Stepping into Hugo Blick’s sweeping western takes you back to the final days of the Old West for six hours, with stunning performances from Emily Blunt prompting viewers to call this an understated masterpiece compared to American Primeval and Yellowstone. The series focuses on a stoic Pawnee native Eli Whipp (Chaske Spencer), a former U.S. Army scout who journeys to Nebraska to claim land promised for his service, confronting betrayal, displacement, and the broken promises of a fading empire, and Lady Cornelia Locke (Emily Blunt), an English woman coming to America to exact revenge on her son’s killer. The English, broadcast on BBC Two and Amazon Prime in late 2022, features six episodes that have garnered praise from classic western fans and those new to the genre, which is experiencing its own gold rush with the releases of Yellowstone, American Primeval, and 1923.
“Fans of American Primeval should watch The English. Both are great Westerns featuring a strong female lead,” Emily Long writes for Screen Rant, adding “Though each of the shows have their own stories and unique characters, The English and American Primeval are surprisingly similar. Both shows centre on a woman trying to make her way across the American West with a travelling partner, encountering numerous challenges along the way.” Despite its comparisons, fans of The English have questioned why it does not receive the same plaudits as other recent shows, despite being “Western in all the right ways”.
“Instantly, The English has made my top 10. I have seen a lot of movies and series over the many many years I’ve walked this earth. And seldom have I been struck so profoundly,” One IMDB reviewer described in a 10-star review.
“Every scene, every word, each gesture, to a person reaches out, aiming for the heart. Relentlessly uncovering a story that weaves beauty and horror in equal measure.
“It never waits for you to catch up. But rather pulls you along as you follow- never really knowing what will happen and carefully doling out what has happened.”
Both Chaske Spencer and Emily Blunt earned nominations for Best Actor at the British Academy Television Awards and Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, respectively.
Stephen Rea earned an Irish Film and Television Award for his portrayal of Sheriff Robert Marshall.
The more than 67,000 r/Western fans of Reddit have developed a soft spot for the show, too, with one user, apswim22, commenting, “This was an amazing under-the-radar series. One of the better Western series in a while.”
Hundreds have commended the series’ plot, with BeautifulDebate7615 telling the Western subreddit, “We did not see the twist coming but kept wondering why things weren’t developing the way we expected. Then the twist perfectly explained things.”
Aside from the stellar acting performances found in this show, Arnau Valls Colomer’s sweeping cinematography is beautifully matched by Federico Jusid’s classical score to set the perfect mood.
Critics have questioned the show’s pacing, with episode one described as a slowburner, but these complaints soon subside by the time episode two has kicked into full gear.
The English is available to stream on both BBC iPlayer and Amazon Prime.