X
  • HBO
  • Oct 18, 2020
  • HBO
  • Oct 18, 2020
Beartown

Summary An assault accusation against one of the players of a small town's junior ice-hockey team on its way to a national title nearly destroys the community in the Swedish-language drama based on Fredrik Backman's novel of the same name. [Premiered originally in several European countries on HBO España, Nordic, Portugal and HBO GO (Central ...

  • HBO
  • Oct 18, 2020
  • HBO
  • Oct 18, 2020
Beartown
Season 1
Season Premiere: Oct 18, 2020
Metascore Universal Acclaim Based on 7 Critic Reviews
82
User Score Generally Favorable Based on 14 User Ratings
6.1
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Summary An assault accusation against one of the players of a small town's junior ice-hockey team on its way to a national title nearly destroys the community in the Swedish-language drama based on Fredrik Backman's novel of the same name. [Premiered originally in several European countries on HBO España, Nordic, Portugal and HBO GO (Central ...

Season Episodes

View All Seasons
Episode 1 • Oct 18, 2020 • 1 h 1 m
Episode #1.1
Peter and his family return to Beartown to start a new life and rejuvenate the town's hockey team and future. But the team Peter is supposed to take over can't be saved and he turns his focus to Beartown's hard-training new star, a junior.
Episode 2 • Oct 18, 2020 • 58 m
Episode #1.2
Peter does everything he can to coach his juniors to a semi-final win. Facing pressure to perform, Kevin turns to the only person who expects nothing from him: Maya. Later, a celebration goes awry after a horrific act of violence occurs.
Episode 3 • Oct 25, 2020 • 57 m
Episode #1.3
The backlash from the semi-finals party hangs over Beartown like a fog, something happened, but Maya won't talk and Kevin trains harder than ever, to forget.
Episode 4 • Nov 1, 2020 • 50 m
Episode #1.4
Neither the star of the team, Kevin, nor their coach, Peter, come to the crucial final game and Beartown's future is on the line.
Episode 5 • Nov 8, 2020 • 1 h 2 m
Episode #1.5
Questions about what happened to Maya and who is guilty divide Peter's family and the town. Will the truth come out and will Peter's family find their way back to each other?

Top Cast

View All
View All Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 7 Critic Reviews
82
100% Positive
7 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 7 Critic Reviews
82
100% Positive
7 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
95
Feb 22, 2021
So, yes, Beartown works as an athletic drama, too. This ingredient and all others cohere seamlessly, and you’re left with a show that transcends noir even as it elevates it.
By Shane Ryan FULL REVIEW
80
Feb 23, 2021
Icy and enraged, it’s a sobering portrait of tragedy wrought from not only toxic masculinity, but from the equally noxious—and potentially more deadly—systems that nurture, amplify, and protect it.
By Nick Schager FULL REVIEW
80
Feb 22, 2021
The series' creators stripped "Beartown" of the melodrama that's often inherent to stories centered on teenagers, and of the salaciousness that lesser series lean on when writing about sex crimes. In its place, they revealed a narrative that's chilling in its survey of how we can lose what makes of human in the pursuit of a win.
By Ashlie D. Stevens FULL REVIEW
80
Feb 22, 2021
Even though Beartown takes its first episode to set things up, it does a lot of showing instead of giving a lot of exposition. That’s a good sign that the series will make for a well-paced drama.
By Joel Keller FULL REVIEW
80
Feb 19, 2021
[Answers] emerge with a satisfying subtlety in “Beartown”—for all its familiarity, a riveting tale.
By Dorothy Rabinowitz FULL REVIEW
75
Feb 22, 2021
“Beartown” is a blunt story, stocked with direct lessons. Still, it’s patient about revealing its thesis, and the life-or-death stakes set up from the get-go help to prepare the audience for when normal life in a small Swedish town turns very, very ugly.
By Ben Travers FULL REVIEW
70
Feb 22, 2021
While turning Backman’s complex novel into a series rather than a film was a smart move, Beartown does run into some issues along the way. The rise of Beartown’s hockey team is important for the context of the story, but the series spends too little time showing how their skill improved. The series relies too heavily on surface-level montages to communicate how this dramatic shift actually happened.
FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 14 User Ratings
6.1
64% Positive
9 Ratings
7% Mixed
1 Rating
29% Negative
4 Ratings

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 14 User Ratings
6.1
64% Positive
9 Ratings
7% Mixed
1 Rating
29% Negative
4 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Related Shows

Related News

What to Watch on Peacock Right Now

What to Watch on Peacock Right Now

Jason Dietz

Get a list of the best movies and TV shows recently added (and coming soon) to the Peacock streaming service, updated frequently.

  • tv show
May 2024 TV Preview

May 2024 TV Preview

Jason Dietz

The month ahead will bring Apple's latest sci-fi series, the return of Hacks, a new Doctor Who, and more.

  • tv show
What to Watch on Paramount+ Right Now

What to Watch on Paramount+ Right Now

Jason Dietz

Find a list of the best movies and TV shows recently added to Paramount+ and Paramount+ With Showtime, plus a list of titles coming soon to the streaming services.

  • tv show
What to Watch on Max Right Now

What to Watch on Max Right Now

Jason Dietz

Get a list of the best movies and TV shows recently added (and coming soon) to Max--plus all of the titles leaving the streaming service this month--updated frequently.

  • tv show
What to Watch on Prime Video Right Now

What to Watch on Prime Video Right Now

Jason Dietz

Get a list of the best movies and TV shows recently added (and coming soon) to Amazon's Prime Video, updated frequently.

  • tv show
What to Watch on Netflix Right Now

What to Watch on Netflix Right Now

Jason Dietz

Get a list of the best movies and TV shows recently added (and coming soon) to Netflix, updated frequently. You can also find a list of titles leaving Netflix this month.

  • tv show