Flip Your Wig for ‘Amadeus’

You don’t have to be a classical music nerd to love Starz’s new limited series, Amadeus. Premiering on Starz, Amadeus is a five-part limited series that revisits one of classical music’s most enduring rivalries: the relationship between genius composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and court composer Antonio Salieri in 18th-century Vienna.

Adapted from Peter Shaffer’s Tony Award-winning play — the same source material that inspired the Oscar-winning 1984 film — the series stars Paul Bettany as the increasingly consumed Salieri and Will Sharpe as the prodigious, irreverent Mozart, expanding their psychological battle across five episodes while once again blurring the line between historical fact and dramatic myth.

Created by Joe Barton, this 2026 retelling of the Mozart-Salieri rivalry is a fun watch. The costumes, the mood, the banter, all of it comes off as a top-tier product of Starz wanting to make something great rather than simply “good” — maybe to emulate Mozart himself! It leans into spectacle without sacrificing the humanity of its characters, allowing moments of humor and heartbreak to coexist in a way that keeps the series moving even for viewers who couldn’t name a single Mozart composition.

While Sharpe plays an accessibly good version of the legendary musician, for me, it’s Gabrielle Creevy as his wife Constanze Mozart who steals the show. Barton previously created Black Doves, where Creevy also impressed as the tough-as-nails Eleanor. Good on him for extending her presence in his work. She’s got a warmth that I really enjoyed throughout the series.

It’s a big ask to reimagine Amadeus after it was already an iconic, beloved, Oscar-winning movie. But the television version of the tale is happy not to emulate the older adaptation, with a stylized, over-the-top vision where an older Salieri confesses to Mozart’s widow, Constanze (Creevy), that he killed the genius musician 30 years prior. That confession serves as the series’ framing device, pulling viewers back and forth between memory, guilt, and obsession as Salieri attempts to justify the choices that defined both of their lives.

Barton’s version is filled with bold costumes, crazy-looking wigs, one memorable sex scene that leaves Salieri speechless, and plenty of opera and classical music — though it works more as color than the main event. You don’t have to be a Mozart nerd to like this series.

Amadeus also works as a new drug for viewers who enjoy shows like Bridgerton or The Crown. Barton draws in viewers with his portrayal of the two radically different musicians: they clearly respect one another while also viewing the other as some strange, fascinating animal. The tension is one of the show’s biggest strengths.

It’s five episodes. Flip your wig.