Even many George Eliot fans, people who swear by Middlemarch, haven't read Daniel Deronda -- it simply isn't as good as most of Eliot's output. Still it's a major novel and deserves adaptation. Here the prolific writer Andrew Davis does a good job trying to compress a lot of plot into a relatively short series. Some of it is well done, some of it not so much.
The bigger issue is the cast. Romola Garai does her usual excellent job as the selfish but beautiful heroine -- why didn't she become a bigger star considering she's like a much more beautiful Meryl Streep, and as good an actor? But Hugh Dancy is poorly cast as the title character. Instead of being brooding and introverted, Dancy comes across like a pretty fop, wearing lots of nice clothes and smiling a lot. He's done some good work but this is not what you should judge him by.
Worse is Hugh Bonneville as the evil villain -- Bonneville is an excellent actor but his sweet plump face isn't the right visage for one of the English novel's most dastardly men. Just doesn't work. Still, given the beautiful costumes and sets, Garai's excellent performance, and the intelligence of the script, the show is worth watching -- if you can stand two male leads.
The bigger issue is the cast. Romola Garai does her usual excellent job as the selfish but beautiful heroine -- why didn't she become a bigger star considering she's like a much more beautiful Meryl Streep, and as good an actor? But Hugh Dancy is poorly cast as the title character. Instead of being brooding and introverted, Dancy comes across like a pretty fop, wearing lots of nice clothes and smiling a lot. He's done some good work but this is not what you should judge him by.
Worse is Hugh Bonneville as the evil villain -- Bonneville is an excellent actor but his sweet plump face isn't the right visage for one of the English novel's most dastardly men. Just doesn't work. Still, given the beautiful costumes and sets, Garai's excellent performance, and the intelligence of the script, the show is worth watching -- if you can stand two male leads.