Bleak House
BBC-1 | BBC | Release Date: October 27, 2005
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
93
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert
Season 1 Review: It's hard to know where to aim the praise first. Read full review
100
Entertainment WeeklyGillian Flynn
Season 1 Review: Dark, textured, and lively--this is how Dickens is done. [20 Jan 2006, p.66]
100
New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley
Season 1 Review: Fabulous in every respect. Read full review
100
USA TodayDennis Moore
Season 1 Review: While a quintessential Masterpiece Theatre production, Bleak House doesn't indulge in the languid pacing and preciousness that weigh down some other PBS period pieces. Read full review
100
Wall Street JournalNancy DeWolf Smith
Season 1 Review: Perhaps the most glorious Masterpiece Theater of all time. Read full review
100
Philadelphia InquirerJonathan Storm
Season 1 Review: The perfect marriage of television and literature. Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterLaurence Vittes
Season 1 Review: If there is any criticism to be made, it is that the opening half-hour plunges the unsuspecting viewer into an unfamiliar foreign world of soot and grime and foul deeds and motives. Once settled in, however, this is very addictive television, indeed. Read full review
90
New York Magazine (Vulture)John Leonard
Season 1 Review: Splendid television. Read full review
90
The New York TimesAlessandra Stanley
Season 1 Review: As pleasurable as its tale is grim. Read full review
90
TV Guide MagazineMatt Roush
Season 1 Review: The only bleak aspect to this miniseries is that it doesn't last forever.
90
Village VoiceJoy Press
Season 1 Review: This spectacular six-part adaptation of the lit classic feels more like a plush Jane Austen tale than Dickens. Read full review
90
TimeJames Poniewozik
Season 1 Review: This is law drama such as Boston Legal's David E. Kelley can only dream about. Read full review
80
Chicago TribuneSid Smith
Season 1 Review: This "Bleak House" is sublimely bleak, as well as richly textured, superbly acted and intermittently funny. Fans of the epic adaptations that have long been the bread and butter of "Masterpiece Theatre" won't want to miss it. Read full review
80
VarietyBrian Lowry
Season 1 Review: Those who wade through the slow-going first three or four hours of this stately production will be richly rewarded by the engrossing final four. Read full review
Current TV Shows
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 92 The Pitt: Season 2
2 90 The Celebrity Traitors UK: Season 1
3 87 Hacks: Season 5
4 87 Industry: Season 4
5 87 Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal:...
6 85 The Beatles Anthology
7 85 The Traitors [UK]: Season 4
8 85 Bait: Season 1
9 84 Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!
10 83 Lord of the Flies
11 83 Riot Women: Season 1
12 83 For All Mankind: Season 5
13 81 The Muppet Show (2026)
14 80 Outlander (2014): Season 8
15 80 The Other Bennet Sister: Season 1
16 80 The Mighty Nein: Season 1
17 80 The Comeback: Season 3
18 80 The American Revolution
19 80 One Piece (2023): Season 2
20 80 Dark Winds: Season 4
SEE ALL