❮ The Changeling
Season 1
Season Premiere:
Sep 8, 2023
Metascore
Generally Favorable
64
User score
Mixed or Average
5.0
My Score
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Season Episodes
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
48% Positive
16 Reviews
16 Reviews
45% Mixed
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
6% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Sep 5, 2023
91
It’s not too tough to get lost in the proverbial woods here, but even when we do, this show has established enough trust through competent storycraft that we catch up—and know it’s worth it. The Changeling’s secret weapon is its characterization, with each actor in this cast embodying their respective role so richly.
Sep 8, 2023
80
Thanks to a fine performance from Stanfield as well as a story that’s just starting to get spooky by the end of the first episode, The Changeling hooks in the viewer and gets them ready to follow Apollo on a journey that promises to be full of scares and surprises.
User score
Mixed or Average
25% Positive
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
38% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
38% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
Sep 11, 2023
9
incredibly led by Stanfield and Backo, the show offers a very intriguing atmosphere and a great twist right at the beginning. After the 3 first episodes, viewers are able to see the amount of thoughts on every detail, how careful every story is told, and most importantly, why they are told. i'm really looking forward to see the whole season, dont get carried away by people saying it's too slow or something (it's only 3 episodes, for god's sake).
Sep 8, 2023
6
The Changeling seems pretty promising when you look at it from afar: a super creepy idea, a bunch of skilled actors, and stunning visuals. But, here's the kicker – as cool as it looks on screen, it's also kinda irritatingly written. The story's crammed with way too much stuff, and it's got this really dark and gloomy vibe that just won't let up. No levity, no silver lining, only unrelenting pain. Nothing really makes up for all the relentless misery you have to sit through in the first three episodes. It seems like the story could be going somewhere, in a fantasy direction, but it's too vague and clueless to see a reason to care.
Sep 1, 2023
75
At times, especially in the season’s endgame, it feels like something is lost in translation simply because, well, it has to be translated and made real. Having said that, “The Changeling” works because everyone involved clearly was committed to LaValle’s vision. Stanfield is phenomenal, another excellent performance in an increasingly impressive list of great performances.
Sep 8, 2023
60
The acting and direction are top notch, but convoluted plot and constant twists leave the viewer a little cold. Overall, The Changeling falls short of Apple TV's best, but there's plenty to like nonetheless.
Sep 1, 2023
60
Had The Changeling followed the source material more closely, cut the dead wood and sorted out its pacing at the end, we'd certainly be looking at yet another Apple TV+ hit.
Sep 7, 2023
50
“The Changeling” offers some of the most effective horror I’ve ever seen. The show’s casual, grounded, workaday realism augments the nightmare; the contrast between those registers, whenever they meet, is sharp. Totally arresting. But as the protagonists’ quests weaken their connection to that concrete world, the show’s stakes start to scatter, too, as if pulverized by too many competing symbolic operations.
Sep 7, 2023
30
From the moment “The Changeling” begins until the final scene, it feels as if the creators have no interest in explaining any of the details needed to give this story meaning. What should have been an enchanting horror fantasy gives way to a baffling jigsaw, teetering on the absurd. Some stories, with all of their strangeness and symbolism, are better left on the page.
Sep 10, 2023
5
The acting and the production are good, but the pacing of the show is just so slow and not very interesting. Even though it's called a "Thriller" on Apple TV, it's not very intriguing or thrilling.
