV-MA, for violence and nudity (f yea premium channels)

I really wanted to watch Dexter. Michael C. Hall was great in Six Feet Under. I really liked Big Love, I can't wait for the new season. Alan Ball's new show should be good too.

Dexter is great but this is such a copy of Rome. The difference is this one to me has more potential than Rome. I can't see Rome going for more than 3 years, Tutors can go forever.

Plus there are some very hot guys in Tutors that are naked. :)

In case anyone hasn't noticed, Showtime and HBO have surpassed network TV...are there any bad shows on these two two cable networks?

PS--"Dexter", "Weeds", and "Rome" are all top-notch.

this is the final season of rome.

Watched the first ep. Seemed to be the opposite of Rome. What Rome does well is bring you out of the 21st century, and get you to see the world in the 1st century BC. The Tudors goes in the opposite direction; the 21st century is superimposed over the 16th. For all the costumes and scenery, it really had the feel of a thoroughly modern tale.
The acting was pretty good, although Sam Neill as Wolsey didn't work for me. Callum Blue, from Dead Like Me fame, is nice to see on screen again. The story itself was fine, but I wasn't as excited as the soundtrack implied I should have been.
All in all, this show falls well short of the standard set by Rome.