Mary & George; Extraordinary

“It has the narrative rigour of The Favourite, the disciplined panache of The Great, just a dash of The Tudors’ excess and enough sex to keep Bridgerton fans happy too. This is a great combination.”
Lucy Mangan,The Guardian

“Since the 2018 film The Favourite, followed by TV’s The Great, a contemporary energy has entered the genre — one charged with a ton of colourful swearing, moments of off-centre humour and romping a go-go, the more sexually fluid the better. Mary & George has all this in abundance. A touch affected, maybe, but certainly fun.”
James Jackson, The Times

“Serials of this era follow two patterns, the literary or the lecherous, Wolf Hall or The Tudors. This is definitely in the latter camp and, if you like your history raunchy, randy and sweary, it’s great fun.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“It’s a dazzling tale, sensationally told and gleefully led by Julianne Moore as Mary, a self-made social climber whose ruthless ambition stems from knowing that womanhood in early 1600s England was a rotten lot. Too often TV critics (this one included) must bemoan a series for not living up to either its premise or the sum of its parts. Mary & George emphatically – uproariously – does both.”
Rachel Sigee, The i

“Despite the sci-fi element, Extraordinary is essentially a flat-share and coming-of-age comedy with which anyone who’s ever felt like a bit of an outsider can identify. The four principal cast members have an easy chemistry and there are some very funny lines.”
Neil Armstrong, The i

“It is sometimes uproariously hilarious, often merely vulgar and sweary. There is also a conspicuous lack of chemistry between Máiréad Tyers [Jen]) and Luke Rollason [her shapeshifting boyfriend]. Even with these flaws, it’s obviously much more engaging than whatever CGI tsunami Marvel is preparing to next unleash upon Disney+ subscribers.”
Ed Power, The Telegraph