The problem with boxetting is that the thought purpose of the scheduler is lost and shows like this need to stand on their own.Beowulf was shown on a Sunday at roughly 6pm on the main commercial terrestrial network in the UK a spot normally taken up by game who re-runs or many moons ago 'religious telly'. The time slot may have suited the show, but watching it at random times during the week from a hard drive meant that it just did not connect.The casting of Beowulf was interesting and to my knowledge this was my first sight of Kieran Bew in the lead. He played the hard/soft approach that Harrison Ford refined in the Indiana films very well but he was never fully believable as the hero of the Shieldlands. Joanne Whalley did her best in a scene chewing role as Rheda the Yarl - head honcho - of the Shieldlands, mixing the cod lines with the various action scenes as well as an actress with her level of experience should. Gregory Fitoussi as Razzak the Warrig prophet enjoyed himself greatly with his bad boy role and lit up each of his scenes with his mischievous delivery. And finally Edward Hogg as Varr, as Rheda's counsel, had a stand out performance passing menacing comment in a manner that mixed Robert De Niro with Julian Clary. Beyond that the acting was no better than day time soap standard for which the directors must play their part in being named and shamed.The show itself seemed to be hamstrung by its time slot and the modern need to be all things to everybody with unrealistic feminine heroes and a box ticking balance of cast members. Money had clearly been spent on this show as the sets and costumes were of high quality and even the CGI was credible in most cases, especially in the scenes that involved any interaction with the real life characters. The humanization of Elvina's (Laura Donnelly) son was especially well done.But sadly Beowulf was a punt at the Game of Thrones market which largely failed. The back story of Beowulf and his hidden familial secret, the struggle for power between Rheda and her brother Abrecan (Elliot Cowen), the good vs evil battle between the mudbornes and the red bloods and even the love and lust triangle between Beowulf, Elvina and Slean (Ed Speleers) took too long to develop.I stayed with this until the final credits on episode 12 but thought of bailing before then. The final battle which straddled the last two episodes was well played but if there had been more of this early on the show may well have kept its audience and got extended.Clearly the producers were confident of telling more yarns and the final scene with Razzak in the temple of the giants hinted at something worth waiting for, but we will never know. The show has been cancelled.It is a shame when shows like this get the shunt as it only encourages programme makers to play things safe with more reality or quiz shows. But unfortunately the safe nature of Beowulf is what killed it off. With no edge and a clear target towards the 12 rather than the 15 rating Beowulf will have to rise another day.

If you liked "Merlin" this is the show for you. Equally balanced as a family show as compared to "Game of Thrones" it has its own totally different storyline. No throats or heads getting slashed every second, no explicit scenes. Has tremendous capacity to become something real good. Should be carried on forward. Unlike Game of Thrones each episode is packed with excitement and includes every character instead of killing favorite characters at the very end, there is a sigh of relief in the end somehow while keeping you at the edge of your seat. Though poor set for "Herot" , hall filled with gold but no gates seriously? .... There are some more weaknesses too that can be corrected !

I have tried and tried to watch and get into Beowulf, I stuck with Jekyll and Hyde and got into it, Beowulf is just missing that special something. I can't identify which particular age group they are aiming the series at. It has a wealth of acting talent, it boasts some pretty nifty special effects and some lovely film work, great monsters and wonderful set designs. The trouble is, it's becoming the same thing every week, it's lacking in imagination, there is hardly no character development to speak of, it's just lacking in any depth, I've watched each episode and not warmed to any of the characters. Surely no second series?It seems like it's wanting to fill the gap left by Atlantis, Doctor Who, maybe even Jekyll and Hyde. It's not for me. Maybe it will appeal to the 13-16 year old age bracket.4/10

At last we have a fantasy series that all the family can enjoy. Beowulf gets unfairly compared to Game of Thrones which it was never meant to be. Aiming it at family viewing has obviously resulted in restrictions on the degree of violence that can be shown and a total absence of nudity and swearing. The upside is my children and all there friends are able at last to watch and enjoy a swords and monsters series, after years of denying them access to GOT and its likes. I particularly like that the characters do not recklessly dive into action without a second thought (an all too common fault of this genre). There is a momentary pause as they try to comprehend the situation and how best to tackle it. To me this is a truer to real life than the Gung Ho hero who shows no appreciation of the consequences of his recklessness.The production values are top notch with the village of Herot physically built in the Dales of North-east England, making full use of a landscape little changed in 2000 years. Interiors look good too as do the costumes. The choice to set it Ii. The mythical Shieldlands allowed free reign with the costumes and the mix of races amongst the many tribes. The stories so far have been a good balance of intrigue, action and character development. Having just viewed episode 5 the factions vying for power continues to increase and events seen to be overtaking everyone's ambitions; there's a sense that everyone except the Queen, is on the back foot and reacting to events rather than seeing there plans come to fruition. The trailer for Episode 6 introduces another tribe to the fray and further shifting of alliances.To all those who still moan about Beowulf being GOT lite:It's easy to forget how slow the first season of GOT was. Mostly talking heads with swear words thrown in for shock value and nudity when the the viewer was in danger of falling asleep from all the exposition. Kill off a main character at the end of the season and you're done. Repeat each year with the odd set piece battle.I really enjoy GOT, but no way are my kids going to watch it; I have no qualms about them watching Beowulf.