History Series / StillStarCrossed

** Lord Montague emotionally abuses Benvolio, constantly degrades and manipulates him, and uses him for target practice when he's bored.

* FakeNationality: While the characters are still meant to be Italian, a significant portion of the characters' actors are of non-Italian and non-European ethnic backgrounds:
** Rosaline is black.
** Prince Escalus is black.
** Lady Capulet is Burmese, Indian, Malay, English, Scottish, and Iranian.
** Romeo [[PosthumousCharacter was]] black.
** Mercutio [[PosthumousCharacter was]] part Armenian.
** Tybalt [[PosthumousCharacter was]] part Pakistani.

* RaceLift: While they are still Italian citizens, a significant portion of the characters' actors are of non-Italian and non-European ethnic backgrounds:
** Rosaline is black.
** Prince Escalus is black.
** Lady Capulet is Burmese, Indian, Malay, English, Scottish, and Iranian.
** Romeo [[PosthumousCharacter was]] black.
** Mercutio [[PosthumousCharacter was]] part Armenian.
** Tybalt [[PosthumousCharacter was]] part Pakistani.

* ShoutOut: To [[TheTamingoftheShrew another of Shakespeare's well known works]] when Lord Montague is criticizing Benvolio for breaking his engagement to "Minola's daughter". Then there's Truccio, which could easily be a shortened form of [[TheTamingoftheShrew Petruchio]]. Not to mention Tessa Montague's "[[{{Macbeth}} time in Scotland]]" and all that business. One of the Doge's serving girls is named [[AMidsummerNightsDream Helena]] and even something as simple as Princess Isabella telling the Doge the story of [[{{Coriolanus}} Coriolanus]] is a reference. Also just take a look at the episode titles. They're rife with shout-outs.

* {{Cliffhanger}}: Thanks to the show's cancellation, the entire ''series'' ending on one. [[spoiler:Rosaline and Benvolio finally acknowledge their love, Benvolio is narrowly saved from execution, Escalus gets shot, and Paris stages his coup... roll credits!]] Cue screams of frustration from the entire fandom.

* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Though "evil" is too strong a word to describe Escalus, the trope comes into play when he orders Benvolio to tell him why Rosaline trusts him so much, assuming he tricked her somehow. Rather incredulously, Benvolio points out that he simply ''didn't lie or try to manipulate'' her at any point, something Escalus has been doing since the day he returned to Verona.

* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Though "evil" is too strong a word to describe Escalus, the trope comes into play when he orders Benvolio to tell him how he got Rosaline to trust him so much, assuming it was some sort of trick. Somewhat incredulous, Benvolio points out that he simply ''didn't lie or try to manipulate'' her at any point, something Escalus has been doing since the day he returned to Verona.

* GoneHorriblyRight: Escalus organises the ArrangedMarriage between Rosaline and Benvolio to enforce peace between houses Montague and Capulet despite being in love with Rosaline himself -- and then has to watch as they slowly start developing genuine feelings for one another. By the final episode, circumstances have created a situation in which he can legally MurderTheHypotenuse ''and'' create peace between the warring houses with Benvolio's death, only for the girl he loves to come begging for his rival's life.

* GoneHorriblyRight: Escalus organises the ArrangedMarriage between Rosaline and Benvolio to enforce peace between houses Montague and Capulet despite being in love with Rosaline himself -- and then has to watch as they slowly start developing genuine feelings for one another. By the final episode, circumstances have created a situation in which he can legally MurderTheHypotenuse ''and'' create peace between the warring houses with Benvolio's death, only for the girl he loves to beg for his rival's life.

* ShoutOut: To [[TheTamingoftheShrew another of Shakespeare's well known works]] when Lord Montague is criticizing Benvolio for breaking his engagement to "Minnola's daughter".

''Still Star-Crossed'' is an ABC series that is based upon ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet''. It is produced by Shonda Rhymes's company Shonda Land with ABC.

* SanitySlippage: Lord Capulet believes himself haunted by Juliet's ghost, [[spoiler:after he murders his cathedral's architect.]]

* DueToTheDead: Averted. [[spoiler:Someone desecrates Romeo's corpse and writes "Death to All Montague" on the wall nearby]].

The series tells the story of what happened after the famous play's ending. Rosaline (Lashana Lynch), the woman who rejected Romeo before he met [[RelatedInTheAdaptation her cousin]] Juliet and Benvolio (Wade Briggs) are forcibly bethrothed by Prince Escalus (Sterling Sulieman) in an effort to put an end to the rivalry between the Montagues and the Capulets. The two both set out to find a way to end the violence without having to go through with their undesired union.

* TheChainsOfCommanding: Prince Escalus feels these keenly. He's a young ruler who has to keep the peace in Verona between two warring families, and is constantly struggling between his duties to the city and his love for Rosaline.

* AdaptationExpansion: In this version of the story, Lord Montague secretly encouraged Romeo and Juliet's relationship and asked Friar Laurence to perform the wedding. He had hoped this would give the Montagues the upper hand, uniting both houses under his name, but that plan went up in smoke when they died.

* ShoutOut: To [[TheTamingoftheShrew another of Shakespeare's well known works]] when Lord Montague is criticizing Benvolio for breaking his engagement to "Minnola's Daughter".

* SparedByTheAdaptation: [[spoiler: Prince Paris survives his duel with Romeo on Juliet’s tomb.]]

* WeUsedToBeFriend: Rosaline and Isabella were friends as children but have since become estranged.

* ShoutOut: To [[TheTamingoftheShrew another of Shakespeare's well known works]] when Lord Montague is criticizing Benvolio for breaking his engagement to "Minnola's Daughter"

* OldMoney: The Capulets have been rich and noble for centuries, and they view the Montagues as NouveauRiche.

* SelfMadeMan: According to Lord Capulet, the Montagues' grandfather started off as nothing more than a shepherd who managed to make himself one of the two richest, most powerful men in Verona.

* StarCrossedLovers: Romeo & Juliet obviously, but also Rosaline and Prince Escalus, who love each other but cannot be together due to extenuating circumstances (i.e, Rosaline losing her nobility by being made a servant, and Escalus' father forbidding the romance since it would upset the BalanceOfPower between the Capulets and Montagues).