The seven-episode season explicitly frames court life around sexual fluidity, pansexuality, and using queer desire as a transactional tool for power, including graphic orgies and bedroom scenes that drive multiple plot points like rivalries with Robert Carr and political maneuvers. Creator D.C.

Moore and stars Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine repeatedly describe the project as telling history through a deliberate 'queer lens' and 'female lens,' positioning it as modern, punk, and corrective of past erasure of LGBTQ+ elements. This makes progressive sexual politics foundational rather than incidental, elevating the score despite the historical basis for James's male favorites. Casting remains period-appropriate with no race or gender swaps of established figures, and reception shows critical praise for the boldness without widespread audience rejection.