Yahoo News Game of Thrones star's new series gets mediocre Rotten Tomatoes score
Game of Thrones star Lena Headey has a new series out, but the reviews aren't too favourable.
Beacon 23 follows Stephan James as a man in the 23rd century who works at a lighthouse in space (the titular beacon), helping passing ships travel safely.
Headey, who played Cersei Lannister in HBO hit Game of Thrones, features as a woman who becomes trapped with the man at the lighthouse as they attempt to suss one another out.
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While the premise promises sci-fi delights, reviews suggest there is little joy to be found in this space-set drama from Zak Penn (Free Guy, Ready Player One). Currently, the show sits at a middling 57% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Chase Hutchinson (Collider) wrote: "Although there can be spectacular sci-fi that reaches new heights while remaining grounded, Beacon 23 is stuck on the surface of what should be a rich portrait of its characters. The adrift space lighthouse of its setting is never all that illuminating."
Elijah Gonzalez (Paste Magazine) explained: "Its discursions into its sci-fi backdrop increasingly came across like empty lore dumps rather than meaningful additions to its narrative, and worse, it was unable to effectively communicate its characters’ motivations, resulting in stilted drama."
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Some critics did find more positive things to write about the show, however, with Manuel Betancourt (The AV Club) observing: "Beacon 23 is at its best when its laser focus stays on its two protagonists as they try to figure out if they’re friends or foes."
Angie Han (The Hollywood Reporter) wrote: "Those with enough curiosity and patience to wait out its rough patches — and those with a taste for cerebral sci-fi — may find themselves falling under its plaintive spell."
The show had a rocky road to streaming after it was saved from cancellation following the closure of the original production company. Headey, meanwhile, has had a tough time recently after she was left out of action for six weeks with an and had to drop out of an upcoming horror movie.
Beacon 23 is airing on MGM+.
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