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Bleak House: Season 1
  • Network: BBC-1 , BBC
  • Series Premiere Date: Oct 27, 2005
  • Season #: 1 , 2
Metascore
93 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 14 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
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  1. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: David Hinckley
    100
    Fabulous in every respect.
  2. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Dennis Moore
    100
    While a quintessential Masterpiece Theatre production, Bleak House doesn't indulge in the languid pacing and preciousness that weigh down some other PBS period pieces.
  3. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Gillian Flynn
    100
    Dark, textured, and lively--this is how Dickens is done. [20 Jan 2006, p.66]
    All this critic's reviews
  4. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Storm
    100
    The perfect marriage of television and literature.
  5. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Nancy DeWolf Smith
    100
    Perhaps the most glorious Masterpiece Theater of all time.
  6. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Matthew Gilbert
    100
    It's hard to know where to aim the praise first.
  7. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: John Leonard
    90
    Splendid television.
  8. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Joy Press
    90
    This spectacular six-part adaptation of the lit classic feels more like a plush Jane Austen tale than Dickens.
  9. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Alessandra Stanley
    90
    As pleasurable as its tale is grim.
  10. Time
    Reviewed by: James Poniewozik
    90
    This is law drama such as Boston Legal's David E. Kelley can only dream about.
  11. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    90
    The only bleak aspect to this miniseries is that it doesn't last forever.
    All this critic's reviews
  12. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Laurence Vittes
    90
    If there is any criticism to be made, it is that the opening half-hour plunges the unsuspecting viewer into an unfamiliar foreign world of soot and grime and foul deeds and motives. Once settled in, however, this is very addictive television, indeed.
  13. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Sid Smith
    80
    This "Bleak House" is sublimely bleak, as well as richly textured, superbly acted and intermittently funny. Fans of the epic adaptations that have long been the bread and butter of "Masterpiece Theatre" won't want to miss it.
  14. Variety
    Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    80
    Those who wade through the slow-going first three or four hours of this stately production will be richly rewarded by the engrossing final four.
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User Reviews

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User Score
9.6 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 40 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 30
  3. Negative: 1 out of 30
  1. JennetP
    10
    BH is my second-favorite Dickens novel, so I put off watching this miniseries for 5 years, lest it disappoint. I needn't have hesitated. No the adaptation is not completely faithful, but it captures the essentials: the range of characters (good, bad, and purely eccentric), the dynamic storytelling, the social critique (here focused on the legal AND class systems). And it does more. It's a fair criticism of Dickens that his characters, for all their quirky vitality, are a little one-dimensional. But great actors can enrich such characters, and this series has so many that I almost hate to single anyone out. Much has been made of Gillian Anderson, and she is indeed excellent, but, for me, the standout has to be Anna Maxwell Martin as the young orphan at the center of events. She could easily have been too good to be true; instead, she is admirably kind but also confused, wise, wry, and naive--in other words, profoundly human. But no one works in a vacuum, and it's obvious that the casting, script, and direction have all contributed to her performance, as have the other actors. The scene between Anderson and Martin on the Ghost Walk is a perfect example of two achieving more together than one could do alone.… Full Review »
  2. Panos
    10
    Superb production, excellent storyline and sturdy direction emphasize the outstanding performances of all actors and especially the formidable Gillian Anderson. It's a shame she didn't get a single award for her work.… Full Review »
  3. Brenda
    10
    Awesome show! I just wish I could have viewed it in one sitting instead of waiting for more each week. I am buying this on video! (and I only OWN one other film - LOTR-so I"m not into purchasing such things). LOVED IT!… Full Review »
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