Netflix Releases Final Season of The Empress

Netflix has released the third and final season of The Empress, concluding its German-language period drama about Empress Elisabeth of Austria and Emperor Franz Joseph I. The series is now streaming on the platform.

The final season resumes after Franz leaves to lead his army in the Sardinian War. In the season’s story, he returns from the fighting changed by what he has witnessed, while Elisabeth remains at court with their son, the heir to the Habsburg succession. A review of the season describes Franz as distant from his family and says his affair with another woman leads Elisabeth to leave Vienna after a health scare.

The review follows Elisabeth as she travels and becomes involved in Hungary’s political struggle for self-determination, putting her at odds with Franz and his mother, Archduchess Sophie. Their marriage remains central to the drama as the characters face tensions over personal freedom and the future of the empire. The season also follows Franz’s brother Maximilian as he rises to the throne of Mexico.

The series draws on real people and historical events but alters parts of Elisabeth and Franz’s relationship and life for dramatic purposes. The season-three review...