Bodyguard: Season 1

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 12 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 153 Ratings

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7.2

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7.2	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 153 Ratings

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Bodyguard

Now Playing: Bodyguard

Season Details & Credits

Netflix | BB1 | Season Premiere Date: August 26, 2018

Summary: War-veteran-turned-police Sergeant David Budd (Richard Madden) is promoted to the protection detail for controversial conservative Home Secretary Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes) in this drama series created by Jed Mercurio.

Creator: Jed Mercurio

Genre(s): Drama, Suspense, Documentary

Season 1 Episodes

tbd
S1:E6. Episode #1.6
Air Date: August 26, 2018
tbd
S1:E5. Episode #1.1
Air Date: August 26, 2018
tbd
S1:E4. Episode #1.1
Air Date: August 26, 2018

See all Seasons and Episodes

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

Leah Greenblatt

Oct 15, 2018

Bodyguard might be [creator Jed Mercurio's] Homeland. ... From its opening sequence, a breathless 20-minute set piece on a passenger train, it's clear that no loyalty will go untested or plot untwisted. [19/26 Oct 2018, p.91]

Daniel D'Addario

Oct 10, 2018

This show excels at both the daring, gasp-inducing twist and the methodical construction of slower-burning thrills. The finale, for instance, features a lengthy sequence of almost physically painful tension, a bravura bit of television that could only exist on a show in which we’ve been primed to understand that truly anything can happen. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Matt Roush

Oct 11, 2018

The story takes wild, violent leaps amid myriad conspiracies, leading to a crazy, nail-biting climax that is both preposterous and wholly satisfying. Some binges feel like a slog. Bodyguard is more of a race, well worth the run. [15-28 Oct 2018, p.9]

Robert Lloyd

Oct 19, 2018

Some elements of the series struck me as odd, including what seems an endorsement of the surveillance state, and certain climactic revelations had me talking to the screen. But the action is well mounted and the tension tightly wound; it uncoils, when it does, with a satisfying snap. Read full review

Jen Chaney

Oct 24, 2018

The plot is determined to make us change our minds about who could be a mole every ten minutes. Muslim characters are pigeonholed as potential terrorists, although that’s a trope that Bodyguard tries to subvert with a modest amount of success. And yet, even on those occasions when it lands exactly where you think it’s headed, it still threads a compelling enough needle to keep its audience hooked. Read full review

Collider Allison Keene

Oct 23, 2018

There are several things that work really well in the series’ final episode, and could leave the door open for another season, and other revelations that feel like a bit of a letdown. But ultimately, Bodyguard is an exhilarating ride that truly showcases Madden as a major talent. Read full review

Mike Hale

Oct 23, 2018

Madden doesn’t do enough to distract us when Mercurio’s plot twists veer from reality or his characters refuse to act like rational humans. In Bodyguard, Mercurio’s breakneck story feels, at every moment, both carefully constructed and made up on the spot. ... It can also be a blast, if you’re all about the mystery and the forward momentum and your requirements for plausibility and psychological realism aren’t high. Read full review

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User Score

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7.2

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User Reviews

imthenoob

Nov 29, 2018

Madden does such a fantastic job as the lead in this show and is the real highlight of it. This show is definitely gonna be his platform to become an even bigger star than he already is. As for the show, It reminds me a bit of Homeland but it's shorter and more to the point, There's a lotMadden does such a fantastic job as the lead in this show and is the real highlight of it. This show is definitely gonna be his platform to become an even bigger star than he already is. As for the show, It reminds me a bit of Homeland but it's shorter and more to the point, There's a lot less filler and sub-plots and that is a major plus. And there's plenty of action and suspense to keep you on edge while the well-written story plays out. What I like most is that it grips you from the first episode and keeps you invested until the very end and they don't do some cheap cop out with the ending either, It's satisfying and wraps everything up.… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

chidime

Oct 27, 2018

Really good show. And interesting too. Lots of twists and turns, and to top it all off, a deep conspiracy. Very good acting here from pretty much the entire cast. Only potential criticism is that the show is a bit dry and down-to-earth, but that's what makes the story flow. 9/10

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

sgtfalcon

Jan 12, 2019

This is a must see. Good acting, good writing, action, and some plot twists.

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

LamontRaymond

Nov 13, 2018

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. After two episodes, I'm really enjoying the series. However, I'm extremely disappointed that they wound up in bed together. I mean, how cliched can we get? Didn't seem to need that.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

shoulderoforion

Oct 24, 2018

This show should have been so much better, it started off really strong & interesting, but by the 3rd episode you start getting the feeling that the awesome buildup is kinda petering off, that the protagonists motivations start becoming muddled, and purposefully made difficult to determine,This show should have been so much better, it started off really strong & interesting, but by the 3rd episode you start getting the feeling that the awesome buildup is kinda petering off, that the protagonists motivations start becoming muddled, and purposefully made difficult to determine, the narrative begins hanging on red herrings, and from there it breaks down into just another cop/terrorist/government procedural you've seen before. So much promise, squandered.… Expand

11 of 13 users found this helpful112

juliansa

Mar 16, 2019

Really entertaining right up to the last episode so went not so great, a shame.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

portmanteau

Oct 25, 2018

As a Brit, utterly confused by this show and its popularity. It's not a patch on Mercurio's Earlier work with Line Of Duty being uniformly excellent. It goes from po-faced to farcical, with frustratingly stupid character arcs and daft situations. It's like Homeland season one, without anyAs a Brit, utterly confused by this show and its popularity. It's not a patch on Mercurio's Earlier work with Line Of Duty being uniformly excellent. It goes from po-faced to farcical, with frustratingly stupid character arcs and daft situations. It's like Homeland season one, without any genuine drama.… Expand

13 of 19 users found this helpful136

SEE ALL 19 REVIEWS

Seasons & Episodes

79

Series Overview
Season 1

79
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: August 26, 2018
- tbd
  S1:E6. Episode #1.6
  Air Date: August 26, 2018
- tbd
  S1:E5. Episode #1.1
  Air Date: August 26, 2018
- tbd
  S1:E4. Episode #1.1
  Air Date: August 26, 2018
- tbd
  S1:E3. Episode #1.1
  Air Date: August 26, 2018
- tbd
  S1:E1. Episode #1.1
  Air Date: August 26, 2018