User reviews

Watching the 2024 TV show Curfew, what I experienced instead was a slow-moving storyline that took its time to build momentum, which was disappointing. More significantly, though, the show seemed to embody a troubling trend that has become all too common in contemporary media: the demonization of men. This portrayal, one that I found deeply offensive, points to a broader problem in modern storytelling, where gender politics increasingly shape the portrayal of characters in an unbalanced and often harmful way.

Curfew starts with a slow, methodical approach, setting up a world where the government has imposed a curfew, ostensibly to protect women from "evil" men, which is all men (of course). While the world-building is intriguing, the show quickly becomes bogged down in its own political and social commentary. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that the male characters in the series are painted with broad, negative strokes, a symptom of the growing trend in media that seeks to marginalize or villainize men in a misguided attempt to uplift women.

In Curfew, many of the male characters are portrayed as either villains, buffoons, or otherwise morally compromised individuals. They are often impulsive, aggressive, or driven by selfish desires, while the women are presented as morally superior, more competent, and more compassionate. The contrast is stark and, frankly, unrealistic.

In particular, the male characters seem to be used as narrative tools to highlight the strength and virtue of the women around them. It reinforces divisive stereotypes, perpetuating a zero-sum game where one gender must be diminished for the other to shine.

What's more concerning is that this misandrous undercurrent is symptomatic of a broader cultural shift in media. Many modern shows and films seem preoccupied with deconstructing traditional notions of masculinity, often presenting men as toxic, oppressive, or inherently flawed. This not only harms male representation but also limits the depth of female characters, who are often written as flawless, infallible, or unrealistically perfect.

This trend has real-world implications. Media, especially in the form of television and film, plays a crucial role in shaping cultural attitudes. When shows like Curfew repeatedly present men in negative, one-dimensional roles, they contribute to a skewed understanding of gender dynamics. The idea that men must be either the oppressor or the fool seeps into our collective consciousness, reinforcing harmful gender binaries and sowing division. It also alienates male viewers who feel that they are not represented fairly or sympathetically on screen.

In addition to its slow pace, Curfew ultimately suffers from a lack of balance in its gender portrayals. The overemphasis on portraying men as antagonists detracts from what could have been a more compelling exploration of its dystopian world.

If you're a self respecting man, avoid this (in my opinion)

"But in a world where men are bound by a curfew from 7pm to 7am"...Well err no, only in the UK according to the storyline.

The whole premise of the show is predicated on making around HALF the entire population wear criminal tracking tags and submit to a curfew! HOW exactly are you going to do that without starting a civil war..?

Had they started the story in the aftermath of a civil war and a curfew was a direct result of that, it would at least be a more credible scenario.

However, this was waaay too far fetched, to imagine it being introduced and accepted by a population as a normal peacetime (completely unenforceable) law, the writers seemingly having forgotten about the UK poll tax riots of the early 90's

And no matter how I tried, sorry just couldn't suspend reality for long enough, to stop laughing my imaginary ankle tracker off at the thought...not the reaction they would be hoping for I'm sure..

This series is a thought provoking about a world (or rather a country, Great Britain, where men have a mandated curfew during the evening /night.

According to statistics the majority of the women murdered are murdered by men, so in this series the British parliament has voted for a curfew.

A very gritty murder is commited, secrets are being unfolded, relationships uncovered.

Are men more violent then women?

Women's safety against men's freedom, which should weigh the heaviest?

I really enjoyed, good intrigue, a few surprises and good acting all around.

Why it's such low rating is a mystery.

The concept definitely had potential to be very interesting and for the most part it lived up to expectations.

Narratively, it could've been stronger. There were too many sub-plots established as attempts at red herrings. Credit where it's due, the ending was unexpected, but the constant red herrings made it hard for viewers to follow along and as usual, opened up a lot of plot holes.

I have no gripes with the performances from the main cast. And the main characters were all fleshed out well and consistent. It seems as though audiences are encouraged to dislike the main two women (played by Mandip Gill and Alexendra Burke) or at the very least dissaprove of their divisive actions, but simultaneously we also found ourselves rooting for them.

Overall, a good watch and would be interested in a second season.

I'm really open minded, but this show didn't make much sense to me. I only gave it a try because I like Sarah Parish, but I couldn't get past two episodes. It felt like it was made for people who don't like men at all, and there was so much misandry in it. Femcels would probably enjoy it. I don't know why they decided to create a show like this. Sarah talents could have been used elsewhere. Pure nonsense. If you think millions of men would allow this is laughable. I don't know why any man signed up to be in this show. Also, I didn't understand why they made Sarah's character so masculine when she was clearly attracted to men.

