The Forsytes
PBS | Release Date: March 22, 2026
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
59
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 9 Critic Reviews
Positive:
4
Mixed:
5
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
VarietyAramide TinubuMar 24, 2026
Season 1 Review: While all the characters have compelling storylines, the women, who can only express their desires through their attachment to men, are the most compelling. Read full review
80
DeciderMeghan O'KeefeMar 23, 2026
Season 1 Review: The Forsytes might be a little bit more sudsy than classic takes on the Saga, but it’s still incredibly well-acted and gorgeous to behold. Read full review
63
NewsdayVerne GayMar 18, 2026
Season 1 Review: Will this be your next "Downton Abbey?" Probably not, but it could be your next "Poldark." Nothing wrong with that. Read full review
62
Pittsburgh Tribune-ReviewRob OwenMar 17, 2026
Season 1 Review: If “Downton” and “Gilded Age” offer a smooth blend of melodrama and lighter moments, “Forsytes” is choppier. It takes itself and its characters with utmost seriousness – until it doesn’t midway through episode three. Read full review
60
The TelegraphAnita Singh Oct 21, 2025
Season 1 Review: Sometimes it’s nice to settle down in front of something gloriously hammy that requires no brain power. The script, from Debbie Horsfield (Poldark, Cutting It), is almost painfully simple. There is absolutely no danger of you not following the plot. Just admire the hairdos and make this your new guilty pleasure. Read full review
60
The TimesCarol MidgleyOct 21, 2025
Season 1 Review: It was hard to tell from the first episode whether this version will be a binger, because it went very heavy with the exposition stick. .... But it is all warming up nicely. Read full review
58
IndieWireSarah ShachatMar 23, 2026
Season 1 Review: If nothing else, these first six hours will provide a lot of emotional context for what comes next. But one would’ve hoped that a story about the Forsyte family would’ve been more efficient about it. Read full review
40
New York Magazine (Vulture)Kathryn VanArendonkMar 24, 2026
Season 1 Review: The Soames/Irene story remains the best thing about this new adaptation. .... But this Forsytes can’t fully commit to throwing out the original plot and remaking it as a Downton wannabe, even though that might have made for a better, more coherent series. Read full review
40
iGerard GilbertOct 21, 2025
Season 1 Review: The Forsytes is about as subtle as a migraine. However, if this ruthlessly efficient scene-setter hasn’t insulted your intelligence, it may dig its soapy hooks into you. Or it might just tempt you to look at Galsworthy’s source novels to discover why this saga won him the Nobel Prize for Literature. Read full review
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