Normal People (2020)
Drawn together. Driven apart.
Marianne and Connell weave in and out of each other's lives in this exploration of sex, power and the desire to love and be loved.
| Type | TV series |
|---|---|
| First aired | 26 April 2020 |
| Status | Ended, last episode 26 April 2020 |
| Genre | Drama |
| Starring | Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones |
| Seasons | 1 season, 12 episodes |
| Episode length | about 30 min |
| Time to watch it all | about 6 hours |
| Rated | TV-MA |
| Scores | TMDB users 8.1/10 |
Where to watch Normal People
Normal People is streaming on Hulu ($18.99 a month) in the US. At ten hours a week, all of the series takes about 1 month of Hulu, or $18.99 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 19 October 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
Where to watch Normal People in 7 other countries
| Country | Streaming on (price a month) |
|---|---|
| Australia | ARD/ZDF |
| Canada | Prime Video $9.99 CAD |
| Denmark | Tv2dk |
| Ireland | Disney+ €9.99 |
| Netherlands | NPO free |
| Sweden | SVT Play free |
| United Kingdom | Disney+ £9.99 GBP, BBC iPlayer free |
Subscription, free and ad-supported services we track. All countries as data.
What kind of watch this is
Normal People is a 2020 drama that runs 6 hours. It tracks Marianne and Connell as they navigate the shifting power dynamics of their relationship, from the corridors of a County Sligo school to the halls of Trinity College. The series leans into the quiet, unspoken moments that define intimacy, letting the silence between two people speak louder than their dialogue. It is a study in how class and vulnerability collide, presenting love not as a grand gesture but as a series of small, often painful negotiations. The 12 episodes move with a deliberate, aching pace that rewards patience.
What the critics said
Critics were almost uniformly kind, which is rare enough to warrant a second look. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 91% rating, averaging 8.2 out of 10 across 91 reviews. Metacritic scores it 82 out of 100, a range that Metacritic labels as universal acclaim. The New York Times later ranked it the 49th best TV series of the 21st century.
Caroline Framke of Variety called it "just as bleak and uncompromising as Rooney's novel." Linda Holmes of NPR noted the cast has "the vulnerability it takes to maintain confidence." Not everyone agreed. Jessa Crispin of The Guardian called it "a gutless soap opera for millennials." Matt Fagerholm of RogerEbert.com compared watching it to "being stuck on a bad date that refuses to end." The nudity sparked complaints, though the intimacy coordination was praised.
How it did with audiences
Normal People skipped the box office entirely, so there is no ticket revenue to dissect. The measure of its success lives in the ratings. TMDB users give it an 8.1 out of 10, a number that suggests the internet found it worth the time. It did what prestige television is supposed to do: make people talk about it until the conversation outlives the final credits.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Normal People.
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Sources
- Normal People on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q81672757 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Normal People (TV series)” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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