OR

Email Address

Password

Forgot password?

Messiah (2020)

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 8 Critic Reviews

See All

46

USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 21 Ratings

See All

7.5

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

7.5	Your Score
7.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 21 Ratings

Would you like to write a review?

There is a 75 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. Please do not use ALL CAPS. There is no linking or other HTML allowed. Your review may be edited for content. 0/5000

Check box if your review contains spoilers

Messiah (2020)

Series Details & Credits

Netflix | Release Date: January 1, 2020

Summary: CIA's Eva Geller (Michelle Monaghan) is called in to help with the case of a street preacher the people call Al-Masih (Al-Masih), who seemingly disappears and appears elsewhere.

Genre(s): Drama, Suspense

Watch Now

Stream On

Recent Episodes

tbd
S1:E10. The Wages of Sin
Air Date: January 1, 2020
tbd
S1:E9. God Is Greater
Air Date: January 1, 2020
tbd
S1:E8. Force Majeure
Air Date: January 1, 2020

See all Seasons and Episodes

Metascore

46

Positive:

1

Mixed:

6

Negative:

1

Critic Reviews

80

The Guardian Lucy Mangan

Jan 9, 2020

Season 1 Review: Messiah is potent stuff packed with fine performances. Read full review

60

CNN

Brian Lowry

Jan 9, 2020

Season 1 Review: The series has a lot going on, and it's certainly food for thought. Yet given what a third-rail topic the subject tends to be, the rewards don't seem to justify the risk, in the same way the merits of "Messiah" season one, once completed, don't wholly justify the time investment. Read full review

50

RogerEbert.com Nick Allen

Jan 9, 2020

Season 1 Review: Netflix’s “Messiah” is a half-fascinating, half-frustrating new series. Read full review

40

Wall Street Journal

John Anderson

Jan 9, 2020

Season 1 Review: So much is so right about “Messiah” that it makes the eventual collapse into paranoid politics and alt-right clichés all the more painful. ... By the end of episode 10, you’re not sure that “Messiah” believes in much. Read full review

40

The Telegraph Ed Power

Jan 9, 2020

Season 1 Review: Messiah is a New Year’s curio that doesn’t know whether it wants to be an esoteric rumination on leadership and hope or a spy romp with New Testament bells on. ... The real twist, however, is how divinely underwhelming the whole thing is. Read full review

40

Variety

Daniel D'Addario

Jan 9, 2020

Season 1 Review: Because Eva is such a bland character and Al-Massih is by the show’s design unknowable — yielding nothing over the show’s first half other than miracles we don’t know whether to take at face value — there’s vastly less here. Over the show’s first season, no viewer could be blamed for eventually giving up the faith. Read full review

30

The Hollywood Reporter

Dan Fienberg

Jan 9, 2020

Season 1 Review: Don't be fooled by the Netflix auspices, the reasonably decent production values and a couple wildly overqualified castmembers. ... If you're not on the fence and you're eager to watch Messiah...enjoy. My saying it's a badly made show doesn't make it exist any less. Read full review

SEE ALL 8 REVIEWS

Write a Review

7.5

User Reviews

10

Btuv

Feb 26, 2021

Hi I am saying that I love this show I think it’s wonderful for any audience.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

10

mchahad

Jan 23, 2020

It's excellent!! This series show us how the humanity deal with of return of messiah in actual days. This is a amazing series!! Waiting for season 2 Netflix!!

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

10

cylun

Jan 6, 2021

I understand that this must be a difficult matter for anyone with fixated religious beliefs. So far, the interpretation of the Messiah perfectly matches the Zen Buddhist idea of Jesus as written by Thomas. You have to be a Zen Buddhist to understand it. I don't know if the authors just triedI understand that this must be a difficult matter for anyone with fixated religious beliefs. So far, the interpretation of the Messiah perfectly matches the Zen Buddhist idea of Jesus as written by Thomas. You have to be a Zen Buddhist to understand it. I don't know if the authors just tried to provoke or if it really was their intention to view this story in this way. But they matched almost perfectly how Thomas' version of Jesus could interact with our modern world.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

