The Responder
BritBox | Release Date: May 24, 2022
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
88
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The TelegraphAnita Singh May 6, 2024
Season 2 Review: Series two is also superb, thanks to a combination of Martin Freeman in the best role of his career, and the writing of Tony Schumacher, whose previous life as a Liverpool response officer delivers a crucial sense of authenticity. The supporting cast is also uniformly excellent. Read full review
100
The TimesCarol MidgleyMay 6, 2024
Season 2 Review: Returned with as much, if not more, swagger and some of the least predictable dialogue you will find in a cop show. Its trump card is never the plot (drugs, guns, hard-faced dealers — meh) but the characters and its darkly comical vignettes. Read full review
100
The GuardianLucy ManganMay 6, 2024
Season 2 Review: It’s another matchless piece, in other words. A triumph for all involved. Read full review
100
The TimesCarol MidgleyDec 2, 2022
Season 1 Review: Electrifying. ... A bleak but knockout piece of drama, which shows that Freeman is an actor of extraordinary range. Read full review
100
The GuardianLucy ManganDec 2, 2022
Season 1 Review: An astoundingly tough, vigorous, sinewy thing without a wasted word or moment. Freeman – who must have fallen on it like a hungry dog – does every bit of it justice. ... The Responder is as fast and riveting as a thriller and as harrowing as a documentary. Read full review
100
Radio TimesDavid CraigDec 2, 2022
Season 1 Review: This is a phenomenal cast across the board, taking Schumacher's superb scripts and propelling them to even greater heights. Read full review
100
The TelegraphAnita Singh Dec 2, 2022
Season 1 Review: Freeman, though, absolutely bosses this role. ... It’s an accomplished script for a debut writer, with a plot that is never predictable. The supporting cast is uniformly good. Read full review
80
DeciderJoel KellerJul 12, 2024
Season 2 Review: The Responder continues to be a compelling watch, mainly because Martin Freeman is so good at barely containing Chris Carson’s rage. Read full review
80
iRachael SigeeMay 6, 2024
Season 2 Review: It is relentless and grim and that is arguably the point of such brutally honest storytelling. Read full review
80
DeciderJoel KellerDec 2, 2022
Season 1 Review: If the only reason why you watch The Responder is to see Martin Freeman barely hold it together, then it’s a pretty good reason to watch the show. The rest of the plot is incidental to a performance by Freeman that utilizes all of his copious ability to be the aggrieved everyman who’s ready to crack at any moment. Read full review
80
iEd PowerDec 2, 2022
Season 1 Review: Shot almost entirely after dark and populated with outcasts, losers and broken souls, The Responder could have been 60 minutes of misery. Instead, it was a reminder that Jed Mercurio doesn’t have a monopoly on crime drama that gets under your skin. Read full review
60
The IndependentNick HiltonMay 6, 2024
Season 2 Review: If you can stomach the darkness without falling victim to sympathetic dejection, then The Responder has plenty of qualities. Read full review
60
The IndependentSean O'GradyDec 2, 2022
Season 1 Review: The drama is very much dominated by Freeman, almost everyone else acting as mere feeders for his trademark mannerisms. That is, apart from the formidable Rita Tushingham in a cameo as his old mam. Read full review
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