Cursed Review: 6 Ups & 4 Downs

3. The Sometimes Generic Plotting

While Cursed does a mostly impressive job of re-contextualising Arthurian lore in a clever and contemporary way, it does have to be said that much of the core story feels rather "been there, done that," even accepting it as legend.

The A-to-Z particulars of Nimue's journey don't often stray far from the expected fantasy tropes, and because this is a show existing in 2020, of course it needs to saddle Nimue with an added wealth of family melodrama. That's not to forget an unnecessary romance between Nimue and Arthur (Devon Terrell).

Elsewhere neither the manoeuvring of the evil Red Paladins - an Evangelical group wishing to rid the world of magic - nor the political posturing of the foppish King Uther (Sebastian Armesto) ever quite break outside of the typical genre wheelhouse.

Though none of this is bad, it just works against the show's more inventive storytelling flourishes, and sometimes makes Cursed feel a little more ordinary than you might hope for.