The Reckoning; Frasier

“Stripped of context, The Reckoning is a rigorously well-made and polished thing. Coogan is brilliant in the role. He is a fine actor as well as a fine impressionist, and the part of Savile gives him the chance to blend the two in perfect proportions. But The Reckoning does exist in a context. And that context is a world already full of dramas and documentaries that mine trauma (particularly female trauma) for content. To justify adding to that pile, you have to be adding something really valuable to the subject. It is here that The Reckoning falls down.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“If the BBC hoped this drama would be a catharsis that would draw a line under the Savile catastrophe, the omission [of its dropping of a Newsnight investigation] weakens the case. However, that doesn’t mean this isn’t a respectful, impressive piece of work, if at times it is hideous to watch.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“From the first sight of his straw-like platinum blonde hair and signet rings, Coogan’s portrayal is near flawless. Savile’s bigger idiosyncrasies – that unnerving yodel, the catchphrases – are carefully contained and Coogan perfectly captures the deflective armour he deployed to control conversations, shutting down anything he didn’t like or creating and controlling pauses by inhaling on his ever-present cigar. It is an impersonation of sorts, but Coogan’s control over his voice and physicality are exceptional.”
Julia Raeside, The i

“There’s attention to detail everywhere you look. The garish outfits of Savile’s pomp are so perfectly realised that Seventies retro fashion may never recover. But there are problems. It was the journalist Mark Lawson who said that it was impossible to understand Savile without also understanding that he was a Catholic. It’s an interesting observation, but The Reckoning takes that idea and runs with it all the way to the pearly gates.”
Chris Harvey, The Telegraph

“The four-hour drama lays the blame for Savile’s sickening crimes on every part of the establishment: The BBC which employed him, of course, but also the church, the health service, the government and the newspapers. The effect is to diffuse blame away from Auntie and on to the rest of society. If everyone’s at fault, nobody has to carry the can.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“The show’s conclusion seems to be that he got away with it thanks to a generalised culture that repressed victim’s voices, whether they were coming from discotheques, fish and chip stands, or, you know, the nation’s state-funded, beloved and trusted broadcaster. And so, The Reckoning ends up feeling like a parade of villainy without a point to make.”
Nick Hilton, The Independent

“Unlike the wretched reboot of Sex and the City, Frasier’s team has managed to update the comedy’s situation, incorporate Frasier’s greater age and its different challenges and diversify its casting without apparent strain. It feels like an organic progression rather than something flung together by a frightened committee.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“The plot convolutions are forced, the gags can feel generic, yet the playing is always energised but focused, and the exchanges sometimes fizz. With nods to Frasier lore throughout, this new show attempts to be the same but different. You feel the strain but enjoy the effort.”
Dominic Maxwell, The Times

“The years have put a crook in Kelsey Grammer’s lower back so he now moves with a scurrying waddle reminiscent of his cranky old dad, Martin (the late John Mahoney). But Frasier’s magnetic complexities, the snobbish ego and laughable need, are still there, cryogenically preserved and now unleashed upon Harvard. Does it work? On the strength of the first five episodes, very much so.”
Jasper Rees, The Telegraph

“Grammer carries the opening three episodes, which are otherwise too busy establishing the new set-up to be entirely enjoyable. By episode four the reboot finally comes together. By episode five, even the most resistant fans might find themselves chortling. It may be a rented Boston brownstone rather than a swish Seattle penthouse, but Frasier is back in the building.”
Gerard Gilbert, The i

“The fact that there is something to enjoy in this return to the Craniverse is testament to the joys of Cheers and Frasier, not to mention Grammer’s effective turn in the lead role. Little may remain other than a title and an endearing snobbery, but, just like Theseus’s ride before it, the spirit of Frasier remains intact.”
Nick Hilton, The Independent