• Network: Netflix
  • Series Premiere Date: Feb 27, 2025
Metascore
82

Universal acclaim - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8

Critic Reviews

  1. Reviewed by: Emily Baker
    Feb 26, 2025
    100
    Whittaker is astonishing as Susan. .... Knowing the facts of the case still doesn’t undo any of Thorne’s expertly crafted suspense, and my heart was in my throat up until the last minute. Watching Toxic Town should be compulsory.
  2. Reviewed by: Barbara Ellen
    Mar 3, 2025
    80
    Concerns aside, Toxic Town emerges as a complex, devastating story told with heart. Respect for its subjects pours from the screen.
  3. Reviewed by: Jack Seale
    Feb 26, 2025
    80
    The occasional cheesiness of Toxic Town doesn’t matter, especially when the writer, Jack Thorne, is so careful to mine this dire situation for nuggets of precious humanity.
  4. Reviewed by: Nick Hilton
    Feb 26, 2025
    80
    The result here is unexpectedly uplifting. Toxic Town's winning, underdog spirit brightens a universal tale, a final salvo in the fight to be heard.
  5. Reviewed by: Anita Singh
    Feb 26, 2025
    80
    It’s very watchable and, in the mould of Mr Bates vs the Post Office, highlights a scandal which failed to imprint itself on the public consciousness.
  6. Reviewed by: Carol Midgley
    Feb 26, 2025
    80
    This is a David versus Goliath story that shows how parents were gaslighted even when their children were suffering pain from repeated operations. Yet they still triumphed. But it remains entirely British in flavour and never resorts to corniness.
  7. Reviewed by: Nandini Balial
    Feb 28, 2025
    75
    All in all, “Toxic Town” makes for a harrowing watch, and the fact that the mothers won £14.6 million in compensation after almost ten years of anxiety, rage, and sorrow is reason enough to watch.
  8. Reviewed by: Nick Bythrow
    Aug 28, 2025
    70
    Aside from this pacing issue in the show's first half, Toxic Town presents an important story in a serviceable way, with a focus on mothers who fought for their children. This includes strong performances from everyone involved, coupled with important aspects of the real case being presented alongside the dramatized moments.