The Casual Vacancy (TV Miniseries)

"'The Casual Vacancy' is more interesting than it is enjoyable, an unsparing look at the reality of English country life, not the reverie." 

"There are so many characters (...) that 'Casual Vacancy' spends virtually all of the first hour just introducing them (...) The third finally seeks to bring a measure of tragic resolution to it all, while leaving a number of threads a bit too casually dangling." 

"'The Casual Vacancy' is a heartbreaking, thought-provoking if occasionally simplistic look at the tyrannical power of the picturesque." 

"The story--while it may have been fun to read on paper--is slight and even puzzling on screen. (...) Rating: ★★ (out of four)" 

"Despite the treacly smugness, which doesn’t become fully evident until the third episode, it’s easy to get caught up in 'The Casual Vacancy’s' soapy drama and to admire a number of the performances."