Last Tango in Halifax
PBS | BBC | BBC One | Release Date: November 20, 2012
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
77
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Los Angeles TimesMary McNamaraSep 9, 2013
Season 1 Review: It is the best new show of the fall. It's a rapturous mix of absurdly fairy-tale-romance and frantic modern complications, set in the picturesque drear of Yorkshire and brought to life by masterfully shaded performances. Read full review
89
Paste MagazineAllison KeeneSep 18, 2020
Season 5 Review: It’s all of the little moments with these characters that really make these stories come alive, like how John is always wincing weakly through scenes, as Gillian frets over money one minute and can’t help but have her head turned by a hot young builder in the next. Sarah Lancashire is again extraordinary as Caroline. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalDorothy RabinowitzJun 27, 2014
Season 2 Review: It seems impossible to say enough for the unfailing wit and nuance of Sally Wainwright's script, or for the skill that shaped this mix of family melodrama and romantic comedy into the marvelous brew it is. Read full review
80
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob OwenSep 9, 2013
Season 1 Review: A charming comedy-drama about finding new love late in life and all the complications that come with any coupling. Read full review
80
Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen GraySep 6, 2013
Season 1 Review: It says something about how unpatronizingly Last Tango treats its lovers that I wondered more than once during the six-episode first season (another's been ordered in Britain) if these two even belonged together. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalDorothy RabinowitzSep 6, 2013
Season 1 Review: A high-hearted script awash in flinty wit and two extraordinary performances. Read full review
80
Denver PostJoanne OstrowSep 5, 2013
Season 1 Review: Last Tango in Halifax is an absorbing, sometimes surprising tale of late-in-life romance marked by stunning performances. Read full review
80
VarietyBrian LowrySep 5, 2013
Season 1 Review: An enchanting six-part series about lost love, missed opportunities and second chances. Read full review
75
People WeeklyTom GliattoSep 5, 2013
Season 1 Review: A lot of momentum is lost having the lovers live 60 miles apart.... But the tender wrap-up will leave the waterworks flushed and refreshed. [9 Sep 2013, p.42]
75
San Francisco ChronicleDavid WiegandSep 5, 2013
Season 1 Review: Television simply doesn't get warmer or fuzzier than Last Tango in Halifax, but the reason the six-part series works so well is that its sweetness is not unalloyed. Read full review
70
VarietyBrian LowryJun 26, 2015
Season 3 Review: Last Tango returns for its third season, having drifted somewhat from the spark that initially made the show so bracing, becoming a more conventional family soap, albeit still with wonderful moments. Read full review
70
VarietyBrian LowryJun 27, 2014
Season 2 Review: When it’s the two leads, the effect is utterly charming. But the circumstances that set all this in motion, while relegated to the background, tend to occasionally get in the way. Read full review
60
Philadelphia InquirerTirdad DerakhshaniJun 29, 2014
Season 2 Review: Jacobi and Reid are brilliant, but the show... has lost its novelty. Read full review
60
The New York TimesMike HaleSep 6, 2013
Season 1 Review: It’s treacle, but it’s distinguished by several things, beginning with its relatively dry style and careful modulation of tone and volume--even the shouting and the car chases are discreetly tasteful. Read full review
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