The Paradise (2012–2013) User Reviews

Entertaining enough. just enjoy it.

[missapril75 · 7/10 · 16 October 2012]

I've never been one for 'period' or costume drama but I quite enjoyed the two episodes I've seen so far.

I don't understand the "distinctly cardboard-looking Victorian Street" comment in one of the reviews. Really? It looked real enough to me and judging by the location feature on this site it was.

There are loads of streets like that in the UK. I can think of a few in Bristol alone.

I mistakenly watched the second episode before the first and I was quite surprised to see two or three characters behaving quite differently between the two episodes for no apparent reason.

Other than that, just relax and enjoy it. Or not watch it just to pick out perceived flaws.

A nice replacement for Lark Rise to Candleford

[black_sax · 9/10 · 8 November 2012]

When they cancelled Lark Rise to Candleford, the BBC promised us that it was to "make room for other dramas". So far, I haven't seen anything worth watching, until The Paradise came on. It has the same gentle feel that Lark Rise did, and the same idea of having pride in the work you do. It is really nice to have a TV show which is not obsessed with having nude scenes in it, or using swear words at every turn, but rather concentrating on a good script, and a storyline that makes you want to know what is going to happen next. Some of the characters do feel like they need to find themselves a little bit, but since this is the first series, I think that they can easily be forgiven for that! This is definitely a show to watch, especially if you were a fan of Lark Rise to Candleford.

Period Drama with modern Flair

[jlarson-640-540909 · 8/10 · 23 March 2013]

Sometimes I think I know where this story is going and it suddenly takes a turn not expected.

At first glance many of the situations and characters seem so common or typical. As the story goes along the characters develop rich persona's and quirks of their own. Some of them need work but it's small criticism. Despite it's period setting, the feel is very contemporary and the writing style, sharp for period pieces. Still it's good for young and old. I don't often warm to these period pieces with women in long dresses and lace and the class differences being used as reason for conflict. Paradise seems to give equal standing to all its characters, regardless of class, and invents interesting back stories for so many of them. The sets and scenery and costume are good but not outstanding. The quality comes from the concept and the well written script.

The Paradise

[Buckwheat69 · 10/10 · 2 April 2014]

The Paradise is just that! An amazing show which captivates you very quickly and has you thinking constantly. If it is not about the era, the times, the cast, or writing...It is what is next! I am a definite movie buff with hundreds of thousands of shows watched. Not to say anyone is qualified to say what is good or bad but The Paradise is just simply VERY good in many ways. This series was a refreshing step away from the overdone crime dramas and did not need or require nudity nor profanity to make is superb. Some here criticize the last episode(s) however they may not understand this - the writers knew the show would be canceled well before it ended, sadly, and were required to conjure up a somewhat appealing ending. I am highly disappointed, again, in the BBC's horrid decision to cancel. Those in the BBC who "decided" to cancel are far better off working as shoe makers or barbers and should kindly step out of the entertainment business.

Better than Selfridge's

[cala3 · 8/10 · 28 September 2021]

I couldn't get into Mr. Selfridge but I enjoyed this show. It's a shame there are only two seasons. Why BBC, why??

Don't hesitate to watch this two season show

[padutchland-1 · 31 October 2015]

This is not to summarize the show, that's been done by others. I've read some disparaging remarks about both the show and the actors. I almost did not watch this show on Netflix because of the comments. One poster said it had a horrible ending that made no sense, etc. Another poster has made very unkind comments about some of the actor's abilities. I did not want to take the time to get into two full seasons of a show that had mediocre acting and a poorly written ending. I watched the first episode anyway, then the second. They were very good but I still didn't want to take the plunge. Therefore, a couple of months went by before I watched another episode, then another and another until I said "oh what the heck!" It was pulling me back night after night until I came to the last episode quite expecting to be disappointed in the ending (due to posted comments). I can tell you honestly, and in my humble opinion, that I don't know what those other two posters were watching. The Paradise produced wonderful acting in all parts (remember, these folks are being directed) and there wasn't a thing wrong with the ending. Which brings me back to my summary line - "don't hesitate to watch this two season show!" I believe you will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed it.

