• Network: BritBox
  • Series Premiere Date: Sep 4, 2025
Metascore
59

Mixed or average reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 9
  2. Negative: 0 out of 9

Critic Reviews

  1. Reviewed by: Ben Dowell
    Jan 6, 2026
    60
    It gets motoring in later episodes. And while no one asked for the modern-day return of detective Beau Brummell, it’s worth a look. If only as another pleasantly inoffensive pebble on the shoreline of the contemporary TV seascape.
  2. Reviewed by: Lucy Mangan
    Jan 5, 2026
    60
    Everything, in short, is as it should be – for fans of the books, for fans of the old series and for fans of undemanding telly. Deo gratias.
  3. Reviewed by: Jon O'Brien
    Jan 5, 2026
    60
    While it occasionally touches upon adult themes, there’s still a familiar cosiness which suggests it should be occupying Call the Midwife’s pre-watershed Sunday evening slot instead. .... But its refreshingly straight-forward storytelling and abundance of old-school charm should help reel in both a new generation and those who vaguely remember the original.
  4. Reviewed by: El Kuiper
    Sep 4, 2025
    60
    On the whole, Lynley is a solid enough addition to the vast canon of British detective dramas, featuring good performances and several intriguing twists. It doesn't bring anything wholly new to the table, though, which makes it all too easy to compare this version of Lynley to everything that's come before.
  5. Reviewed by: Nick Hilton
    Jan 14, 2026
    40
    There would be something reassuring about this throwback, if it were better executed. Instead, the eye is drawn constantly to the limitations: the performances, the writing, the convoluted mysteries.
  6. Reviewed by: Anita Singh
    Jan 5, 2026
    40
    Lynley (BBC One) is a bland but serviceable detective drama if you come to it with no expectations.