# Les Misérables (2018)

> A reformed ex-convict and the relentless inspector who will not let his past go collide across nearly two decades of post-revolutionary France.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/69536

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 6
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, history
- Network: BBC One
- Cast: Dominic West, David Oyelowo, Erin Kellyman, Adeel Akhtar, Johnny Flynn, Derek Jacobi, Matthew Steer, Reece Ritchie
- TMDB rating: 7.8/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5900600/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: sombre, emotional, morally weighty, grand

## What critics say

Audiences rate the miniseries positively, praising its faithful adaptation of Hugo's novel and its lead performances.

## Synopsis

Les Misérables (2018-2019) is a British-French period drama miniseries created for BBC One, adapting Victor Hugo's novel into six one-hour episodes. Dominic West plays Jean Valjean, a former convict released after nineteen years in chains who tries to build a decent life under a false identity, while David Oyelowo plays Inspector Javert, the unbending lawman who tracks him across years with a rigid, almost religious sense of justice. Adeel Akhtar plays the scheming innkeeper Thénardier, and Erin Kellyman plays Éponine, whose fate ties into the darker streets of the city. The engine of the story is a cat and mouse pursuit: every time Valjean rebuilds his life, a small mistake drags the past back into view. Episodes move through poverty, the slums, and moral choices about mercy and guilt. Set in early nineteenth century France, the series builds toward the 1832 Paris uprising, with barricades and street fighting shaping its final stretch. The tone is sombre, emotional and morally weighty, with a grand, humanist register. Fans of the 1998 film adaptation, Peaky Blinders for its period grit, and The Pillars of the Earth for sweeping historical melodrama will find resonance here.

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