The big store

[Lejink · 7/10 · 22 November 2012]

I normally avoid what I call "modern" costume-dramas like the plague, no "Downtons" or "Candlefords" in our house, but having read the source novel by Emile Zola (one of the rare novels my wife and I both enjoyed reading) and believing then that it had continued relevance in today's shopping mall, hypermarket, bigger-is-better consumer society, I was persuaded to tune in.

I'm rather glad I did, as, while I can easily see the soap suds gathering around the fringes, still Zola's story-telling skills shine through. I can't remember enough about the novel to place the appropriate episodes depicted here, although some of course were of modern invention, still I felt as a whole, the series maintained consistency, continuity and credibility throughout.

It's well acted with, in the lead roles, Emun Elliot as the charismatic retail supremo Moray (Mouret, in the original French) and Joanna Vanderham as the initially demure but fast developing shop-girl-in-a-hurry Denise, while the rest of cast support well, with the possible exception of Sarah Lancashire, who overplays the starchy department manageress, Miss Audrey.

I would carp at the sets which seem to be have been done on the cheap, you hardly get the impression that the store is large at all and as for the exteriors, it appears the BBC could only be bothered to dress up one section of the street outside the shop, giving an air of budget-cuts to proceedings.

Nevertheless, this was easy-to-watch family entertainment, which I'm pleased to see has been commissioned for a second series. We'll be watching.

Forget the book

[Perrorist · 9/10 · 27 April 2013]

If you come to this series having first read Zola's book, you'll be greatly disappointed. There are few touch points between the two, and the entire spirit is different as well. What they do have very much in common is the theme of big business relentlessly and irreversibly destroying small business.

That said, I enjoyed this series. Denise is suitably innocent and pure, Moray is single-minded and lecherous, and the introduced character of Jonas is malevolent. Yes, the whole show has Victorian melodrama stamped all over it, but that doesn't make it any less compelling.

Given the ending of series 1, I can't imagine what series 2 will be like.

Series 2 a bit of a let down

[brugly · 6/10 · 19 December 2013]

I have a large home cinema and with many friends enjoyed the DVD of Series 1 even though it stretched the imagination at times. However after viewing the first two episodes of Series 2 I find the new character of the canteen cook Myrtle quite unbelievable. It appears she has been at The Paradise for more than a year as she knows Jonas, and I am sure neither Moray, the very upright Dudley, or Jonas would have hired such a slovenly, grubby, and for the mid 19th century, foul mouthed slut to associate with their well-behaved shop girls let alone cook for them. It is quite unbelievable that Miss Audrey would have put up with her for a minute. Apart from that the other new characters seem believable so far.

I liked it!

[mtl-9 · 8/10 · 15 November 2012]

It's hard for me not to compare this show to Downton Abbey since both series were airing at the same time. I have to say, I found myself looking way more forward to each episode of The Paradise than to the next episode of Downton Abbey. I found the Paradise to be so light, sweet, and feel-good in comparison to DA. It was also very romantic (with some delicious delayed gratification, even!) and best of all... no controversy!! It wasn't all happy, happy (there was even a little Dickensian villainy (Jonas)) but similar to shows like Larkrise to Candleford, in The Paradise the light aspects far outweigh the dark, and that's what I so prefer, I have to say!

The second season was RUINED!!!

[ohlabtechguy · 7/10 · 9 November 2014]

Watched the first series and was totally enchanted by this period costume drama. I knew they had given the ax to the show before I started watching the second series here in the USA. I think I've seen 7 episodes now and it's crazy. Mr. Westin is like some sociopath just ready to explode. With each episode, he gets crueler and crueler to his wife. Denise and Moray, the show's two sweethearts, are driving each other nuts with all their mixed emotions of jealousy and career ambition. At one point, Moray is so disheveled and obviously in a state of personal crisis, that it's a wonder he's still running the STORE. Oh...and then we get to see an unbelievable interracial affair begin to unfold - as in Downton Abbey. The whole thing has gone to hell in a hand basket. At first, I was disappointed they saved Mr. Selfridge but cancelled The Paradise. But now I see why.

