His Dark Materials

Lyra Silvertongue grows up in a world where scholarship, religion and strange sciences are inseparable, raised among scholars while never knowing much about her past. When a friend disappears, Lyra follows a trail that uncovers child abductions and a deeper mystery called Dust. Her investigation pulls her into political and metaphysical conflict across multiple worlds, and she eventually meets Will, a guarded boy carrying a knife that cuts between realities. As their paths converge, they learn uncomfortable truths about family, prophecy and power, and get caught up in a wider struggle that challenges the authorities shaping their lives.

Developed for television by Jack Thorne and adapted from Philip Pullman’s trilogy, the series premiered in 2019 on BBC One and HBO. The cast includes Dafne Keen, Amir Wilson, Ruth Wilson, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Simone Kirby, and the show spans multiple seasons.

The production received recognition from various television awards bodies, with nominations that highlighted its acting, production design and visual effects. Industry praise tended to focus on craft and technical achievements, while several festival and critics groups acknowledged standout performances and design work.

Elements like the daemons, the alethiometer and the bleak yet ornate alternate societies became touchpoints in popular culture, prompting fan art, cosplays and lively online debate about faith, authority and adaptation choices. The series also renewed interest in Pullman’s novels, inspiring discussion among readers and academics about how dense literary themes translate to serialized television.

Critics and viewers awarded the show generally positive marks, reflected in a vote average of 7.859 out of 10 from 1,821 votes. Reviews praised performances, especially the young leads, and the production’s visuals, while some criticism aimed at pacing and the challenges of compressing complex source material. Central themes include coming-of-age under ideological pressure, the ethics of knowledge, and the tension between institutional control and individual choice.