Overview

• All eight episodes of the period drama premiered Sept. 25 on Netflix, tracing the Guinness heirs after Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness’s 1868 death.
• The series blends fact and invention, opening with a disclaimer and featuring fictional characters such as fixer Sean Rafferty and Byron Hedges.
• Critical reaction ranges from praise, including an A- from the Boston Herald, to pans, including a two-star review in the Daily Mail.
• Descendant Molly Guinness criticized the portrayals in a Times piece, calling the characters reductive and objecting to what she sees as inaccuracies.
• Knight and cast members have voiced enthusiasm for future seasons, and tabloids report strong viewership and a second series, but Netflix has not confirmed renewal.