Turn: Washington's Spies

It helps that the show is well-acted, and that everything from the fonts to the costumes to the camerawork are gorgeous. You may need a while to puzzle out what's happening on screen, but at least you can enjoy some lovely scenery.

It puts a fresh lens on events that shaped America, and in the process it spins a good yarn.

Bell, who started out as a child actor, has matured into a compelling leading man and he seems capable of conveying Abraham’s troubling journey into the underbelly of the war effort.

Bell is key, so plainly direct and unstudied that we see the past through his eyes. [14 Apr 2014, p.50]

By the end of the first episode, who’s who and what’s what have begun to sort themselves out, and Turn looks like a series that will be absorbing to follow for its characters, not just its action.

It may not be as intriguing as "Thrones" or as tense as FX's spy thriller "The Americans," but Turn--which touches on still-relevant topics like torture, homosexuality and politics--offers a fresh spin on the War of Independence.

Turn becomes more tense with each episode, at least through the first three, and that’s a very good sign.

Beneath these sometimes confusing layers lurks a promising show about a relatively unexplored chapter in U.S. military history.

Provocative ideas are hit upon-- torture, homosexuality, politics--and more inventive spy-game fun--Turn could keep us loyal to the cause of watching.

Once the ring gets going and the espionage kicks in, the story becomes clear and exciting. The battle scenes are disturbingly vivid, and most of the characters are interesting right off the bat.... But the premiere episode assumes that viewers are so familiar with the period and this more obscure chapter of history that the main characters’ allegiances, motives, and struggles will be clear from the outset. They are not.

Despite some stiffness (and a whole lot of words crammed into the characters’ mouths, hastily delivered in an array of accents) Turn succeeds in making the War of Independence seem like a vital and fresh saga.... But the show struggles to lay out its characters and conflicts in a way that feels instantly addictive.

This is a thoughtful, dutiful historic drama filled with all the requisite period details and British accents, too. But what's missing here, glaringly so, are passion and sweep .