--- title: "Poldark" year: 2015 kind: "series" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/poldark" fi1m_score: 77 critics_score: 76 critics_reviews: 6 published: "2026-09-17T15:58:50.284798+00:00" updated: "2026-09-17T15:59:10.498379+00:00" region: "US" 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." --- # Poldark (2015) Created by Debbie Horsfield, Winston Graham · 1h 00m · MPA TV-PG · Drama **Fi1m score: 77** · Critics 76 from 6 reviews *In a sentence:* The Cornish coastline faces serious competition from Aidan Turner > Aidan Turner carries this brisk Cornish romance with enough conviction to make its polished surfaces worth forgiving. The social conscience gives it weight, though the bankers are drawn with rather less patience. ## Synopsis In eighteenth-century Cornwall, captain Ross Poldark (Aidan Turner) has personal troubles to contend with alongside a strong social conscience. Romance and responsibilities compete for his attention, with Demelza Poldark (Eleanor Tomlinson), Francis Poldark (Kyle Soller) and George Warleggan (Jack Farthing) among the people in his story. The Cornish coastline surrounds a community in which love, money and moral choices are closely connected. Adapted from Winston Graham’s novels, the series follows Ross through romantic entanglements and the competing demands of his own feelings and his concern for others. ## Review *Poldark* is a good, brisk romantic drama, carried by Aidan Turner and occasionally too pleased with its handsome hero. Debbie Horsfield’s adaptation of Winston Graham’s novels puts desire and social conscience close together, giving Ross Poldark more to do than look troubled against the Cornish coast. It is an inviting combination, played with enough conviction that the romance rarely feels apologetic. We recommend it when a forceful leading performance and a busy costume drama are sufficient attractions, with a warning that some of the villains receive rather less care. Aidan Turner makes Ross’s appeal easy to understand without making his goodness entirely comfortable. We warmed to him because he gives the character’s concern for other people the same seriousness as his romantic feelings. That earnestness matters: the captain’s moral compass might otherwise feel like another quality chosen merely to make him attractive. The performance holds our attention through the personal and social troubles, and makes the programme’s faith in its leading man seem reasonable. Ross gets flattering treatment, but there is enough conviction in the acting to justify our interest. The coastline does a considerable amount of work, too. The bright Cornish views give this eighteenth-century setting an immediate appeal, though the prettiness sometimes competes with the harder circumstances the drama wants us to notice. The lively pacing is more consistently useful, introducing characters without making their arrival feel like an administrative task. The soundtrack adds to that forward movement, and the production looks assured even when it looks a little too polished. Some of the styling sits awkwardly with the period, drawing attention to how carefully everyone has been made attractive. The supporting cast helps keep that polish from becoming the whole attraction. Eleanor Tomlinson as Demelza Poldark and Kyle Soller as Francis Poldark bring enough personality to make time away from Ross welcome, while Jack Farthing’s George Warleggan adds another strong presence. We do not spend these scenes merely waiting for the lead to return. The ensemble gives the romantic complications room to develop, although the series remains so firmly organised around Ross’s appeal that its other characters can seem to be competing for attention. Debbie Horsfield is less persuasive when the bankers become ready-made objects of disapproval. Their broad characterisation saves time, but it also leaves the social tensions feeling too simple, since the writing has settled whom we should distrust. The series is more interesting when Ross’s conscience complicates his personal desires and there is something difficult for him to consider. That gives the romance some weight beyond the question of who finds whom attractive. We would have liked comparable care taken with the people opposing him, whose dramatic purpose is often apparent almost immediately. As costume drama, *Poldark* is at its most enjoyable when it gets on with romance, social friction and the pleasures of its cast. Its pace keeps solemnity at bay, and its willingness to be openly romantic is a virtue, even when restraint might produce a subtler programme. The depiction of Cornish life has some grit, though the attractive presentation can soften our sense of its hardships. Give it an evening if romance is the attraction; expect less from the bankers. *Fi1m score 77, published 17 September 2026.