Netflix has set November 12 for the third and final season of The Empress. The new episodes will follow Elisabeth and Franz after a war that leaves their marriage in trouble.
Season 3 premieres worldwide on Netflix on November 12, 2026. The first two seasons are already on the service. Netflix has described the third as the end of the series, not another step toward a fourth season.
Why Elisabeth and Franz are separated
Philip Froissant returns as Emperor Franz, who comes home from war deeply shaken. Devrim Lingnau Islamoğlu returns as Elisabeth. She tries to support him, but his affair and her worsening health add to the pressure she already faces at court.
Elisabeth leaves Vienna to recover. During that journey, she meets Count Andrássy, played by Dejan Bućin. Netflix says their connection could change both her life and the future of the Habsburg family. The story also follows Franz’s brother Maximilian and his wife Marie as they travel to Mexico.
Who is returning for the final season?
Lingnau Islamoğlu and Froissant lead the cast as Elisabeth and Franz. Melika Foroutan is also returning. Netflix names Johannes Nussbaum as Maximilian, Josephine Thiesen as Marie, and Bućin as Andrássy in its latest announcement.
Katharina Eyssen returns as showrunner. Florian Cossen and Julia Langhof direct the final season, which was filmed in Bavaria, the Czech Republic, and Spain. The series already has two seasons on Netflix; the November date is for the new episodes.
