Great Expectations (2023): Season 1

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Mixed or average reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally unfavorable reviews based on 5 Ratings

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2.4

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2.4	User Score Generally unfavorable reviews based on 5 Ratings

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Great Expectations: And So It Begins

Now Playing: Great Expectations: And So It Begins

Season Details & Credits

HULU | Season Premiere Date: March 26, 2023

Summary: Ambitious orphan Pip (Fionn Whitehead) meets Miss Havisham (Olivia Colman) and falls in love with her adopted daughter, Estella (Shalom Brune-Franklin) in Steven Knight's adaptation of the Charles Dickins classic novel.

Genre(s): Drama, Movie/Mini-Series

Season 1 Episodes

tbd
S1:E6. Episode 6
Air Date: April 23, 2023
tbd
S1:E5. Episode 5
Air Date: April 16, 2023
tbd
S1:E4. Episode 4
Air Date: April 9, 2023

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Metascore

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Mixed:

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Critic Reviews

100

Collider Maggie Lovitt

Mar 20, 2023

Great Expectations finds a perfect balance in crafting a faithful adaptation while recognizing the necessity of change. ... Whether this is someone’s first introduction to this piece of bildungsroman or the tenth adaptation they have consumed, they will find joy, sorrow, and beauty in what Steven Knight has constructed. Read full review

Inkoo Kang

Mar 31, 2023

This energetic remix doesn’t betray the spirit of the original. Dickens’s heavy social conscience, character-driven scenes, and preposterous plotting are all deftly distilled. Read full review

i Rachael Sigee

Mar 29, 2023

I can see how Knight’s own ostentatious stamp might ruffle the feathers of purists (episode two features a rather unexpected spanking scene). And I question whether it should have been made at all. Even with his surprises, Knight’s Great Expectations can’t escape being a story that we already know inside out. Yet there is an argument that any new Dickens adaptation needs to have a fresh angle. Knight certainly has that. Whether it’s for better or worse is yet to be seen Read full review

John Anderson

Mar 23, 2023

In expanding the story the way he has, and giving far more room to characters who were perfectly Dickensian in their economy, Mr. Knight has lost much of the subtle psychology—especially regarding Havisham. ... Dickens was pretty adept at providing just as much about a character as was needed to make his point. Mr. Knight gives us more, and the point becomes elusive. Read full review

The Times Carol Midgley

Mar 27, 2023

I did not love it. To be honest, I struggled to see the point of it, or much that was even very striking in the opening episode. When there have been so many adaptations of a great novel you need something remarkable to justify another, something beyond a stark opening suicide attempt and throwing in the F-word in at 21 minutes (the swearing doesn’t bother me since I’m fairly confident it happened quite a lot in Dickensian times, but it has got some people in a lather). Read full review

The Independent Nick Hilton

Mar 22, 2023

Needless and lazy. ... Even with the infusion of sex and violence and post-colonial theory, it is hard to feel excited about this new take. With all this lack of imagination or interest in new ideas, it seems like Miss Havisham’s clocks are not the only thing frozen in time. Read full review

Matthew Gilbert

Mar 23, 2023

Except for some fine work by Olivia Colman as the iconic Miss Havisham, the embittered puppeteer who wreaks vengeful havoc on our hero Pip, I was by turns irritated and bored. Read full review

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User Score

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User Reviews

portobellojim

Mar 29, 2023

Absurd retelling. Butchers the story with predictable modern 'updates'. This is a really poor adaptation by the BBC, who really should know better.

Avoid

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

Seasons & Episodes

52

Series Overview
Season 1

52
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: March 26, 2023
- tbd
  S1:E6. Episode 6
  Air Date: April 23, 2023
- tbd
  S1:E5. Episode 5
  Air Date: April 16, 2023
- tbd
  S1:E4. Episode 4
  Air Date: April 9, 2023
- tbd
  S1:E3. Episode 3
  Air Date: April 2, 2023