Netflix Recommendation: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

I’m always on the lookout for good things to watch on Netflix, and I’d heard rumblings about Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. I read the book back in the day, and I remember liking it, although thinking that it had a ton of characters and was fairly slow. Fortunately for this mini-series, those are exactly the sort of traits that turn into assets on the screen.

The premise is that magic is rediscovered in 19th Century England, although there are only two people who can actually do it: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. They develop a sort of love/hate relationship as they try to explore the new field. They also take part in a number of historical events (all now tweaked by the existence of magic, of course.)

Take Jane Austen and add just a dash of Game of Thrones, and you’ve got a fair approximation of this, with the exception being that four episodes in, it’s pretty much squeaky clean. (No need to worry about language and sex in this series, though I doubt kids would like it much.)

Denisa and I are 4 episodes in, and we’re really enjoying it. (There are 7 total, I believe.) It’s compelling television. Well acted and interestingly plotted, and it’s hard to guess what’s going to happen next. If you’re looking for a new show to binge watch, look no further. (Though it will sadly only take you a tiny bit of bingeing to get through it. Who doesn’t miss the days of finding an excellent entire new series just sitting there waiting for you? Battlestar Galactica. Buffy. Sigh.)

Anyway. Any of you out there seen it already? What are your thoughts?