New serial killer thriller labelled ‘one of the best shows Netflix has ever done’ drops today

It’s been labelled a ‘near-perfect series’

Based on Patricia Highsmith’s bestselling crime novel The Talented Mr Ripley, the eight-episode series sees Andrew Scott star as the titular Tom Ripley, a grifter scraping by in early 1960s New York who is hired by a wealthy man to travel to Italy to try to convince his vagabond son to return home. His acceptance of the job is the first step into a complex life of deceit, fraud and murder.

Ripley landed on Netflix in the UK and Ireland today (April 4) and has already received rave reviews.

Reacting to the series on social media, one person labelled it the “best TV I’ve seen in a long time,” adding that Scott will “be getting every gong going.”

Another said: “I’m having a big cuppa tea and watching the first episode of #Ripley on Netflix and I’m here to tell you that it and Andrew Scott are both astonishingly beautiful & strange & deeply unsettling & you should watch it.”

The reviews from critics have been positive as well, with Scott in particular receiving acclaim for his performance.

In a five-star review, the Guardian said the series surpassed Matt Damon’s 1999 film version “largely thanks to Scott, who is just mesmerising.”

BBC Culture also handed Ripley a five-star rating, saying: “The great Andrew Scott brings a hum of sinister energy to the role of Tom Ripley, in a psychological thriller full of suspense from the start.”

Meanwhile, Collider said Ripley is a “near-perfect series” thanks to its “ensemble cast, stellar cinematography, and adept direction.” The publication added that the show is “easily one of the best shows Netflix has ever done.”

And, in a four-star review, Empire described the show as “a slick, stark series”, adding: “It is rare to find television this genuinely ambitious or finely tuned.”

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