--- title: "Mare of Easttown: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/mare-of-easttown/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/tv/mare-of-easttown" critics_score: 76 critics_reviews: 11 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." --- # Mare of Easttown (2021): what the critics said Critics' score 76 from 11 reviews: 10 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics like Mare of Easttown, and nearly all make the same case for it. Kate Winslet’s performance is the reason: unglamorous, watchful, prickly, a blunt grandmother detective carrying a dour series without appearing to try. The second cluster of praise goes to the town, a bleak Pennsylvania community drawn with enough regional detail that several reviews treat the show as a portrait of a place first and a murder mystery second. The reservations gather around the mystery itself. Empire finds it does not always grip as a thriller, Variety says it circles its story, and The Times sees familiar crime-drama tropes under the gloom. The Hollywood Reporter is the one mixed notice, calling the series uneven and occasionally close to tragedy porn. Otherwise the spread is narrow, from a five-star Radio Times rave down to a settled four. Several reviews use the word depressing, and mean it as a warning rather than a complaint. ## Radio Times — Brian McIver Rating 5/5. 4 April 2021. Winslet is in stunning form as the put-upon detective and matriarch in this suspenseful drama. The pilot builds a richly detailed world and strong supporting cast around her flawed heroine. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/mare-of-easttown-review/) ## The Times — Carol Midgley Rating 4/5. 20 April 2021. The show is deeply depressing in its focus on poverty, addiction and a murdered young woman, yet Kate Winslet's mesmeric, unglamorous turn as the blunt grandmother detective makes it compelling. Her performance elevates the dour intensity despite familiar crime-drama tropes. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/mare-of-easttown-review-dark-and-depressing-but-kate-winslet-wins-us-over-750mq3chc) ## Variety — Daniel D'Addario Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 5 April 2021. Winslet's subtle, watchful performance captures Mare's internal chaos and vulnerabilities, elevating the series. The show circles its story at times but benefits from her steady presence amid the town's sorrows. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2021/tv/reviews/kate-winslet-mare-of-easttown-1234942616/) ## Empire — Ian Freer Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 5 April 2021. Winslet delivers an egoless, committed performance that makes the ambitious mix of murder mystery, family drama and small-town ensemble watchable. The show doesn't always grip or satisfy as a thriller. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/mare-of-easttown/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 19 April 2021. The series is a layered portrait of a bleak Pennsylvania community and its residents' overlapping sadnesses, with Mare of Easttown centering on a weary detective navigating professional and personal burdens. Kate Winslet's defining, unglamorous performance anchors the drama, which balances crime-solving with psychological depth and community endurance. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/apr/19/mare-of-easttown-review-kate-winslet-hbo-murder-mystery) ## The i Paper — Emily Baker Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 19 April 2021. Winslet gives a nuanced, naturalistic performance as the prickly detective Mare Sheehan. The series succeeds best as a slow, gloomy portrait of a troubled small town and its residents. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/mare-of-easttown-review-sky-atlantic-kate-winslet-963748) ## Vulture — Matt Zoller Seitz Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 18 April 2021. The series starts out looking like a familiar crime drama but distinguishes itself through strong characters who grow on viewers. It pivots from crime drama to character study and exploration of grief, making it more than a basic mystery. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/mare-of-easttown-review-hbo-kate-winslet-limited-series.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Inkoo Kang Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 5 April 2021. The series is an uneven but masterfully suspenseful portrait of a small town and its detective, anchored by Winslet's sturdy performance. It occasionally veers into tragedy porn and lacks consistent focus. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/mare-of-easttown-tv-review-4158780/) ## Collider — Jeff Sneider Rating A-. 18 April 2021. The review highlights Winslet's dynamite, Emmy-worthy performance in this realistic and melancholy murder mystery that captures the struggles of a blue-collar Pennsylvania community. [Read the review](https://collider.com/mare-of-easttown-review-kate-winslet-hbo/) ## NME — Dan Seddon Rating 4/5. 19 April 2021. The critic calls it a must-watch crime drama and praises Winslet's magnetic performance as the bleak, resilient detective at its center in this gripping yet depressing small-town mystery. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/tv-reviews/mare-of-easttown-review-kate-winslet-2923609) ## The Ringer — Alison Herman Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 19 April 2021. The critic finds the series a bleak, unsparing character study that marks a strong return to television for Kate Winslet, with a lived-in sense of place and ensemble work elevating it beyond standard crime drama. She singles out the regional specificity and Winslet’s unglamorous performance for praise while noting mixed results in handling some contemporary themes. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2021/04/19/tv/mare-of-eastown-review-hbo-kate-winslet) --- © 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/mare-of-easttown.md