The Hollywood Reporter's review of MGM+ and BBC One's new four-part adaptation of Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities" delivers a lukewarm verdict, calling it neither the best nor worst version of the classic, but the "meh-est" one yet. Critic assessment matters because the novel has never had a definitive screen adaptation, giving this version a rare opportunity that showrunner Daniel West's take largely squanders through bland staging and a lack of emotional depth.

The series stars Mirren Mack as Lucie Manette, François Civil as Charles Darnay and Kit Harington as Sydney Carton, with both men falling for Lucie despite what the reviewer describes as wholly absent chemistry between all three leads. The production is criticised for its uninspired sets, described as near-identical warehouse-style stages, and for narrative choices, such as giving Lucie an odd surgical subplot, that add little to the story. The review notes this is the first major English-language adaptation since a 1989 Masterpiece Theatre version, and situates it among recent Dickens adaptations seen as straying from the author's spirit.