The English, an American Western TV show created by the BBC, has been hailed a masterpiece by critics and viewers. The six-episode miniseries features Emily Blunt as a woman hell-bent on revenge. Cornelia Locke has travelled from England to the American frontier to pursue of the man sho blames for the death of her son.

The show’s synposis reads: “America, 1890 – two strangers are drawn together in a violent landscape built on dreams and blood. An epic tale of love, revenge and power starring Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer.”

Written and directed by English flilmmaker and actor Hugo Blick, The English debuted on BBC Two in November 2022.

Critics have praised the show’s story, visuals, and acting. For their roles, Blunt received a nomination for Best Actress at the Screen Actors Guild Awards whilst Chaske Spencer was in contention for Best Actor at the BAFTAs.

In the first episode, Cornelia crosses paths with Eli Whipp, a Pawnee native and former scout for the US Army, who is on his own mission to claim the land in Nebraska he is owed for his military service. 

When Cornelia arrives in her hostel in Kansas, she discovers the manager of the hotel, Mr Watts (Ciarán Hinds), torturing Eli. It becomes apparant that news of her quest has travelled and Watts is under instruction to kill her and pin the blame on Eli. Thus, their fates become intwined.

It holds an 84% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Guardian dubbed the show a “sensational masterpiece” with Blunt and Spencer’s performances as a “revelation”.

As another critic put it: “Bloody and brutal but also immensely satisfying, The English is everything a modern Western epic should be.”

“The English is a masterclass in the Western genre, that deserves to be experienced on the largest screen possible,” said Yahoo! movies.

Pajiba went into detail about the show’s visuals: “The English is one of the most beautifully shot TV shows I’ve seen in a long time, with its deliberate genre landscapes, dramatic close-ups, and dark silhouettes achieved with consistent excellence on the small screen.”

Viewers have lavished praise on the show, even attracting people who aren’t fans of the Western genre. The top user review on IMDn reads: “I’m not someone who seeks out a western, people tend to be almost fanatical about them and other than a few one offs (Tombstone was great), it’s just an occasional viewing for me. The English is awesome in almost every category across the board and I was blown away by it.”

Another wrote said: “I watched the first episode and i just know ill finish the whole series I thought it was powerful and moving…not to mention visually striking. I genuinely didnt expect it to hook me so strongly.”

The English is available to stream on BBC iPlayer and on Prime Video for Amazon subscribers.