Anne Boleyn (TV series)

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 53% based on 20 critic reviews, with an average rating of 6.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Though the show around her isn't quite up to snuff, there's no denying the pleasure of Jodie Turner-Smith's powerful turn as the one-and-only Anne Boleyn."^[13]

The Guardian and The Independent both gave the drama 3 stars out 5. Lucy Mangan of the former said the series "works" but criticised its "silly surplus of metaphors" and portrayal of Henry.^[14] Adam White of the latter found the show a "soapy romp" but that it made sense for the story being told.^[15] Turner-Smith's performance was widely praised. Beth Webb of Empire called the series a "showcase of Jodie Turner-Smith's resilience as a performer" and mentioned how the "small but well-assembled supporting cast elevates her performance".^[16]

There was several criticism of the race swapping historical characters and blackwashing, as some of the actors were black while the characters portrayed were white, such as Boleyn herself, highlighting above all the fact that it is a historical series with real and well-known historical characters as protagonists.^[17] The Radio Times described this as "identity-conscious casting" and quoted the actor Mark Stanley: "It was all about this being the right person for the job, rather than what we as a society might perceive as the 'right look' for the job".^[18]

• Official website
• Anne Boleyn at IMDb