The reviews are unanimous: every notice we have read is positive, and most critics call Borgen compelling before they call it anything else. The praise gathers around Sidse Babett Knudsen as Birgitte Nyborg, whose prime minister is found sympathetic, principled and, as the series goes on, harder than she started. Critics also credit the writing for making coalition politics watchable, for its interest in women holding power and the double standards they meet, and for asking repeatedly what idealism costs once you are in office. Those who return for the later series report that it loses none of its grip.
The spread is narrow, running from good to very good rather than dividing anyone. Such reservations as exist come from one direction. Den of Geek finds the politics simplified and the episodic structure limiting, and thinks the show is closer to personal drama than to political insight. The Times, warm but cooler than the rest, notices how often it is funny. Nobody dislikes it.