When it comes to TV dramas with unique angles, UK productions never disappoint.

As a male, I know it is very unlikely that such a law will pass given the reality of our society but this TV series imagines a situation where it does. Where to prevent violence towards women by strangers especially at night, men are prohibited from being outside between 7pm and 7am.

If acts of violence are committed, who would have done it? Are women also capable of doing to themselves what men have done for years? Is a fair investigation without bias possible? Would the men accept this type of law? Is it capable of letting us know how women have felt and complained about for years? What would such a society be like and is it sustainable? These are some of the plot points examined in the most entertaining and suspense-filled manner on this show, Curfew.

The cast so far is great, with a few familiar faces like Sarah Parish from shows like "Bancroft" and the more recent "Industry". While the unraveling of the story has its good, bad and impossible sides, I am four episodes in and give it a 7 out of 10 for making me binge-watch it.

Ignore the rate-bombing from you know who. It is a really good show.

The plot is stupid, full of flaws.

I have no idea how they expect a show to succeed.

Basically full of feminists generalising and picturing all men as predators. Taking it to a level where men who works to protect the law are also one.

Repetitive car chase, Repetitive lines, lack of charachter development.

Waaaaay off realism, stupid choices made by characters

Attempts to make drama, expected scenarios.

The show is full of sexism, empowering women over men for no reason when the actual villain in the show is women.

Overall, it's an underwhelming ride that fails to live up to its survival thriller premise.

This is a good drama with interesting themes being explored.

Its suspicious to me that the bad reviews focus simply on accusing this of being man hating. It brings up themes around violence on women and what could be done to improve this. It also turns some views back around to men, perhaps to get them to think about the learned culture they have been brough up in.

If its not obvious it is a work of fiction and of course could not really happen in real life...........!

As a murder mystery its alright - but its the rest of it that is the bigger message. The last ep is well paced with a suitable conclusion.

I enjoyed curfew, near future dystopia is one of my favourite genres. I often wish they spent more time showing us the world and it's wider implications than dumping it all out in exposition and dialogue, and I felt Curfew did a decent job of world building. It also had some really gorgeous messages about masculinity that I felt were delivered sincerely.

Positives - Acting was great nice to see Mandip Gill as I liked her in Doctor Who.

Interesting way of telling the story with twists but not to hard to follow.

At first I though the show was presenting a curfew as the solution to violence against women, and by the end the message is a bit more nuanced.

Negatives - It's really hard to build to a satisfying pay off in detective shows and this one doesn't quite reach it.

The very last moments of the series seem a bit rushes.

Apart from one sentence the implication of a curfew for trans and non-binary people was not explored.

I really hope there is a second season. Women who date women would enjoy a new privilege under curfew, which I would love to see explored, as well as how women who are violent and abusive could gain more power from curfew. I would also like to explore the idea, that the show touches on, that if we only see violence as happening after dark and in the streets, do we ignore it in other areas?

The reviews that make me laugh are the ones that say it's unbelievable. This is a TV show guys. It is supposed to be unbeliveable, it's escapism at its best. If you want truth please don't watch telly, read newspapers or Google anything. I enjoyed this TV show. Dystopian from a different perspective. There are lots of loopholes and unanswered questions like most series. It's nice to see male preclusion being addressed on screen. It definitely offers a different perspective to what's been seen before. I binge watched this. Even though the acting wasn't the best, it was very enjoyable non the less.

Sarah parish leads a cast of British actors in this subjective crime drama about containing men in their homes overnight. However, there has been a brutal nighttime murder! Surely a woman could not have done this to another woman? This ambles along at an appropriate pace facing men off against women, making it more like the olden days but in reverse. With the usual twists and turns of the plethora of cop shows we have at our fingertips this one doesn't particularly stand out other than it's subjective matter. What makes this drama a 9 star for me is Parish's flawed detective and a certain female actors demise (she's not my cup of tea).

This series sets out two stories that overlap:

The first being a gruesome murder. Who done it?

The second being a ludicrous idea of locking all men up from 7pm to 7am everynight whilst being monitered by an ankle tag.

Good acting and well filmed. However I do find some of the accents very harsh and grinding, whilst they murder the english language.

Obviously giving men ankle tags and locking them inside at night would not work in a democratic society such as the UK, however there are so many other reasons why this would never work and I think the series shows this.

I like programs like this that are thought provoking, before the mad politicians and fanatics come up with the idea.

