TV Review: AMC’s ‘Turn’

AMC takes viewers to the 1700s with Revolutionary War drama Turn. The Jamie Bell starrer premieres on the cabler on Sunday at 9 p.m. Below is a compilation of reviews from around the web.

“There are nice touches as this loosely fact-based story plays out, particularly in its attempt to move the Revolution from our detached view of Yankee Doodle and midnight rides to a more realistic take on the upheaval caused by what was partly a war against the British and partly a civil war between the two American factions.”
Robert Bianco, USA Today

“Still, the inherent tension viewers have come to expect from a spy yarn feels as muted as the color palette beyond those florid Red coats. And the hours progress with only marginal momentum, suggesting the show might prove as long a slog as the war itself.”
Brian Lowry, Variey

“Where I admire Turn’s ever-so-slight update to the style of stories about the War of Independence, others might find it not nearly snazzy enough. And while I think the main characters — performed by mostly youngish, barely known actors — are even more compelling because they actually existed, it remains to be seen if any of them become the sort of TV character you’d tweet about.”
Hank Stuever, The Washington Post

“Turn suffers from Forrest Gump disease, wherein all of its characters are always, magically, in exactly the right place to affect history. Somehow, everything that Abe—just one guy, in one town—sees and hears is directly relevant to the battle plans of his friends—just a few guys, in one regiment.”
Willa Paskin, Slate

Take away the red coats, muskets and powdered wigs and AMC's new Revolutionary War series Turn is a fairly standard spy story.
David Wiegand, San Francisco Gate

Jessika Walsten

Jessika is an analyst for TVREV and Fabric Media. She previously served in various roles at Broadcasting + Cable, Multichannel News and NextTV, working with the brands since 2013. A graduate of USC Annenberg, Jessika has edited and reported on a variety of subjects in the media and entertainment space, including profiles on industry leaders and breaking news.