Dickinson (2019)

The critic embraces the show's absurd, queer, high-school-comedy-infused revisionism, portraying Emily as a messy, horny, death-obsessed goth goofball who humanizes the historical figure through anachronistic humor and self-determination.

The series offers a spirited but flawed reintroduction of Emily Dickinson, mixing period drama with a modern, Drunk History-like tone to make the icon approachable and fun for younger audiences. It commends the queer elements and ensemble but notes some tonal inconsistencies.

The show recasts the reclusive poet as a millennial partygoer and charismatic queer feminist icon who swears, drinks and chafes against patriarchy. The reviewer expected to hate the reinvention but instead likes and respects it for bringing her work to new viewers.

The critic finds Dickinson a surprising and frothy quirky sitcom-like take on the poet's life, praising Steinfeld's charm that drives it forward despite some self-conscious quirkiness.

The critic praises Hailee Steinfeld's energetic performance as a rebellious young Emily Dickinson in this unconventional Apple TV+ comedy that blends modern anachronisms with 19th-century setting. It highlights the fun, queer, and irreverent take on the poet's life and relationships.

The review notes the series' attempt to make the poet sexy and appealing to millennials with modern slang and music, but finds some elements jarring; it praises the focus on Emily's relationship with Sue as the best scenes.

The critic sees it as a strange, scattered re-imagining that struggles to commit to a tone, but highlights Steinfeld's strong performance as the biggest strength, especially in portraying Emily's intelligence and relationships.

The series is a half-baked comedy that rewrites Emily Dickinson as a defiant modern feminist who ignores chores and uses clunky dialogue. It praises Hailee Steinfeld's performance and the potential for absurd comedy but questions what the anachronistic approach adds.

The review criticizes the tonally incongruous revisionist take as reductive and pseudo-feminist, though noting some verve and Steinfeld's performance; it singles out the anachronistic elements and lack of depth on her genius.

The critic calls it a rapturously anachronistic coming-of-age ecstasy trip, praising its fun, strange, original mood setting and confident vision that makes the poet's inner world legible to modern audiences through contemporary elements.

The show is a stylish, feminist, and queer romp that irreverently sends up historical dramas with contemporary flair, though its first episodes show tonal uncertainty between comedy and serious themes. It has strong potential to develop further.

The series is the most ambitious and strange of Apple TV+'s launch shows, recasting the poet as a rebellious teen chafing at gender roles with anachronistic flair. It remains uneven overall but grows in confidence and ultimately inspires more fascination than disappointment.

The critic finds the series fun, youthful, queer, and eccentric, praising Hailee Steinfeld's performance as a ray of light in a modern anachronistic take; however, notes some heavy-handed feminism and on-the-nose needle drops as minor flaws.