By Ahaqir Ishaq
What would America look like if George Washington had become king instead of president? Netflix is developing a television adaptation of American Royals, Katharine McGee’s bestselling young adult book series built around that question.
The project has Ted Malawer, co-writer of Red, White & Royal Blue, attached to write and executive produce. For readers waiting to see McGee’s fictional royal family on screen, the development news is a significant step. However, a premiere date has not been announced, and development does not guarantee that a show will reach production.
What We Know About the American Royals TV Series
According to the October 1 adaptation report, Netflix secured the project following a competitive pursuit.
Malawer will executive produce alongside Leslie Morgenstein of Alloy Entertainment, with Warner Bros. Television serving as the studio.
His involvement gives the project a connection to another contemporary royal romance: Red, White & Royal Blue. That connection concerns the creative team; American Royals tells its own story, with a fictional American monarchy at its center.
The announced project is inspired by McGee’s book series. Details about how closely it will follow individual novels have yet to emerge.
What Is American Royals About?
The books imagine an alternate history in which America offered George Washington a crown after winning the Revolutionary War. Generations later, his descendants still rule as the House of Washington.
The story takes place in a modern world shaped by that decision. Rather than following Washington himself, it focuses on the young people living with the privileges and restrictions of his dynasty.
As McGee’s official description of the first novel explains, Princess Beatrice is preparing to become America’s first queen regnant, a queen who rules in her own right. The responsibilities she once accepted begin to feel increasingly restrictive.
Her younger sister, Princess Samantha, has more freedom but struggles with being treated as the spare. Samantha’s twin, Prince Jefferson, is third in line under the updated succession rules.
Outside the immediate royal family, Nina Gonzalez and Daphne Deighton become entangled in Jefferson’s romantic life. Nina is an ordinary girl drawn toward the palace, while Daphne is determined to secure a place within it.
That combination gives the books several overlapping conflicts: family expectations, romantic ambition, social status and the question of how much freedom someone can have when their future is already mapped out.
Why the Books Could Work as a Television Drama
The most interesting part of this premise is what a crown does to ordinary relationships. A sibling disagreement can carry consequences for the succession. A romance can become a public controversy. Choosing a partner can mean choosing between personal happiness and an institution.
For an adaptation, that creates opportunities for an ensemble drama. Beatrice, Samantha, Nina and Daphne approach royal life from different positions, allowing the story to examine both the people born into power and those trying to move closer to it.
The challenge will be giving those characters room to develop. Palace glamour may attract viewers, but the competing desires underneath it are what could sustain the story.
These are possibilities suggested by the novels, rather than confirmed details about Netflix’s scripts.
Which American Royals Books Should You Read First?
New readers can begin with American Royals and continue through the four main novels in order:
| Reading order | Book |
|---|---|
| 1 | American Royals |
| 2 | American Royals II: Majesty |
| 3 | American Royals III: Rivals |
| 4 | American Royals IV: Reign |
Penguin Random House’s series guide identifies these as the four numbered books and describes Reign as the conclusion.
McGee also wrote American Royals: Inheritance, a prequel novella, set before the opening novel. It explores an earlier royal party and the relationships surrounding it.
Although Inheritance comes first chronologically, starting with the original novel is a straightforward way to meet the cast before exploring that additional backstory.
There is currently no announced book-by-book season plan for the adaptation.
Does American Royals Have a Netflix Release Date or Cast?
As of October 3, 2026, the available adaptation coverage does not provide a release date, cast or production start date.
There is also no verified release window to use at this stage. Until further announcements arrive, the clearest description is that American Royals is in development at Netflix.
For now, readers have a completed main series to explore while waiting to learn whether the Washington family’s palace drama will make the jump to television.
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