Normal People

Marianne and Connell weave in and out of each other's lives in this exploration of sex, power and the desire to love and be loved.

Normal People (2020) is a British-Irish limited series created for BBC Three, adapted from the Sally Rooney novel. Paul Mescal plays Connell Waldron, a quiet, popular boy from a modest home in a small Irish town, and Daisy Edgar-Jones plays Marianne Sheridan, a sharp, isolated classmate from a wealthy family. Across twelve half-hour episodes, the two weave in and out of each other's lives from secondary school through university in Dublin, circling a relationship that keeps being shaped by shame, money and the fear of being seen. The engine is simple and painful: each wants to be loved, yet each keeps retreating when the other gets close, and the story follows the small conversations, late-night messages and awkward reunions that make up their on-off bond. Its single season is a tight, intimate miniseries with a naturalistic, unhurried pace. The tone is wistful, sensual and melancholy, with a clear-eyed view of power inside intimacy. Fans of Before Sunrise, Brooklyn and Aftersun will find resonance in its quiet, emotionally honest portrait of first love and class.

Critics broadly acclaim the intimate performances and the honest, unsentimental portrait of first love and class difference between two young people in Ireland.

• Aftersunintimate coming of age romance, class divides, bittersweet emotional register
• Before Sunriseon and off romance between two young people across years, quiet emotional realism
• Brooklynintimate small town to university coming of age, class tension and first love
• Pride and Prejudice (1995)slow burn romance with class tension and bittersweet emotional register

Release Date

2020-04-26

Episode runtime

30 min

Rating

8.4 / 10 (1415)

What is Normal People about?

Two young people from the same Irish town slip in and out of each other's lives as class, pride and insecurity pull them apart.

What is Normal People like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Normal People as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.

Is Normal People violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Normal People.

What did critics think of Normal People?

Critics broadly acclaim the intimate performances and the honest, unsentimental portrait of first love and class difference between two young people in Ireland.

Which shows are like Normal People?

Shows with a similar feel include Aftersun, Before Sunrise, Brooklyn, and Pride and Prejudice (1995).

How long is Normal People?

Normal People: 1 season, 12 episodes.

Is Normal People still running?

No, Normal People has ended.

Where can I watch Normal People?

In United States, Normal People streams on Hulu.