--- title: "The Plot Against America: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/the-plot-against-america/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/tv/the-plot-against-america" critics_score: 77 critics_reviews: 16 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." --- # The Plot Against America (2020): what the critics said Critics' score 77 from 16 reviews: 14 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics like it, and the praise falls in the same two places. The first is the pacing: review after review describes a slow accumulation of dread, with fascism arriving through small acts rather than set pieces, and several credit David Simon and Ed Burns for adapting Philip Roth without pushing the contemporary parallels too hard. The second is the Levin family. Zoe Kazan, Anthony Boyle and Winona Ryder are singled out repeatedly, and the recreation of pre-war Newark is thought detailed enough to make the whole thing plausible. The spread is narrow, with two outliers. Variety is the one outright dissenter, arguing that the series treats its characters as history’s protagonists rather than ordinary people, which flattens the performances and loses the novel’s uncertainty. Collider is more equivocal, calling it gripping prestige television that arrives too late to work as a warning, and finding the ending hard to credit. A few of the warmer reviews also call it flawed. ## The AV Club — Arielle Bernstein Rating A. 9 March 2020. The series is the most artful recent depiction of rising fascism, focusing on characters' slow-building anxieties rather than cheap shocks or torture porn. It portrays a nuanced Jewish American experience and the emotional toll of isolation and fear on families. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/unlike-recent-depictions-of-fascism-david-simon-s-plot-1842160692) ## Empire — Ian Freer Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 14 July 2020. The six-episode run is completely absorbing, building a tangible sense of mounting anxieties and helplessness in an increasingly rancid country. It has superb production values and powerful imagery without sacrificing substance, making compelling historical drama with clear parallels to today. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/the-plot-against-america/) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 16 March 2020. The miniseries is a superb, devastating alt-history drama that resonates with contemporary events while staying true to its source. Strong performances, especially from Zoe Kazan and Anthony Boyle, ground the personal impact of political upheaval. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2020/03/the-plot-against-america-miniseries-review.html) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 14 July 2020. The critic praises the expert adaptation by David Simon and Ed Burns of Philip Roth’s novel, highlighting its intimate sense of foreboding as a Jewish family in New Jersey experiences the gradual rise of fascism under President Lindbergh. The review singles out the slow-burn accumulation of political danger and the cast’s performances for effectively conveying how such threats can take hold. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/jul/14/the-plot-against-america-review-fascism-grips-in-taut-political-allegory) ## IndieWire — Jude Dry Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 16 March 2020. The premiere episode delivers a gorgeous, understated adaptation of Philip Roth's novel that feels eerily prescient. It establishes the Levin family's world with care before the alternate-history shifts begin to unsettle it. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/plot-against-america-review-hbo-david-simon-premiere-1202218009/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Daniel Fienberg Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 9 March 2020. David Simon and Ed Burns deliver a flawed but finely crafted and chillingly timely adaptation. These six hours should freak you out; if they don’t, that demands introspection too. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/plot-america-review-1281955/) ## The i Paper — Adam Sweeting Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 14 July 2020. The series is a disturbing evocation of an America superficially unchanged but horribly transformed by fascism under Lindbergh. It faithfully recreates pre-war Newark and derives plausibility from meticulous period detail while showing how political passions tear families apart. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/the-plot-against-america-review-sky-atlantic-hbo-winona-ryder-537744) ## The Times — James Jackson Rating ★★★★☆. 16 July 2020. The critic notes the series manages not to be too obvious in its Trump analogies while building a sick feeling of unease as antisemitism takes hold in 1940s America. It singles out the chilling depiction of bigotry coalescing against the Levin family for its relevance and tension. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/the-plot-against-america-review-racist-dunce-on-election-trail-no-change-there-vx9bfqn72) ## Variety — Daniel D'Addario Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 5 March 2020. The series insists its characters are history’s protagonists rather than ordinary people lost in the tide, flattening performances and making for a fairly unpleasant watch. It fails to capture the probing curiosity of the children or the uncertainty of the source novel. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2020/tv/reviews/plot-against-america-winona-ryder-review-1203513197/) ## Den of Geek — Natalie Zutter Rating 5/5. 13 March 2020. The limited series masterfully and sensitively renders an alternate history through the eyes of a working-class Jewish family in Newark. It excels in its subtle unspooling of events and deep emotional investment in the Levins. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-plot-against-america-review/) ## /Film — Chris Evangelista Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 18 March 2020. The review calls it an admittedly fantastic HBO miniseries that feels all too plausible and relevant, with stark realism and a lived-in world. It singles out the phenomenal cast, especially the standouts in the Levin family, for anchoring the engrossing craft amid growing darkness. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/572917/the-plot-against-america-review/) ## NME — Olly Richards Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 14 July 2020. The critic finds the series a saddening, maddening, and brilliantly made drama that chillingly shows fascism creeping in through small acts. It praises the smart writing that trusts viewers to draw parallels without overdoing them and the exquisite character work across the Levin family. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/the-plot-against-america-review-hbo-2707643) ## Paste — Jacob Oller Rating 8.7/10. 12 March 2020. The review deems it a riveting, relevant ride down bigotry’s slippery slope and a deft period piece with quick-paced drama and provoking parallels. It highlights the immaculate craft, beautiful cinematography, realistic scripting, and power as a waking nightmare from the Wire team. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/the-plot-against-america/review-hbo) ## Consequence Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 30 March 2020. The critic praises the series for its plausibility and focused narrative, with harmony between acting, cinematography, and structure carrying virtuosic weight. It singles out the compassionate portrayal of characters and how politics affect individuals and family relationships as a grounded wake-up call. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2020/03/tv-review-the-plot-against-america/) ## The Ringer — Alison Herman Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 17 March 2020. The critic views the HBO miniseries as a strong David Simon adaptation that honors Philip Roth’s alternate-history vision of creeping fascism while emphasizing intimate family perspectives on eroding democracy. It singles out the character work, particularly Winona Ryder as a collaborationist aunt, and the show’s timely but organic exploration of American identity and prejudice. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2020/03/17/tv/plot-against-america-review-david-simon-philip-roth) ## Collider — Tom Reimann Rating ★★★. 16 March 2020. The critic views it as top-shelf prestige television with gripping drama and outstanding performances but questions its point in 2020, as real events have already mirrored the depicted rise of racist nationalism. It praises the character work and tension but finds the ending ludicrous and the warning too late. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-plot-against-america-review-hbo/) --- © 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/the-plot-against-america.md