7

Tony1984

Dec 13, 2020

"If Jesus stood up today, he'd be gunned down dead by the Cia" is a line from the 1980s band 'The The'. Nothing much has changed according to the producers of Messiah. An interesting concept, very well acted but ultimately not a success, unfortunately. That the actors were all dislikable to"If Jesus stood up today, he'd be gunned down dead by the Cia" is a line from the 1980s band 'The The'. Nothing much has changed according to the producers of Messiah. An interesting concept, very well acted but ultimately not a success, unfortunately. That the actors were all dislikable to a degree was deliberate. This I presume is to highlight the idea we are all flawed sinners, a relativism idea I dislike . It portrays an excessively negative view of humanity which is incorrect. It might be hard to believe but there are people out there, and not that rare either, who are just goodness personified. The next main impediment to success was the writers didn't seem to know how to progress after a certain point, though they kept the suspense and intrigue all the way through. I'm also deducting for cancellation. Series like this need to be commissioned for 2 seasons or come to a definite conclusion on one. It spoils the experience for the viewer. If they try an idea like this again, and I hope they do, they might decide on a different location to Israel/Palestine. Tibet, Venezuela, Sierra Leone, or anywhere bar the Middle East.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

7

ChrisPaniagua

Apr 20, 2021

The season of curiosity, doubt, mystery, the proof (in fiction) of faith, although it could also be reality.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

4

ReadyFight

Feb 19, 2020

This Review Contains Spoilers.
This Review is also Short, which the show wasn't, which sucked.
Netflix's Messiah is a ten part series which challenged faith in it's announcement, dividing opinion across the world within all known religion. it's marketing was however not so noticeableThis Review Contains Spoilers.
This Review is also Short, which the show wasn't, which sucked.

Netflix's Messiah is a ten part series which challenged faith in it's announcement, dividing opinion across the world within all known religion. it's marketing was however not so noticeable outside of those groups however.
Though in importance, it's story is a chaotic whimsy of political intrigue, sad attempts of interesting characters except for a few likeable people and a one dimensional attempt of a thought piece that once watched in full falls apart.

That Ending. i actually enjoyed the series enough to the point i was wanting to give this a 7/10, but it's integrity is as weak as it's characters by the end, The C.I.A who have been tracking down Al-Masih, who had no past records, to being a son of a con artist and having a connection to a known religous terrorist to... actually always being the Messiah, a show which direct plot follows for the entirety until those last few minutes is unbelievable, i give credit to whomever decided this idea for a show, because it's a great idea, but only in concept.

if you have Netflix, go watch Messiah and construct your own opinion on this, or better, just go watch Stranger Things again.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

3

YorkMan

Feb 5, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Interesting concept, but let down by being an ongoing television show... Rather than say, a 4 part mini-series instead.

This is because the main premise of the show is all about whether the central character, the new 'Messiah', is or isn't who he purports to be. Once that conundrum is defined, either way, then the show has no core element left and thus becomes pointless.

So, in order to maintain that ambiguity, we get 10 episodes and really have no more idea about the Messiah character's motives and aren't any closer to knowing if he is Divine than we did when he is introduced at the start of episode 1.

Which means the whole narrative has no weight, no inertia, no real depth... I know a second season has been commissioned, but I can't see a third happening.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

SEE ALL 8 REVIEWS

More From Metacritic

2023-24 TV Season Scorecard

Find up-to-date renewal and cancellation status information on every...

What to Watch in June: 13 Notable TV Shows & Streaming Movies

Get details on the most notable TV shows (and streaming films) debuting...

What to Watch Right Now on Netflix

Get a list of the best movie and TV titles recently added (and coming...

What to Watch Right Now on Paramount+

Find a list of the best recent and upcoming film and TV titles added to...

Current TV Shows

By MetascoreBy User Score

1 93 Happy Valley: Season 3

2 93 Somebody Somewhere: Season 2

3 92 Succession: Season 4

4 90 Barry: Season 4

5 90 Marc Maron: From Bleak To Dark

6 88 Star Wars: Visions: Season 2

7 88 Rain Dogs: Season 1

8 87 The Great: Season 3

9 87 Schmigadoon!: Season 2

10 87 I Hate Suzie: Season 2

11 87 Little America: Season 2

12 86 The Other Two: Season 3

13 86 Beef: Season 1

14 84 Poker Face (2023): Season 1

15 84 The Last of Us: Season 1

16 84 Dave: Season 3

17 83 Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at...

18 83 A Small Light: Season 1

19 83 Star Trek: Picard: Season 3

20 82 Cunk on Earth: Season 1

SEE ALL

Seasons & Episodes

46

Series Overview
Season 1

46
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: January 1, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E10. The Wages of Sin
  Air Date: January 1, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E9. God Is Greater
  Air Date: January 1, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E8. Force Majeure
  Air Date: January 1, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E7. It Came to Pass as It Was Spoken
  Air Date: January 1, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E6. We Will Not All Sleep
  Air Date: January 1, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E5. So That Seeing They May Not See
  Air Date: January 1, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E4. Trial
  Air Date: January 1, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E3. The Finger of God
  Air Date: January 1, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E2. Tremor
  Air Date: January 1, 2020
- tbd
  S1:E1. He That Hath an Ear
  Air Date: January 1, 2020