Eddie Marsan
Bertie Carvel
Alice Englert
Marc Warren
Samuel West
Charlotte Riley
Enzo Cilenti
Paul Kaye
Edward Hogg
Claudia Jessie

Peter Harness

Miniseries
Fantasy, History
2015-
BBC America

TV-14

BBC America’s “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell,” adapted from Susanna Clarke’s entertaining novel of the same name, has dialogue and a look akin to what one might find in an adaptation of a Jane Austen novel. This is early 19th century England, after all. The atmosphere is a bit drearier, though – it is about magic, adult magic, so that’s understandable. Plus, the Napoleonic Wars play a role. The pacing is tight, and the execution insistent. The camerawork follows suit. It’s a spirited affair, but magic is taken seriously here. It’s a dour spirit. (Eddie Marsan’s Mr. Norrell is as grumpy – he would say practical – as possible on the subject. He suffers no fools on the topic. Bertie Carvel’s Jonathan Strange is his eventual antithesis.)

Actually, during the first episode, the joke’s on the characters who find the practice of magic comical, despite their participation in a society of magic. Except for two of their members, they seem to be more interested in food than in magic. They certainly don’t want to be bothered with the practice of magic; that would be ungentlemanly. That kind of irony is true to this miniseries’ source material.

When the magic happens, the effects are credible. They’re grounded, yet they retain an appropriate sense of wonder. And the acting is solid throughout. This is the kind of show that will appeal to adult readers of the “Harry Potter” book series. It’s restrained yet intriguing in its own way. It’s perfect Saturday night TV for me. Count me in.

Verdict: Good to Very Good

About: (Source: strangenorrell)

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is set during the Napoleonic Wars in an England where magic once existed and is about to return. So begins a dangerous battle between two great men. Eddie Marsan (Ray Donovan, The World’s End), Olivier award-winning Bertie Carvel (Restless, Matilda), Charlotte Riley (Wuthering Heights, Easy Virtue), and Alice Englert (Ginger & Rosa, Beautiful Creatures) star in the seven-part mini-series, which has been adapted from Susanna Clarke’s bestselling novel by Peter Harness (Wallander, Doctor Who) and directed by Toby Haynes (Sherlock, Doctor Who).

1806. England is beleaguered by the long war with Napoleon and centuries have passed since practical magicians faded into the nation’s past. However, scholars of this glorious history discover that one remains — the reclusive and skillful Mr Norrell (Marsan). His displays of magic soon thrill the nation. In London, he raises the beautiful Lady Pole (Englert) from the dead and summons an army of ghostly ships to terrify the French.

Soon the cautious and fussy Norrell is challenged by the emergence of another magician: the brilliant novice Jonathan Strange (Carvel). While trying to secure his beloved Arabella’s (Riley) hand in marriage, he meets a vagabond, the magician of Threadneedle Street, Vinculus (Paul Kaye, Game of Thrones, Stella), who tells him he is destined to be a great magician. Young, handsome and daring, Strange is the very antithesis of Norrell. A dangerous battle ensues between the two great men. Their obsessions and secret dabbling’s with the dark arts will cause more trouble than they can imagine.