--- title: "Landscapers: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/landscapers/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/tv/landscapers" critics_score: 78 critics_reviews: 13 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Landscapers (2021): what the critics said Critics' score 78 from 13 reviews: 11 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics take to Landscapers, and eleven of the thirteen reviews are positive. The praise gathers first around Olivia Colman and David Thewlis, who are credited throughout with making the murderous couple sympathetic and keeping the emotional truth intact while the series experiments around them. Will Sharpe’s direction comes next: the 1950s silver-screen conceits and fantasy sequences drawn from Susan’s Hollywood obsessions are widely seen as a fresh way into a familiar true-crime story, one that studies the marriage rather than the case. The reservations are about that same style. Variety finds the investigation plot lags and the stylistic shifts flashy and somewhat punishing; Radio Times finds the flourishes brave but distracting, overshadowing the story. The Times admires the direction but is uneasy about the tone given the real murders. The spread is narrow, with no negative reviews, and nobody questions the two lead performances. ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 7 December 2021. The series is a rich, generous and clever multi-textured drama with Colman and Thewlis delivering career-highlight performances as the devoted killer couple. Will Sharpe’s direction vividly conveys their inner fantasy lives without being obtrusive. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/dec/07/landscapers-review-olivia-colman-and-david-thewlis-stun-as-killer-couple-on-the-run) ## The Telegraph Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 7 December 2021. This inventive dramedy turns true crime into one of the most daring and dazzling dramas of the year through captivating performances by Colman and Thewlis. It is exhilarating, eccentric and endlessly surprising in its boundary-pushing approach. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/landscapers-review-turning-true-crime-daring-dazzling-drama/) ## The AV Club — Chris Feil Rating B+. 7 December 2021. The premiere upends expectations of the true-crime genre by focusing on the humanity of the couple rather than sensational details. Sharpe employs cinematic flourishes and metatextual elements to explore the Edwards' delusions and the ethics of the genre. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/hbo-s-landscapers-upends-expectations-of-the-true-crime-1848147655) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 December 2021. This unsettling and relentlessly original series is not another perfunctory true-crime procedural but instead has the quality of a bad dream that is often strange yet always engrossing. Sharpe and Sinclair make inventive, non-obvious choices in staging the heightened, cinematic fantasy elements drawn from Susan’s Hollywood obsessions. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/landscapers-review-sky-atlantic-hbo-olivia-colman-b969134.html) ## IndieWire — Ben Travers Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 6 December 2021. The series paints two vivid yet diverging portraits of the same crime: one driven by greed and desperation, the other out of love. Colman and Thewlis deliver standout performances in this twisted true-crime romance. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/landscapers-hbo-review-olivia-colman-david-thewlis-true-story-1234683513/) ## The i Paper — Emily Baker Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 7 December 2021. The critic praises the experimental, surreal style and strong lead performances as breathing new life into true crime, singling out the focus on the couple's relationship and character study over plot twists. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/landscapers-sky-atlantic-review-olivia-colman-david-thewlis-true-story-susan-edwards-christopher-1340193) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Daniel Fienberg Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 30 November 2021. The critic notes that standout lead performances keep the stylized true-crime experiment from feeling like homework, praising the emotional truth maintained by Colman and Thewlis amid narrative experiments. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/landscapers-review-2-1235054792/) ## The Times — Carol Midgley Rating ★★★★☆. 8 December 2021. An original if queasy take on true crime, artfully directed with beautiful lead performances but tonally off and discomfiting in its treatment of the real murders. The 1950s silver-screen conceits offer a fresh, imaginative way of dramatising the story. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/landscapers-review-qr8r5p60c) ## Variety — Daniel D'Addario Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 6 December 2021. The critic calls the series cerebrally interesting with clever direction and excellent lead performances but notes the investigation plot lags and the stylistic shifts feel flashy and somewhat punishing. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2021/tv/reviews/olivia-colman-landscapers-review-1235123060/) ## Radio Times — Abby Robinson Rating 3/5. 1 December 2021. The critic finds the meta, experimental approach to true crime intriguing and brave but ultimately distracting, praising the central couple's performances while complaining that the stylistic flourishes overshadow the story. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/landscapers-review/) ## Paste — Radhika Menon Rating 9.1/10. 6 December 2021. The critic calls the series a rich, thought-provoking experiment that succeeds due to its strong lead performances. Olivia Colman and David Thewlis make the murderous couple strangely sympathetic by blending romance, fantasy sequences, and reality. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/landscapers/landscapers-review) ## NME — Dan Seddon Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 8 December 2021. The critic finds the miniseries a must-watch true-crime drama that stands out from voyeuristic trends thanks to its clever black comedy. Olivia Colman and David Thewlis deliver powerhouse performances that ground the experimental visuals and fantasy sequences. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/tv-reviews/landscapers-review-hbo-sky-olivia-colman-3114078) ## Digital Spy — Jo Berry Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 December 2021. Sharpe delivers a quirky, blackly comic and almost theatrical take instead of a straight true-crime drama. Colman and Thewlis are mesmerising as the unlikely killer duo in this narratively playful series. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a38375383/landscapers-review-olivia-colman-sky/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/tv/landscapers.md