One thing that I think would have been good and helpful is to highlight the abuse and murder statistics at the start of each episode. I personally have no idea.

Yes sadly there is a portion of men that need to be improsoned, monitered and watched, but I hope there are decent men walking our streets. I know a few. So in a civilised society this would not work, however this issue of violence against any innocent cannot be ignored.

Back to the drawing board!

The system works. Men's based desires and emotions are controlled. Women are safe. The system works... A dead woman found outside a Women's Safety Centre - a victim of a brutal crime - a crime of passion - a crime that could only be committed by a man. The time of death: during Curfew. Men; however, are monitored 24/7 and subject to a 7pm-7am curfew so how could it be a man - the system works... As the thriller unfolds we see that women - are just as cruel, just as calculating, just as emotionally unstable, just as capable of violence as men are. We also see that the system isn't 100%. For political purposes however the system MUST work so it has to be a woman right...

Sad to see some review bombing on here, for what is an really solid & entertaining show.

I loved this. Lots of twists and turns and excellent performances all round.

Stylishly made and nice and snappy in terms of plot development. Had me hooked right until the end.

It's not always subtle but I think that it deals with the gender themes successfully and there's plenty of food for thought.

Great to see Alexandra Burke as Helen, she certainly acquitted herself as an actress!

Would like to see another season, would be interesting to see how the plot could be developed, perhaps even as a prequel.

Really enjoy this series have my mind twisted in places I wonder if curfew is the way forward laugh out loud maybe a week of curfews for men maybe a week of curfews for ladies maybe together just now and then who knows what will come in the future Alexander I really did view her as an actress. Play DCI stone is one of my favourite actresses she knew something was wrong from the off sorry about such a long winded with you I really really really didn't want to spoil any of the series but I had to leave a review over six hundred words to be able to wait curfew so here it is give it a try. Ypu wo nt be disapounted.

The new drama series that you need to watch this Autumn. I love a good drama thriller and Curfew does not disappoint. I binge watched the entire show. It twists, it turns. At times I was on the edge of my seat. Each character has their own thing going on and is a well rounded character that keeps you interested in them. A drama that paces along and keeps you gripped to the very end. A great cast and Sarah Parish who is awesome in everything is so watchable in this. I could see this developing into a future series, a great detective drama. Please let there be a second series, I cross my fingers.

It was an interesting concept, exploring a dystopian world where men face curfews and the resulting social issues. The central question of whether anyone can truly feel safe adds depth. I appreciated the well-developed characters and strong performances; they really brought the story to life. I liked the red herrings, which kept me on edge as I constantly hoped the murderer wouldn't be who I suspected, while trying to figure out the true identity of the culprit. I was engaged in the plot every episode, and I really hope there's a season 2. The twists were intriguing, and I'm curious to see how the story would unfold further.

Lots of negative comments here but personally I found it to be a very enjoyable watch. Lots of twists and turns that kept you thinking. The plot is good and different to what is usually the same thing just presented differently. Put it up there with some of Harlan Cobens's series.

Definitely worth the watch, Sarah Parish does amazing at bringing the cast together and drawing you into enjoying/connecting with the characters which I think they all acted very well.

Shame to have people put fault on it being "unrealistic" it is TV, it is suppose to be different and for those with an open minded perspective this will add depth and thought to your typical murder mystery drama.

Curfew started with a very broad brush of responses to it's premise - we are 3 years into a 'test' curfew where men 10 and over are held at home from 7pm to 7am. Three years is enough for society to have evolve - a nod to the changes we noticed during covid. Some of the impacts were: more female cops being promoted, there being no decrease in the pornography industry, through one of the mains we follow there's a suggestion that men are taking more active stay at home roles. The world building for me was sound, and responses to the curfew are many and varied from both the women and men across the age groups presented.

Worldbuilding takes a back seat to the mystery from the second episode onward, and what a twisty mystery it is! All episodes had different misdirections, some which were based in the world building and some were based in the trauma of the main characters.

There was a slight misbalance in one aspect of the mystery for me, handled in the last 3 minutes of the last episode, which I'll avoid spoiling. That's the only reason for a lost star for me.

Very well acted. Very twisty. Very dramatic. Very original. We should avoid censoring speculative fiction for fear of what might be discovered in the stories it tells. Men telling people to avoid stories like this should wonder why they feel so unsecure. While we may not go to this extreme to make women feel safe, something does need to be done because the current system for sure ain't working, as noted in the repeated mention of stats in Curfew.

Well worth a watch. 9/10 stars.