People are binge-watching new Netflix drama starring Hugh Laurie and Mark Ruffalo

By Nina McLaughlin

The series is based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

Netflix's series All the Light We Cannot See hit the streaming service last week and viewers are already obsessed. Starring big names such as Hugh Laurie and Mark Ruffalo, the show is based off of Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2014 novel of the same name. The Netflix adaptation is directed by Shawn Levy (Free Guy, Stranger Things and the upcoming Deadpool 3) and is written by Steven Knight (Locke, Peaky Blinders). Netflix synopsis for the series reads:

"The groundbreaking four-part limited series follows the story of Marie-Laure (Aria Mia Loberti), a blind French girl, and her father, Daniel LeBlanc (Ruffalo), who flee German-occupied Paris with a legendary diamond to keep it from falling into the hands of the Nazis. "Relentlessly pursued by cruel Gestapo officer Reinhold von Rumpel (Lars Eidinger), who seeks to possess the stone for his own selfish means, Marie-Laure and Daniel find refuge in Saint-Malo, France. They take up residence with reclusive Uncle Etienne (Laurie), who transmits clandestine radio broadcasts as part of the Resistance. "Yet here in this once-idyllic seaside city, Marie-Laure’s path also collides with the unlikeliest of kindred spirits: Werner (Louis Hofmann), a brilliant teenager enlisted by Hitler’s regime to track down illegal broadcasts. Werner and Marie-Laure share a secret connection as well as a faith in humanity."

All the Light We Cannot See trailer

The TV version of All the Light We Cannot See has been for the most part panned by reviewers, receiving a 28% Rotten Tomatoes critics score - with some deeming it to be overly sentimental and as lacking the thematic depth of its source material. However, like Netflix's recent movie Old Dads, regular viewers have been kinder to it than critics - with the show earning a 70% Rotten Tomatoes audience score and remaining in the streamer's top 10 TV programmes in Ireland list over a week after its release. Sharing their love for the series on social media, one user wrote: “Figured I’d try an episode of that All the Light We Cannot See this evening. "Ended up watching the whole series in a oner... 10/10 show. No notes. Phenomenal.” A second said: “Binge watched All the Light We Cannot See on Netflix. Highly recommended.” While a third put: “All the Light We Cannot See series on Netflix, I recommend – just binge watched all of it today.” Another added: "All the Light We Cannot See was so good. I wish I had read the book first. It was such a beautiful storyline." The series is streaming on Netflix now.

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