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Marcella

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 7 Critic Reviews

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65

USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Ratings

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6.5

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6.5	Your Score
6.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Ratings

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Marcella

Now Playing: Marcella

Marcella

Series Details & Credits

ITV1 | ITV | Netflix | Release Date: July 1, 2016

Summary: Originally aired on ITV, the first English-language series from The Bridge creator Hans Rosenfeldt finds former Detective Sergeant Marcella Backland (Anna Friel) still reeling from her husband leaving her when one of her unsolved murder cases is reopened and she is drawn back into active duty.

Genre(s): Drama, Action & Adventure, Suspense

Recent Episodes

tbd
S3:E8. Episode 8
Air Date: March 2, 2021
tbd
S3:E7. Episode #3.7
Air Date: June 14, 2020
tbd
S3:E6. Episode #3.6
Air Date: June 14, 2020

See all Seasons and Episodes

Metascore

65

Positive:

3

Mixed:

4

Negative:

0

Critic Reviews

83

The A.V. Club

Molly Eichel

Jun 29, 2016

Season 1 Review: There’s an artfulness to Rosenfeldt’s killers, and that’s what makes his stories compelling, even if they’re ridiculously improbable. Seeing how Rosenfeldt can keep everything moving cohesively is almost as much fun as the story itself. Read full review

80

i Emily Baker

Dec 3, 2021

Season 3 Review: Plenty of storylines were set up, each with the potential to take the thriller in surprising directions. For all of its confusion, it’s those endless possibilities that keep us coming back. Read full review

75

Entertainment Weekly

Dalene Ravenstine

Jun 27, 2016

Season 1 Review: Friel's winning performance keeps each scene feeling fresh. [1 Jul 2016]

60

Yahoo TV

Ken Tucker

Jul 6, 2016

Season 1 Review: Marcella starts off well, but pretty soon its pace is impeded by a number of subplots and the abrupt introductions of characters whose role in the overall plot is either unclear or irrelevant. The series has a familiar enough cop-show structure, so if you like Friel’s performance, you’ll be carried pretty far along into the season. Read full review

40

The New York Times

Mike Hale

Jun 30, 2016

Season 1 Review: Marcella is portrayed as both an excellent detective and a basket case in a way that doesn’t add up (despite the past traumas that are introduced as explanations), and her blackouts feel like plot devices, there just to keep things mysterious. After the season finale, you may find yourself just as much in the dark as Marcella. Read full review

40

The Telegraph Michael Hogan

Dec 6, 2021

Season 3 Review: A double dose of Marcella was so unremittingly gritty that it became gruelling to watch. A bickering, dysfunctional crime family is a well-worn trope. Equally clichéd is the notion of an undercover officer getting in too deep. However, the main offence worthy of investigation here is this substandard series being such a criminal waste of a strong leading actress. Read full review

40

The Guardian Rebecca Nicholson

Dec 6, 2021

Season 3 Review: It all seems a little done, which is a strange flaw for a series about a violent amnesiac detective who is supposed to be dead. Of all the shows that might suffer from a sense that you have seen it before, Marcella, surely, should be one of the less likely candidates. Read full review

Write a Review

6.5

Negative:

0

User Reviews

7

keanurevees

Mar 16, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. SEASON 1 REVIEW: Marcella starts off strong and interesting. Sure, the character is one we've seen many times before, but Anna Friel brings something unique to Marcella that makes you invested in her. However, I feel like the more the season progressed, the worse it got and started to drag on because it spent more time on subplots than on our main character.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

6

jeremyp

Jun 20, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Season 1 and Season 2 were worth watching, Season 3 is a disaster. Hard to believe the "Bridge" folks would jump the shark like this. All the characters are over drawn,it's raining sociopaths, well except for Amanda Burton who does a good tightly contained Psycho mom. Sending someone as unstable as Marcella undercover just doesn't make sense. The fact that she does her delusional mania when no-one is around is ludicrous. And what happened to the blackouts she had in season 1/2? It's loaded with RUFKM moments.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

5

DrollPony

May 27, 2019

The whole thing seemed too familiar.

A protagonist who is a lone wolf, with authority issues and personal problems. Prone to excessive risk-taking and getting personally involved in the cases. Is always right even though nobody (since everyone else is incompetent) believes her at first.The whole thing seemed too familiar.

A protagonist who is a lone wolf, with authority issues and personal problems. Prone to excessive risk-taking and getting personally involved in the cases. Is always right even though nobody (since everyone else is incompetent) believes her at first. It's all a little tired.

The series was stocked with great actors doing their best with what they're given, especially Friel in the lead. The just could have been given more.

There's a lot of outlandish twists and turns, and it's slightly iffy that they're using Marcella's mental problem a bit like a gimmicky plot device. However, this could have been an enjoyable murder mystery romp, had their chosen the right tone - not so dark and slow- and had their streamlined it of all the unnecessary side characters and plots. Why isn't anything 3 neat episodes anymore?… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

5

LuthorBraxton

Apr 26, 2020

the story is not good enough.a scenario full of nonsense.The part of about murders are excellent but the main character is overrated.She can do whatever she wants and what she does has no consequences.Also everyone in this show is useless but the main character.Except for all of these thisthe story is not good enough.a scenario full of nonsense.The part of about murders are excellent but the main character is overrated.She can do whatever she wants and what she does has no consequences.Also everyone in this show is useless but the main character.Except for all of these this show is great.For example Marcella's mental problem is well processed… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

4

shorewalker

Apr 26, 2023

This is a show about foreboding and trauma. That is probably why the title character does so many bizarre things; the foreboding would get old quickly without traumatic pay-offs. She is obviously dealing with the sort of mental distress that would rule her out of active-duty policing, butThis is a show about foreboding and trauma. That is probably why the title character does so many bizarre things; the foreboding would get old quickly without traumatic pay-offs. She is obviously dealing with the sort of mental distress that would rule her out of active-duty policing, but her superiors exist mainly to briefly question her behaviour and then excuse it, so that the next bad thing can start to be foreboded.
You'll see foreboding cinematography in dimly-lit sets. You'll hear foreboding music and after that a great deal of screaming, much of it from the title character. What you won't hear is much of the dialogue, which has been badly recorded. It's not a big problem though, because little that is said matters very much. It's a sort of modern art installation, not a drama.
Anna Friel has a very nice line in anguish, but it would be nice to see her also exhibit characteristics that would make people credibly think of her as a talented police officer. This isn't that kind of show, though.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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Seasons & Episodes

65

Series Overview
Season 3

tbd
- Season 3 Overview
  Air Date: January 26, 2021
- tbd
  S3:E8. Episode 8
  Air Date: March 2, 2021
- tbd
  S3:E7. Episode #3.7
  Air Date: June 14, 2020
- tbd
  S3:E6. Episode #3.6
  Air Date: June 14, 2020
- tbd
  S3:E5. Episode #3.5
  Air Date: June 14, 2020
- tbd
  S3:E4. Episode #3.4
  Air Date: June 14, 2020
- tbd
  S3:E3. Episode #3.3
  Air Date: June 14, 2020
- tbd
  S3:E2. Episode 2
  Air Date: January 26, 2021
- tbd
  S3:E1. Episode #3.1
  Air Date: June 14, 2020
Season 2

tbd
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: February 19, 2018
Season 1

65
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: July 1, 2016