ONLY THE BEST GET CANCELLED

[magical-kingdom · 10/10 · 1 March 2018]

Loved it!! This was a thoroughly delightful series to watch. Stunning costumes. Outstanding performances. Based around Paradise, England's first department store, Tollgate Street, its many merchants and surrounding countryside. The Paradise has it all: love, hate, greed, rivalries, betrayals, intrigue, secrecy, control, manipulation and redemption. Moray, who owns and operates the Paradise is tormented by his past,which direction to follow and being true to his heart/soul. He's torn between Katherine, a rich arrogant aristocrat vs Denise, love interest, pretty country girl. Denise and Moray, both have mixed emotions of jealously and career ambition. A cast of interesting characters reveals their own struggles...Jonas, store detective, Mr. Westin, cruel sociopath, Sam, fun loving sales person. A very well written story with many twists & turns. Disappointed the story doesn't continue. FYI AMAZON VIEWER REVIEWS ARE VERY POSITIVE AND MORE FAIR.

Return Again and Again to The Paradise

[karen-loethen · 7/10 · 2 April 2016]

If you are looking for a delightful, beautifully-filmed series that is period drama and romance, look no further. This charming series offers beautiful sets, gorgeous costumes, and surprising story lines.

Dear Denise from the country (Joanna Vanderham) in 1850s England comes to town and begins working in Mr. Moray's department store (the handsome and charming Emun Elliot) called "The Paradise". She quickly proves her skill in working retail and becomes a favorite amid the various social intrigues of the well- cast secondary characters. The series features very fine, hardworking British actors like Peter Wight, Sarah Lancashire, David Bamber, Ruby Bentall, Patrick Malahide, Peter Wight, Arthur Darvill, Matthew McNulty, and Sonya Cassidy. So many favorites.

Have patience and enjoy this series. Two seasons just isn't enough.

A Modern Soap with period costumes

[deesestone · 3/10 · 18 November 2020]

I haven't read the Zola book upon which this series is supposedly based but I have read Zola and there is NO WAY this reflects anything he wrote-- i.e.., an innocent rube's sugar-coated rise to the top. Zola's books were tough, his kind of realism is not reflected in this series. Moreover the series in NO WAY reflects the time in which it was made -- men and women -- in Victorian England no less -----kissing out in the street with impunity, inter-racial sex, women wanting it all and to be treated equally to a man, not to mention the lesbian French woman- a cliché of both lesbians and French, get real, this is not 2020, it's mid -1800. The best thing about this series to me was the store itself, nicely done; I like the costumes too -- the matching hats with the dresses, good work. Other than that thumbs down -- it was a boring slog to get through, but I did, yay me.

great first season, pretty good second

[cherold · 8/10 · 8 September 2020]

This period piece about a young woman who starts work at a department store lead by a charismatic and impetuous director is an enjoyable piece of fluff with a lovely mix of drama, comedy, mystery, and romance. The first season, loosely on a novel, is thoroughly engaging. The second season is fairly compelling as well but also rather daft, with all sorts of logic issues and characters who personality traits have become oddly fluid.

The cast is excellent, particularly the lovely Joanna Vanderham in the main role and David Hayman as the mysterious Jonas. It's a shame this only got two seasons. Definitely recommended.

Best ever

[atamotua-654-93784 · 10/10 · 3 June 2014]

witty, moving, adorable, suspenseful, intriguing, and the list goes on... hats off... pun intended... I simply stumbled upon this series by just randomly clicking on my Netflix pages... This show had me from the first few scenes... the amazing music, the place/setting, and people... then as it progressed, the plots, the conversations, the atmosphere, etc... you really have something good to learn from this... good brain and heart food... i was watching the screen, but i could feel it, smell it, touch it... very captivating... I really wish there were more shows like this... or that this one would never end... I did not really want to say much about this show because I simply just want you to try it and see how good it is for yourself, without too much of my input on it (but i'm forced to enter at least 10 lines) I'm in love...

Decent adaptation of Zola's classic to a Northern England location although lacks French angle

[ToneBalone60 · 7/10 · 10 February 2024]

Am entertaining drama keeping to the overall theme of Zola's novel.

Episodes tend to focus on different subjects, many not from the novel and sometimes a little trite and often in a soap opera manner.

But the overall trajectory of the series follows the social, political and psychological themes of the novel and the destination of the plot.

A cast of strong actors with Sarah Lancashire shining in her somewhat tragicomic portrayal of Miss Audrey.

Sonya Cassidy and David Hayman both deliver superb supporting performances as the villains of the piece.

I did find Joanna Vanderham's Denise a bit too saccharine and too perfect.

