As Bodyguard hits Netflix, what US critics think of Britain's biggest ever drama

The season one finale of Bodyguard was the UK’s most watched drama TV episode since records began, attracting 17.1 million viewers once BBC iPlayer is taken into account.

The Richard Madden-starring thriller, about a police protection officer protecting a politician, was a hit right from the opening episode, and news of its success quickly reached American shores. But will US critics be as enamoured of Bodyguard as those in the UK generally were?

Season one is released on Netflix for non-UK territories today (24 October). Here are the takes of the major US publications that have covered the show:

Deadline, Dominic Patten

“Bodyguard comes with the benefit and burden of having been a massive hit over in Britain. Yet, despite the BBC six-parter being watched by an audience of 11 million at its peak on the other side of the Atlantic, the series [...] is a stiffly mixed collection of conspiracy clichés.”

“Virtually handing you a set of storyline binoculars if you can’t see the plot lines coming down the track, the Jed Mercurio-created Bodyguard finds itself more often than not heading towards the weaker aspects of a Designated Survivor.”

“Unfortunately, full of filler where there should be thriller, Bodyguard just can’t get the job done, literally or figuratively.”

The New York Times, Mike Hale

“In Bodyguard, Mercurio’s breakneck story feels, at every moment, both carefully constructed and made up on the spot.”

“It can also be a blast, if you’re all about the mystery and the forward momentum and your requirements for plausibility and psychological realism aren’t high. Whether American viewers will be sucked in the way British viewers were is a question that won’t get a definitive answer, since Netflix releases no numbers. British shows that hit it big in America tend to be raucous comedies.”

Variety, Daniel D’Addario

“This show excels at both the daring, gasp-inducing twist and the methodical construction of slower-burning thrills.”

“With nearly as much sprightly imagination as fellow recent British thriller Killing Eve and a committed, gritty relentlessness all its own, Bodyguard makes for the most engaging sort of binge, and for a perfect fall-weekend Netflix series.”

NPR, John Powers

“The show doesn’t seek to alert us to the dangers of terrorism and government malfeasance — by now, we’ve had all the warnings we need. Instead, Bodyguard reduces the things that scare us to shamelessly white-knuckled entertainment with a neat resolution. Don’t worry, it suggests: It’s just another thriller.”

Collider, Allison Keen

“Bodyguard is an exhilarating ride that truly showcases Madden as a major talent, one who is capable of not just leading Winterfell’s bannermen in Game of Thrones, but leading this breakout series and others — or even a certain movie franchise.”

Los Angeles Times, Robert Lloyd

Some elements of the series struck me as odd, including what seems an endorsement of the surveillance state, and certain climactic revelations had me talking to the screen. But the action is well mounted and the tension tightly wound; it uncoils, when it does, with a satisfying snap.

Forbes, Merrill Barr

“The action and style are what make Bodyguard accessible. The exploration of PTSD is what makes Bodyguard great. This is a show worth watching and one that we can only hope to see more of down the road. Netflix was right to bring this show to the States – especially when one considers how many veterans make up the streamer’s audience who might find much to connect to in the series as a whole.”