Picnic at Hanging Rock

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Season 1
Metascore
62

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 15
  3. Negative: 1 out of 15
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Critic Reviews

  1. Boston Herald
    Reviewed by: Mark A. Perigard
    May 24, 2018
    83
    Picnic at Hanging Rock is lush, gorgeous, Gothic and at times plotted tighter than a corset.
  2. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: Matt Zoller Seitz
    May 29, 2018
    80
    Picnic at Hanging Rock is the sapphic, David Lynch-influenced mystery-thriller that you didn’t know you needed.
  3. The Atlantic
    Reviewed by: Sophie Gilbert
    May 29, 2018
    80
    The mystical elements of Lindsay’s book remain, but Mrs. Appleyard’s more detailed biography adds more tangible, flesh-and-blood danger to the mix. ... The question in the series becomes less about how the girls disappeared than why. Whether they’re vaporized by a shift in the magnetic field, transformed into animals, or something more mundane, their vanishing feels deliberate--a way to reject their prescribed futures for a different, freer path.
  5. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: John Anderson
    May 24, 2018
    80
    The new version is far more satisfying, albeit in a far more conventional fashion.
  6. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Matthew Gilbert
    May 23, 2018
    80
    Dormer is the best thing about Picnic at Hanging Rock, which was also an indelible 1975 Australian movie by Peter Weir. But she’s not the only worthwhile aspect of the miniseries, even if the story may be a bit overextended at six hours.
  7. Variety
    Reviewed by: Pilot Viruet
    Apr 30, 2018
    80
    The base premise is familiar to fans of crime series, but this is no ordinary drama; it’s eerie and haunting. It’s less dreamy (a quality frequently ascribed to the film) and more of a nightmare that you’ll be eager to dive into.
  8. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: David Rooney
    Apr 26, 2018
    80
    This new Picnic has the expensive trappings of a prestige project, but it also isn't afraid to embrace a wild, salacious, even trashy (in a good way) side that spices up the entertainment.
  9. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Allison Shoemaker
    May 25, 2018
    67
    It’s a lot, but it’s the right kind of a lot, and like Dormer’s performance, these choices skirt right up to the line of the ridiculous without ever crossing over. Had the writers and directors of this series been better at walking that line, Picnic At Hanging Rock might be more than a decent series with rich production values and a performance that blows the doors down.

Awards & Rankings

43
#43 Most Shared TV Season of 2018

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
5.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 20 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 20
  3. Negative: 4 out of 20
  1. brohug
    Jun 24, 2018
    4
    Nope. If you're going to take on an important novel and arguably the seminal film of the Australian New Wave, you better show up andNope. If you're going to take on an important novel and arguably the seminal film of the Australian New Wave, you better show up and represent. This series is an unwieldy mess. There are so many flashbacks it was literally difficult to figure out which time frame (pre, during, post picnic) you are watching. The actors are fine but also unremarkable. However, the plethora of characters get a fair amount of dialog and screen time, but very little of it helps move the plot along in any sort of compelling direction.

    The reality is that the correct visual medium of this story is as a film. And good luck besting one of the great directors (Australian or otherwise) in Peter Weir. Too much of this series is dull filler. The fascinating and haunting conceit of the story is that these young girls disappear into the mysterious and ancient Australian wilderness in the age of Victorian repression, sexual and otherwise. Their awakening from the picnic nap and disappearance is a metaphor for a seduction and a loss of innocence. Just leave it at that.

    Also, I can't help but notice from some of the language in the crtitics' reviews that there is a lingering perception that the Joan Lindsay novel is a fictional retelling of real events from Valentine's Day 1900 in Victoria. It most surely is not. Didn't happen. The author cleverly submerges fictional newspaper accounts to draw the reader in.    … Full Review »
  2. echorley
    Jul 26, 2018
    2
    Beautiful costumes and settings, talented cast and a great novel - this adaptation should be a must see, but the episodes are like watchingBeautiful costumes and settings, talented cast and a great novel - this adaptation should be a must see, but the episodes are like watching paint dry. I found myself pushing fast forward to see if anything interesting would happen.… Full Review »
  3. jgzeger
    Jul 21, 2018
    7
    It was hard for me to decide on a score for this mini-series. It certainly is beautiful to watch with gorgeous sets and costumes and greatIt was hard for me to decide on a score for this mini-series. It certainly is beautiful to watch with gorgeous sets and costumes and great cinematography. However, the story is too drawn out over six episodes and thus dilutes the dramatic impact that was so well-achieved in the Peter Weir movie. Consequently, I decided on a 7. It is worth seeing if only for the visuals.… Full Review »
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