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Season 1 – The Pillars of the Earth

Play trailer Poster for Season 1 – The Pillars of the Earth 2010 Drama History Romance Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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77% Tomatometer 30 Reviews 86% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Set in 12th-century England, this eight-hour miniseries based on Ken Follett's best-seller begins when a mysterious secret disrupts the succession to the English throne and an unlikely member of King Henry's family assumes power. As battles are waged for the rightful heir, Bishop Waleran Bigod and the Hamleighs manipulate the conflict to meet their own needs. Meanwhile, a fire destroys Kingsbridge church, giving master builder Tom, son Alfred and stepson Jack the chance to fulfill diocese leader Prior Philip's lifelong dream of building a magnificent new cathedral. The bishop, though, has other ideas, creating an epic test of passion versus greed ... and ultimately revealing the long-hidden secret.
The Pillars of the Earth — Season 1

What to Know

Critics Consensus

With its talented cast and strong production values, Pillars of the Earth is the kind of satisfying, eventful miniseries that is rarely seen these days.

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Critics Reviews

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Michael Deacon Daily Telegraph (UK) The political intrigue - involving, as political intrigue will, a lot of talking - was dull. Jun 10, 2020 Full Review Sam Wollaston Guardian The Pillars of the Earth is a double Genesis album, in TV form. It is also fabulous, once you know what's going on. Jun 10, 2020 Full Review Emily St. James AV Club It's a good show with a lot of good elements, but it also feels dropped in from another time, when giant miniseries from big best-sellers with paper-thin characters and plots dominated the ratings because, well, there wasn't anything else to watch. Jun 10, 2020 Full Review Jasper Rees The Arts Desk Not that it would be fair to compare The Pillars of the Earth with the pillars of any of the great churches erected in England in the period under observation here. You don't get lifeless gargoyles of this quality in the Middle Ages. Rated: 1/5 Jun 10, 2020 Full Review Josh Jackson Paste Magazine And while some of that passion is lost in the eight-part miniseries airing now on Starz, the intrigue is enough to entertain. Rated: 8/10 Jun 10, 2020 Full Review Dan Owen What Culture [A]s someone who enjoys a good historical yarn full of great acting and excellent detailing, told with a convincing tone, The Pillars Of The Earth was a fine start to a miniseries. Jun 10, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (5) audience reviews
Dan S I did like this series but I loved the book much more reading 100 pages a day I could not put it down. World Without End I read and did not like as much as Pillars but the film of World Without End was soooo good! Better than the book!! I cannot put a review from World Without End. I do not know why because that was a great series. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/06/23 Full Review Audience Member Like all adaptions of novels, Pillars of the earth changes things from the book, but the story mostly still works like the story works in the book. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Audience Member Excellent story and actors! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Audience Member This is a must watch mini series for anyone that enjoys medieval era shows or movies. The only reason I give it 4/5 is because there is always room for improvement. You'll see a show that has a good balance of good vs evil (maybe a tad more evil than good), and a good balance of story line/talking and violence. I believe this series to have a very good cast in it and is very well written. The buildings and costume design is also worth noting as it is intricate and what I believe to be as realistic. Please give this show a try! -rant- This tv show is no different than most medieval films in the sense that there is an evil monk who wishes to watch the world burn. I don't know why Hollywood or any other place that produces these kinds of shows or movies insists on having an evil monk.That is the only bad thing I have to say about PoE, but I do not hold it against the writers or the producers because it almost has become a staple in the genre. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Frances H Great series! Eddie Redmayne, Rufus Sewell, and Mathew MacFadyen are perfect, and the screenplay is very faithful to the book and the rest of the cast is all star. Great for any history buff. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/25/16 Full Review Read all reviews
The Pillars of the Earth — Season 1

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Cast & Crew

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Ian McShane

Actor

Matthew Macfadyen

Actor

Eddie Redmayne

Actor

Hayley Atwell

Actor

David Oakes

Actor

Natalia Wörner

Actor

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Jul 23, 2010 Anarchy The succession of England's crown is in doubt and causes King Henry's daughter and nephew to compete for the throne; church politics see Philip elected the new prior, which leaves him indebted to Deacon Waleran. Details Episode 2 Aired Jul 23, 2010 Master Builder Fire destroys Kingsbridge church, giving Tom, son Alfred and stepson Jack the chance to build a new cathedral; Ellen is accused of being a witch; William takes Aliena and Richard by surprise in a brutal attack. Details Episode 3 Aired Jul 30, 2010 Redemption Prior Philip and William find themselves in a standoff over access to the Shiring quarry; Jack's artistic talents take hold; Aliena starts a business to help earn money for Richard's chance to become a knight. Details Episode 4 Aired Aug 6, 2010 Battlefield William wants his father's title of earl but finds a mysterious knight is a rival for the title; King Stephen orders an assassin to kill Jack; Waleran tells Maud that the man who betrayed Earl Bartholomew is Philip. Details Episode 5 Aired Aug 13, 2010 Legacy Waleran and Regan engineer the prisoner exchange so that they remain on the winning side of the war; Tom wants Jack and Alfred to be friends, but their rivalry over their work lives and Aliena is too intense. Details Episode 6 Aired Aug 20, 2010 A Man and a Woman Betrayed Richard returns from war to find no money to support his knighthood. Aliena has to choose between her love for Jack and her oath to her father. Waleran uses a disaster at Kingsbridge against Prior Philip. Details Episode 7 Aired Aug 27, 2010 New Beginnings As a result of his journeys, Jack has learned how to build a cathedral filled with light. Waleran offers Philip a new position. Kingsbridge becomes prosperous again which infuriates William, who plans an attack. Details Episode 8 Aired Aug 27, 2010 The Work of Angels Jack has become fixated with the cathedral, while Aliena's fixation with the Earldom has married her to Alfred, whom she hates. Waleran and Alfred develop a plot to get rid of Jack for good. Details Episode 9 Aired Sep 3, 2010 Illumination Jack discovers the wind is causing the cracks in the cathedral so he builds wall supports. Details

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The Pillars of the Earth — Season 1

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Season Info

Network
STARZ
Rating
TV-MA
Genre
Drama, History, Romance, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date
Jul 23, 2010