SummarySet in the late 1850s, Patrick Sumner (Jack O'Connell), a disgraced ex-army surgeon finds a job as a doctor on an Arctic whaling ship where he faces not only harsh conditions but also brutal crewmates including harpooner Henry Drax (Colin Farrell) in this drama miniseries based on Ian McGuire's novel of the same name.
The North Water
Season 1 Premiere:
Jul 15, 2021
Metascore
Generally Favorable
74
User score
Generally Favorable
7.8
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All Seasons
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
85% Positive
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
15% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Jul 12, 2021
83
This an ambitious piece of fiction, a story not so much of redemption but of sheer survival. The former may be what people often seek, but the latter is what they are so often reduced to finding.
Dec 2, 2021
80
While slow to start off with, The North Water develops into a gripping watch as the characters are dealt one misfortune after another.
User score
Generally Favorable
85% Positive
22 Ratings
22 Ratings
12% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
4% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
Aug 9, 2021
10
Terrific. The best TV show in years. The acting is impeccable, the characters well-developed. It's truly a marvel to behold.
Aug 4, 2021
10
Incredibly intense and bleak. The cast is great, with an unrecognizable Collin Farrell. Sad this didn't get more promotion.
Sep 13, 2021
80
The North Water has a great cast, an expensive boat, a dark and engaging story, and a sinister mood.
Jul 29, 2021
80
Gripping. ... Joseph (Heart of Darkness) Conrad would approve. [2 - 15 Aug 2021, p.9]
Jul 19, 2021
70
We suspect that the remaining four episodes of the limited series will pick up, as the ship actually fulfills its doomed mission as an insurance claim. But if you want to get a good idea about the main two characters, the first episode does a fine job setting things up.
Jul 12, 2021
63
Haigh’s “The North Water” possesses every psychological and humanist component required to elucidate the nature of good and evil, including all of the shades in between, but wastes too much effort trying to discover profound significance rather than fortifying its lackluster characters.
Jul 14, 2021
60
Watching The North Water is to constantly alternate between admiring the attempt to tackle a difficult genre at all and being aware that if you’re a fan of the genre, nearly everything you’re seeing has been done before, if not always better.
Jan 20, 2026
8
Finally, a great series, with actors in splendid form and an evocative setting... I really appreciated that it was a self-contained miniseries, a sort of serialized movie (I hate endless series that always end unfinished or in a haphazard **** two leads were truly excellent: an unrecognizable, bearded Colin Farrell and an equally good Jack O'Connell (the real protagonist) as the young doctor, but so were the rest of the cast, starting with the ship's crew.
Jul 29, 2021
0
I don't know what is worse the terrible writing, the horrible acting or painful accents. On second thought it is the agonizing accents. There is no subtilty in this show. It is a real shame since I loved the landscapes and the ship.
Production Company:
- See-Saw Films
- Rhombus Media
- British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
- Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
- Super Channel
- Ici Télé
- Canada Media Fund (CMF)
- BBC Studios Distribution
- Anton Capital Entertainment
Initial Release Date:Jul 15, 2021
Number of seasons:1 Season
Rating:TV-MA
Awards
Canadian Screen Awards, CA
• 4 Nominations
Satellite Awards
• 2 Nominations
Directors Guild of Canada
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