* ## What the critics say The reviews are uniformly positive about Poldark, with praise clustering around Aidan Turner’s charismatic lead performance and the appeal of the central romance. Most critics find an engaging costume drama whose pace and energy keep its period trappings from feeling dutiful. The supporting cast, production values and Cornish coastline also earn approval, while the depiction of social struggles gives some reviewers more to admire than a handsome hero and attractive scenery. The differences are chiefly in what critics value: some enjoy the series as an unembarrassed romantic romp, while others stress its grit and moral complexity. Enthusiasm varies within a fairly narrow positive range, with no outright dissent among these six reviews. Digital Spy supplies the clearest specific reservations, finding some looks anachronistic and the bankers clichéd, but treats these as minor distractions from a stylish, breezy opening episode with an effective soundtrack. ### Reviews we read (6) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Keith Uhlich (85/100, inferred): The critic finds the series an unabashedly smoldering and pleasurable remake that succeeds as trash done ecstatically well. Aidan Turner's charismatic lead performance and the central romance are singled out for praise. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/poldark-tv-review-804003/) - **Variety**, Brian Lowry (75/100, inferred): The remake is described as a sumptuous and engaging update that should please fans of the original and newcomers alike. The strong cast, led by Aidan Turner, and the production values are highlighted positively. [Read](https://variety.com/2015/tv/reviews/tv-review-poldark-1201516898/) - **The Guardian** (70/100, inferred): The reviewer finds the new Poldark pacier and racier than the 1970s version, with Aidan Turner filling the breeches well as the moody hero. The sparkling Cornish coastline is singled out as a major star alongside the lead. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/09/poldark-review-rugged-gorgeous-breeches-review) - **The Independent** (70/100, inferred): The series is a straightforwardly enjoyable romantic romp with Aidan Turner ready to re-create Mr Darcy moments as the dishy captain with a social conscience. The reviewer notes its potential to capture a loyal audience across the novels. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/poldark-tv-review-move-over-mr-darcy-this-hero-has-nice-curls-and-a-social-conscience-10094133.html) - **Collider**, Allison Keene (★★★★): The critic praises the series as a vigorous and gritty costume drama that brings distinct energy to PBS's lineup, highlighting its blend of romance, drama, and moral complexity with Aidan Turner's charismatic lead performance. They single out the tangible depiction of 18th-century Cornish life and the character's moral compass amid personal and social struggles. [Read](https://collider.com/poldark-review-aidan-turner/) - **Digital Spy**, Cameron K McEwan (80/100, inferred): The critic calls the first episode a breezy, swashbuckling affair that stylishly introduces the characters and scenarios with a terrific soundtrack. Aidan Turner shines as a charming, dashing lead, though some anachronistic looks and clichéd banker portrayals are noted as minor distractions. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a633903/poldark-episode-1-review-swashbuckling-smouldering-and-sexy/) ## Details - **Created by:** Debbie Horsfield, Winston Graham - **Creator:** Debbie Horsfield, Winston Graham - **Director:** Sallie Aprahamian, Charles Palmer, Stephen Woolfenden, Joss Agnew, Justin Molotnikov, Brian Kelly, Richard Senior, William Sinclair - **Writer:** Debbie Horsfield - **Novel:** Winston Graham - **Producer:** Tom Mullens, Roopesh Parekh - **Cast:** Aidan Turner as Ross Poldark; Eleanor Tomlinson as Demelza Poldark; Jack Farthing as George Warleggan; Kyle Soller as Francis Poldark; Luke Norris as Dwight Enys; Beatie Edney as Prudie Paynter; Pip Torrens as Cary Warleggan; Phil Davis as Jud Paynter - **Runtime:** 1h 00m - **Certificate (MPA):** TV-PG - **Release (the US):** 8 March 2015 - **Genres:** Drama - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7A0U6kQNCN0 ## Where to watch in the US - Netflix: streaming, leaving 2026-10-08 - Amazon Prime Video: add-on - Apple TV: buy, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, sd *Checked 2026-09-17.* Also available in: AT, AU, BE, CA, CH, DE, FR, GB, IE, PT, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *North & South* (2004), Fi1m 83: Another forceful romance in which money and working conditions complicate attraction. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/north-and-south.md) - *Far from the Madding Crowd* (1967): Rural courtship with more patience for the consequences of choosing badly. - *The Leopard* (1963): For class tensions and handsome surroundings, with considerably less faith in progress. - *Belle* (2013): Romance and questions of justice share the drawing room without cancelling each other. - *The Mill* (2013): A harsher account of working lives, with the comforts of romance reduced. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/poldark