Ripper Street: Season 1
User Score
7.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 28 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 28
  3. Negative: 2 out of 28

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  1. JennetP
    Jan 22, 2013
    10
    We Americans love the BBC's historical dramas, and we love their detective shows, and "Ripper Street" gives us BOTH! Plus Matthew Macfayden, master of the ethical giant with zero sanctimony (Prior Phillip in "Pillars of the Earth," e.g.), brooding brawler Jerome Flynn, currently tearing up "Game of Thrones," and sexy American Adam Rothenberg, new to me but already a favorite. The women seem a bit less compelling, though Lucy Cohu, who has a recurring role as the governess of a Jewish orphanage, is wonderful, clear-eyed about the evil world she inhabits but profoundly loving, saved from cynicism by a single tenet of the religion she has lost: save one, save the world. The show's premise, that the shadow of the Ripper falls on every subsequent case, is an interesting one; as a resident of Ted Bundyland, I think it's about time a series had something intelligent to say about the western fascination with serial killers, rather than just pandering to it (Kevin Bacon, are you listening?). The show's writing and direction are unusually muscular, without sacrificing complexity, but I have to give top honors to the set designers, who convey a profound sense of the squalor of 19th-century Whitechapel. Not since "The Libertine," has anyone done dirt so well. Frankly, I'm a little surprised at the muted applause here; I think the series deserves an ovation.… Expand
  2. hery
    Jan 28, 2013
    10
    An intriguing premise and a rich period setting that is not fawned over in place of a real and compelling script. Mcfayden and the cast are well placed in this engrossing series.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
72 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. Kansas City Star
    Reviewed by: Sara Smith
    Feb 1, 2013
    80
    Ripper Street was clever enough not to hang its hat on the over-examined killings of the five Ripper victims, and clever fans of police procedurals will relish spending eight hours with cops who have to invent the crime-solving tools at their disposal.
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  2. Zap2it (Inside the Box)
    Reviewed by: Laurel Brown
    Jan 22, 2013
    80
    It all works. Although Ripper Street does move at the slow pace characteristic of most British dramas, every scene and every line has meaning.
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  3. Boston Herald
    Reviewed by: Mark A. Perigard
    Jan 22, 2013
    58
    The overarching premise of the 15-episode season cracks and crumbles under the slightest scrutiny.
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