The new television retelling of a woman of substance has drawn sharply divergent verdicts. One preview celebrates a “wonderful (and horny)” revenge tale anchored by Brenda Blethyn as Emma Harte; another review dismisses the remake as “cheesy, ” a “waste of time, ” and something “nobody asked for. ” Set side by side, the clash raises a focused question: does this glossy return to Barbara Taylor Bradford’s saga feel revitalized or dated?
Brenda Blethyn and Emma Harte: penthouse reflections and Yorkshire beginnings
One assessment leans hard into the drama’s sweep and sensual energy. It highlights Emma Harte (Brenda Blethyn) in the 1970s, looking back on a life of ascent from a New York penthouse. Her origin story begins at the turn of the 20th century in Yorkshire, where she worked as a maid and, following a deathbed push from her mother to chase bigger dreams, vowed never to be poor again. That journey, the preview notes, is peppered with wrong turns and moral trade-offs that keep the revenge engine humming.
Specific performances get attention, with Jessica Reynolds playing the younger Emma. The same preview praises an “equally brilliant” supporting lineup that includes Emmett J Scanlan and Lenny Rush. Framed as a fresh take on Barbara Taylor Bradford’s 1979 novel, the piece also nods to the long shadow of earlier screen versions by calling this latest pass “wonderful (and horny), ” inviting viewers in with both nostalgia and heat.
Barbara Taylor Bradford’s saga judged ‘cheesy’ in a skeptical review
A second critic takes the opposite view, arguing the remake adds little beyond gloss. That review calls remaking this 1980s throwback a “total waste of time” and likens the experience to “drowning in a giant bowl of fondue. ” Brenda Blethyn’s ‘70s-era styling as Emma Harte is noted, but the thrust is that this rags-to-riches empire-builder’s tale didn’t need another go-round.
Context is part of the critique. The review links the timing to a broader appetite for adapting bawdy 1980s page-turners, citing renewed interest sparked by a recent hit based on a Jilly Cooper novel. It also observes that this is the commissioning broadcaster’s second miniseries attempt at the late Bradford’s bestseller. In practical terms, the piece flags that the full series is available to stream, signaling that the entire new version can be sampled at once rather than week by week.
A Woman Of Substance split-screen: what the two verdicts actually weigh
The two views weigh many of the same features—tone, legacy, performances—but grade them very differently. One embraces the “horny revenge” posture as a virtue that enlivens Emma’s climb; the other treats the same gloss as evidence of creative redundancy. Both acknowledge Brenda Blethyn as the marquee presence and place the narrative across two eras, from early-1900s Yorkshire to 1970s New York.
| Aspect | Positive preview | Negative review |
|---|---|---|
| Tone | “Wonderful (and horny)” retelling with revenge momentum | “Cheesy, ” like “drowning in a giant bowl of fondue” |
| Story frame | Emma reflects from a 1970s New York penthouse | Rags-to-riches saga deemed an unnecessary redo |
| Performances | Brenda Blethyn leads; Jessica Reynolds as young Emma; cast includes Emmett J Scanlan and Lenny Rush | Noted ‘70s glam for Blethyn; little enthusiasm for the new attempt |
| Legacy | Arrives forty years after an Emmy-nominated adaptation | Described as the broadcaster’s second miniseries stab at the book |
| Why now? | Leans on the appeal of a revived classic with sensual charge | Tied to a trend sparked by a recent Jilly Cooper adaptation |
| Availability | Positioned as a pick “for this evening” | Notes the full series is available to stream |
Placed together, the split reveals a single hinge point: appetite for unabashed, high-gloss melodrama. Where one reviewer sees verve in the “horny” framing and a strong ensemble—including Blethyn, Reynolds, Emmett J Scanlan, and Lenny Rush—the other sees dated excess, even with the same star power. The debate is less about plot mechanics than about whether Bradford’s brand of ambition-and-betrayal storytelling translates as juicy or kitsch in 2020s TV.
That debate echoes beyond a woman of substance to the broader revival wave. The skeptical review frames this remake as surfing momentum created by a recent adaptation of a bawdy 1980s bestseller, suggesting trend-chasing rather than necessity. The more generous take, by contrast, leans on the timelessness of Emma Harte’s arc: a maid-turned-magnate steering through class constraint, betrayal, and desire.
Finding: This comparison shows that the new adaptation’s fate will turn on viewer tolerance for glossy, sexually charged melodrama packaged as legacy TV. With the full series available to stream, early audience reaction is the next concrete data point. If the show sustains the “wonderful” energy singled out in one assessment—and if Brenda Blethyn’s and Jessica Reynolds’s performances connect—the comparison suggests that nostalgia-driven viewers may side with the favorable verdict.