In the novel Denise comes from rural poverty and her character is much less refined and urbanised than the TV series portrays and she is in the novel a rather unkempt and slightly brash country lass.

Maxine Peak would have nailed it.

Personally i think Mathew McNulty as a seasoned British period drama actor would have been better cast as Moray. He is somewhat redundant here as Dudley.

The actors playing the lower shop staff I'm afraid are less convincing and are the elements that bring the soap opera and banal subplots which weaken the production somewhat to the point of irritation.

Overall another well structured, alluring period piece from the BBC.

Read the book though to get the best from this novel which really was based on the world's first department store; The famous Bon Marche in Paris (still trading today in the site of the small shops of the Left Bank that it eventually devoured) an often overlooked tourist and historical landmark.

The novel explores in more detail the huge social changes of the Belle Epoque era. The change in retail and the impact and upheaval on small shops and craft industries by this often overlooked part of the industrial revolution and the shift from Agricultural to urban economies.

We also miss the particular French angle of the evolution of fashion and haute couture which catapulted Paris into the global fashion hub that it is today.

This is something that can't be replicated in northern England where at that time textiles were only manufactured rather than turned into their final products.

They were swiftly moved south to be designed & retailed to the upper classes. The concept of department stores didn't arrive in Northern England until the mid 20th century and large scale retail luxury fashion not untill the 1990's.

a good show

[ketan-solanki111 · 8/10 · 2 December 2012]

The Paradise is a very good show,you can see culture about 19 century of British empire.people who make the show work hard to cover details of that time and also great effort on thinking and behaving of people.the characters are splendid and idea about creating this show is kinda different and also it's very good to watch.people who loves 19 century styles and living,this drama show will attract you so much.this show also teach you how to establish a good business,if you are willing to one.many inspiration things you can find in this show.in today's world people forgot to care about their staff and there is very rare such thing like loyalty and honesty in big supermarkets/shops/firms,but in this show you will see such things.At last a very good show,who likes old time drama and want some inspiration must watch it.

Great sets, costumes, story lines, but strange casting.

[Laight · 7/10 · 9 January 2020]

There's a lot to like in this fluffy show if you enjoy costume dramas - the show takes viewers back to England in the 1870s with style and flair. The scripts are good enough (although too often the plot depends on coincidence and constantly overheard conversations), the direction acceptable (but fraught with too many overly emotional reactions shots), and the pacing brisk. But the actors! The secondary players are all exactly what you'd expect from such a production (especially Miss Audrey, who brings a little much needed humor to the show), but the leading man looks like a gay clone from 1970s San Francisco with his weird facial hair and wildly overdramatic expressions (and although he's supposed to be dashing, he seems to be about a foot shorter than the leading ladies). The aristocratic Katherine is played by a woman who more resembles a dazed graduate student than a Victorian beauty. And the leading lady is bland, although it's a tough role to carry off, being the least interesting character. All in all, it's just kind of weird watching these lost thespians wander about while everyone else in the cast looks and acts the part.

I loved this series

[gailene-613-123456 · 9/10 · 27 January 2015]

I might be slightly prejudiced due to my costuming background and love of period pieces by BBC... you are forewarned :-) This was a thoroughly delightful series to watch and I was hooked after the first 15 minutes of the first episode. Costuming is absolutely gorgeous and true to the period and class structure of the times (1875-188?). The setting, scenery and sets are near perfection. All works together to draw you into the place that is the Paradise, England's first department store, Tollgate Street and its many merchants and the surrounding countryside where the gentry reside.

This TV series drops us into Victorian England and shows us a variety of class members through stories of their lives. We are invited into their homes, shops, places of work and places they play and relax. The Paradise department store is the fulcrum around which all these stories revolve. Businesses and business dealings, the under belly of English society, working class girls, shop owners and their worries, the complexities of love and the consequences of hate. The relationships and back stories of each character are drawn out a bit at a time and the story lines keep moving along episode after episode so the audience is never bored.

The Paradise is full of love and hate, rivalries and partnerships, betrayals and reconciliations, intrigue and secrecy, a touch of sex and a little violence. Everything to make it a fun and interesting show to watch.

In the second series the beginnings, the catalyst to, the rise of the women's movement is touched upon a little more with each episode. Through the main character, Denise, we get to see the reactions of the men around her, who claim to love her, to her entrepreneurial spirit and her desire to be more... to be a career minded business woman.

