‘Victoria’
Sunday, 9 p.m., PBS
Queen Victoria is having a moment. After the 2017 premiere of the PBS series “Victoria,” which told the story of her early monarchy, a movie came out that addressed her unusual friendship with an Indian clerk. “Victoria & Adbul” was a worldwide hit for star Judi Dench. With the series’ second season getting under way Sunday night, we asked star Jenna Coleman, 31, about the queen’s rise in popularity as a film and television subject.
She spoke to The Post from Manhattan’s Whitby Hotel.
Your new season is about to start in America, and the show has already been renewed for another year. How do you feel about that?
Great. There’s literally so much story to tell. And it keeps getting better. It’s lovely to be able to keep exploring that journey of her growing up.
How old is the queen in Season 2?
Twenty-one. It’s a month after the first baby [also named Victoria]. By the [season finale], the fourth baby [Alfred] is on the way. I think Victoria’s about 25. There’s so much story, but if you go too slowly, we would be shooting for 63 years. We haven’t gotten to the Great Exhibition yet.
What do you know about Victoria now that you didn’t know in Season 1?
What I usually do is read all the biographies that we have up until where we have filmed. I didn’t know that she had postnatal depression. She was an avid diarist. There was a month after the birth of her eldest child when she didn’t write. And when she comes back she can’t even write about it. I think it was a very distressing birth.
I also learned she tried to find out who Jack the Ripper was. She wrote all these letters to the police, saying, “Have you thought of looking here?”
In the movie “Victoria & Abdul,” the queen rejects her second child, Bertie. What can you tell us about that?
It’s because of Prince Albert’s death. Bertie had an affair with an actress, and Albert went to find him to have words with him. They went for a walk and got stuck in the pouring rain. When he came back to the palace, he got hypothermia, and a couple of days later, he died.
When you watch “The Crown,” you get the impression of a great distance between Queen Elizabeth and the world. Was that also true of Victoria?
You wonder, if she was around today, if she would be on social media. She was open and unapologetic with her opinions.
And here’s what else to watch this week:
‘Riverdale’
Wednesday, 8 p.m., the CW
The sudden shutdown of Southside High forces Jughead (Cole Sprouse) and his crew to transfer to Riverdale High. Veronica (Camila Mendes) ensures Hiram (Mark Consuelos) and Hermione (Marisol Nichols) that she’s still on board with their plans. Archie (K.J. Apa) is conflicted when he is asked to gather some information on Hiram’s business dealings. Betty (Lili Reinhart) sets out on a quest to find her long-lost brother, Chic (Hart Denton).
‘The Good Doctor’
Monday, 10 p.m., ABC
The conjoined twins suffer complications from their transplant surgery, forcing the team at San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital to make a life-changing decision. Meanwhile, Dr. Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore, below) decides he needs a permanent vacation and gives Dr. Aaron Glassman (Richard Schiff) his two weeks’ notice.
‘Will & Grace’
Thursday, 9 p.m., NBC
Will (Eric McCormack), Grace (Debra Messing), Jack (Sean Hayes) and Karen (Megan Mullally) attend the wedding of Will’s ex-boyfriend Vince (Bobby Cannavale). While Grace tries to keep Will from making a scene, Jack learns that his wedding hookup has many strings attached.
‘American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace’
Wednesday, 10 p.m., FX
Season premiere. The fashion world was devastated when designer Gianni Versace (Édgar Ramírez) was murdered in the summer of 1997 by Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss), who was on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. This series from Ryan Murphy examines the underworld of male prostitution and crystal meth addiction in which Cunanan traveled and how he and Versace came to cross paths exactly one time before that fateful day. With Ricky Martin and Penélope Cruz.
‘The X-Files’
Wednesday, 8 p.m., Fox
A spate of deaths, in which the victims were plagued by their doppelgängers, leads Scully (Gillian Anderson, below) to twins playing a dangerous game.
‘Cocaine Godmother’
Saturday, 8 p.m., Lifetime
Catherine Zeta-Jones stars as Griselda Blanco, an illegal immigrant who flourished in the US as a drug lord. She reached her apotheosis in Miami, where she was said to order the deaths of 200 people. She was eventually deported to Colombia and gunned down in 2012.
‘Divorce’
Sunday, 10 p.m., HBO
Season premiere. After finally signing divorce papers, a financially strapped Robert (Thomas Haden Church) looks for work, while Frances (Sarah Jessica Parker) adjusts to life as a single mom. Frances’ friend Diane (Molly Shannon) is surprised when her husband makes an unexpected decision. Dallas (Talia Balsam) continues her secret fling with Robert’s lawyer, Tony Silvercreek (Dean Winters).