Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
BBC America | Release Date: May 17, 2015
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
73
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
5
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Philadelphia InquirerTirdad DerakhshaniJun 15, 2015
Season 1 Review: Endlessly fascinating and driven by special effects every bit as sophisticated and powerful as the writing and characterization, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is a classic. Read full review
100
San Francisco ChronicleDavid WiegandJun 12, 2015
Season 1 Review: Every performance is a winner, from Marsan’s mousey Norrell, to Carvel’s brash Jonathan, to Englert’s increasingly mad and self-destructive Lady Pole. Read full review
91
The A.V. ClubGenevieve ValentineJul 27, 2015
Season 1 Review: Skillfully directed, impeccably designed, and brilliantly cast, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is as charming, and as dark, as it could ever hope to be. Read full review
91
Newark Star-LedgerVicki HymanJun 12, 2015
Season 1 Review: It's not everyone's cup of oolong, but it is an idiosyncratic tale bracingly told, generously whimsical but embellished with malevolence. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyJeff JensenJun 11, 2015
Season 1 Review: While short of magical, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is nonetheless an enjoyable enchantment. Read full review
80
SlateDan KoisJun 18, 2015
Season 1 Review: Carvel and especially Marsan give such invigorating performances, and play against each other so beautifully, that they breathe life into a friendship that in the book could feel, at times, a bit schematic. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesMary McNamaraJun 12, 2015
Season 1 Review: Infused with the considerable talents of Bertie Carvel and especially Eddie Marsan in the title roles, Peter Harness' adaptation is, like the book, a deft combination of Dickensian satire, Austenian wit and Gothic anxiety. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalJohn AndersonJun 11, 2015
Season 1 Review: Darkly wondrous. Read full review
80
TimeJames PoniewozikJun 11, 2015
Season 1 Review: Smart fun from the start, managing impressive spectacle even if it doesn’t have the visual firepower of the most epic Thrones episodes. Read full review
70
Yahoo TVKen TuckerJun 15, 2015
Season 1 Review: Carefully crafted and respectful of its source material. Read full review
70
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob OwenJun 12, 2015
Season 1 Review: The program features a mix of tones that don’t always sit together comfortably, but taken as a whole this unusual period drama entertains as it winds its way to introduce its lead characters in the premiere episode. Read full review
60
The New York TimesMike HaleJun 10, 2015
Season 1 Review: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is great to look at. It moves along at a gallop, and it’s not boring, even if it’s not exactly engaging either. Most important, it has appealing performances by Bertie Carvel as Strange and particularly by Eddie Marsan as the crabbed and proud Norrell. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeMatthew GilbertJun 12, 2015
Season 1 Review: The problem with the miniseries, written by Peter Harness and directed by Toby Haynes, is its lack of emotional potency, at least in the first two episodes. At moments, the amazingly constructed magical set pieces threaten to overwhelm both the fine points of the plot and the wonderful performances. Read full review
50
Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen GrayJun 12, 2015
Season 1 Review: A miniseries premiering tomorrow that occasionally escapes its period-drama trappings to astonish us with an illusion or two. Read full review
50
Las Vegas WeeklyJosh BellJun 11, 2015
Season 1 Review: As a TV show, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is mildly entertaining, and genre fans who aren’t familiar with the book might find parts of it enjoyable. But for all its flash, it’s missing an essential ingredient--magic. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterKeith UhlichJun 11, 2015
Season 1 Review: Devotees of Clarke’s book may get some pleasure out of seeing this world replicated, if only as a husk, onscreen. But fan service only goes so far. Read full review
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