Ranking Every HBO Drama Series From Worst To Best
20. His Dark Materials
The big screen adaptation of Philip Pullman’s bestselling His Dark Materials was a major letdown. New Line Cinema had visions of a new Harry Potter on their hands; instead The Golden Compass was a disappointment, watered down and dismissed by fans of the series and newbies alike.
The TV version, another HBO/BBC collab, is much more like it. Writer Jack Thorne’s vision is much more in line with Pullman’s, maintaining the darker elements of the book as well as the author’s critique of organised religion, which was lifted wholesale from the sanitised Hollywood version.
As is so often the case with adaptations of beloved works, at times His Dark Materials is reverent to a fault. The creative team seems to feel that nothing can be omitted, which can lead to pacing issues.
This is a relatively minor complaint, though, and for fans of the series especially this is a comprehensive capturing of its spirit with all the magic, wonder, and danger that entails.