Many other political and class-based issues are touched upon including the plight of soldiers who have returned from brutal wars and the scars, both physical and mental, they bear. The severe inequalities of the class structure are also showcased. I strongly recommend this series to all who love great Historic Fiction... and fabulous costuming and sets.

a continued deteriorating process

[rightwingisevil · 1 April 2013]

the series suffered a continuous deteriorating process. at the very beginning, it looked so fresh and so promising, but after just two episodes, we suddenly realized that the casting was not good, the murray character was definitely a wrong cast, very unlikable and the actor who played that role simply turned out to be shallow and very unlikable. then the one-arm dark shadow in a modern department? what a joke! why put a charles dickens typical and formulaic role in it? a dark force so inappropriately and ridiculously arranged in this series only proved that the screenplay writers were with limited imagination. the series gradually ridiculed itself from episode to episode and especially the episodes in the later part.

slightly less than paradise

[selffamily · 6/10 · 28 October 2016]

I finished reading the book "the ladies paradise" not long ago and a friend and I were discussing it, and found a TV version on Ebay. Well of course it's nothing like the book, except it's an innovative department store in a large city - can't actually work out where it's supposed to be as everyone seems to be from Northern areas, if not Scotland - and the lead girl is called Denise. After that,the story changes radically and becomes, dare I say it, nearly as trite as Downton. Not having finished watching season one, I can only wait and see, but while the theme of the story is similar (no Miss Audrey in the book, with or without hot flushes) I would like to have seen a French version, as I don't think they would have dumbed down the story as much. I am enjoying the series so something is working. What happened to the brilliant series that the BBC used to produce?

Season 1 Costumes

[NYCostumer · 8/10 · 17 September 2020]

After having just watched all episodes from season 1 of the this series I am curious from which circus many of the costumes for some of the characters escaped? From the fit, cut, fabrics and trims to the audacious color contrasts within garments I find so many of the costumes completely theatrical and unbelievable. So sad and disappointing compared to the production design attention to period details. Perhaps that's where the budget went? I look forward to season 2 and hoping that a different design eye may correct many of the problems.

Only okay

[crazy_smilers · 6/10 · 16 June 2017]

I'm glad the show rapped up more or less by the end. I was fearful for a cliffhanger. Season 2 was certainly better though no mention of where Pauline went. Guess she didn't win over Sam.

Very much a PG show. I was looking for something to suck me in but this was not it. Denise arrives already in love with Mr Moray. Ummm wtf?!!!! She just arrived. Nothing seemed like she was in love except people saying it. I found none of the romances to feel real just seemed well acting. I don't like that. I want to feel it is real. Hope for couples to be together. At times I didn't know where people's thoughts or feelings were such as Jonas. Where did his loyalty actually lie. I don't know how shows make romances feel so real but if this show had of accomplished that for me it would have been better. I'm comparing to Downton Abbey where romances felt real. Guess I'm still on the hunt for something to quench my thirst since Downton is no more.

Quick last minute solutions

[ckootstra · 5/10 · 12 December 2013]

After watching all episodes but the last of this costume drama, I was still able to agree with almost everything my preceding reviewers have written. No it's not great; yes, the acting isn't always spot on; no the writing leaves a lot to be desired, but the series stuck like glue. But with the last episode on the screen, I found out what I really had been watching all that time: the prelude to a terrible accident. What a disaster that last episode was ! Did the original screenplay writer collide with the number 12 bus, and did the producers then decide to employ the Sun's editor? Did the screenwriter say: I still have material for five episodes, to which the producer said: put it all in the last one? Did everyone just improvise on camera? We will never know. What I do know though is that it was about nothing; it looked like nothing and it sounded like nothing. Characters changed overnight; Evil Tom Weston got hit by a magic stick and started loving his wife and daughter; Jonas Franks got it suddenly all wrong in his desire to serve and protect; Moray lost his last braincells and started gambling for the store; and Denise became a makeup inventor and .... (I forgot what else she was up to; it was all too confusing). Soooo, after 15 episodes of intrigue and drama, the 16th took care of all ills in a jiffy. Incroyable !! Send me Bill Gallagher anytime that I need my drains pumped; I can do with a quick problem solver.