Philip Pullman’s multiverse is a nightmare to film. Seriously. You’ve got talking polar bears, tiny spies on dragonflies, and the physical manifestation of the human soul following everyone around like a caffeinated pet. When the His Dark Materials TV series finally landed on HBO and the BBC, fans were holding their breath. We all remember the 2007 movie, The Golden Compass. It was... fine? No, actually, it was a mess. It stripped out the theological guts and the darkness that makes the books legendary.
But the show is different.
The His Dark Materials TV series isn't just a fantasy romp. It’s a dense, sometimes frustratingly slow, but ultimately loyal translation of Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. If you’ve only watched the show, you’re seeing a version of Lyra Belacqua that is far more internal than the feral girl on the page. Dafne Keen brings a specific kind of grit to the role, but the show’s real triumph isn't just casting—it’s the way it handles the "unfilmable" concepts like Dust and the Magisterium.
Why the His Dark Materials TV series hits differently than the books
Most people think the show is just a scene-for-scene recreation. It isn’t. Jack Thorne, the lead writer, made a massive structural gamble right at the start. In the books, we don’t even see Will Parry until the second volume. The show? It brings him in early. We see his life in our Oxford—the "real" world—while Lyra is still messing around in the Arctic.
This change was divisive.
Hardcore purists hated it because it killed the mystery of the "window" between worlds. But for television, it was a stroke of genius. It gave us a reason to care about Will before he and Lyra collided. It grounded the stakes. Without that early introduction, the His Dark Materials TV series might have felt like two separate shows stitched together midway through.
Let’s talk about the Daemons.
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This is the biggest hurdle for any adaptation. In the books, your Daemon is always there. They are chatting, shifting shapes, and constantly reacting. On a TV budget, even a massive one, rendering a CGI animal in every single frame is a financial suicide mission. You’ll notice in the His Dark Materials TV series that characters often stand a bit further apart, or their Daemons are "off-screen" or tucked into pockets. It’s a limitation. Some fans felt this lessened the emotional impact of the "intercision" scenes, but honestly, the sound design usually makes up for it. The whimpers of a dying Daemon are way more haunting than a budget CGI moth.
The Magisterium and the shadow of the Church
One of the most frequent complaints about the 2007 film was how it neutered the religious themes. It turned the "Church" into a generic group of baddies. The His Dark Materials TV series doesn't blink. It lean into the critique of organized dogma. The Magisterium looks and feels like a terrifying bureaucracy. It’s cold. It’s stone. It’s full of men in suits and robes who are terrified of puberty and original sin.
Mrs. Coulter, played by Ruth Wilson, is the MVP here.
In the books, Marisa Coulter is a terrifying blonde icon of malice. Wilson plays her as a shattered, brilliant woman trying to navigate a patriarchy that she both serves and despises. Her relationship with her Golden Monkey is silent but speaks volumes. There are scenes where she literally hits her own soul. It’s uncomfortable to watch. That’s exactly how it should be. The show understands that the "villains" in Pullman’s world aren’t just evil; they’re repressed.
The technical hurdle of the Mulefa and the Abyss
By the time the His Dark Materials TV series reached its third and final season, the scale became absurd. We’re talking about the land of the dead, angels made of light, and the Mulefa—creatures with diamond-shaped skeletons who use seed pods as wheels.
How do you film that without it looking like a bad Saturday morning cartoon?
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The production team, led by VFX supervisor Russell Dodgson, opted for a more naturalistic look. The Mulefa weren't over-designed. They felt like real animals you’d find in a David Attenborough documentary. This grounded approach is why the show succeeds where the movie failed. It treats the weirdness as mundane. When Iorek Byrnison fights Iofur Raknison, it isn't a "monster fight." It’s a political duel between two kings who happen to be armored bears.
There’s a specific pacing issue in Season 3, though.
The Amber Spyglass is a massive, philosophical tome. The show tries to cram the liberation of the dead, the war in the heavens, and the romance between Lyra and Will into eight episodes. It’s a lot. Sometimes the dialogue gets a bit "as you know, Bob," where characters explain the plot to each other because there isn't enough screen time to show it. But the finale? The finale ruins people. If you didn't cry at the botanical gardens scene, you might actually be a specter.
The casting wins and losses
- James McAvoy as Lord Asriel: He’s perfect. He captures that "I will sacrifice my own child to kill God" energy effortlessly. He’s barely in Season 2, which was a bummer, but his presence looms over everything.
- Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scoresby: This was the most controversial choice. Book-Lee is an old, weary Texan. Miranda is... Lin-Manuel Miranda. He brings a theatricality that some found jarring. However, his chemistry with Hester (voiced by Cristela Alonzo) is the heartbeat of the show’s middle act.
- The Angels: This is where the budget felt a bit thin. The angels Balthamos and Baruch were a bit "man in a glowing robe," which lost some of the ethereal terror Pullman described.
What users actually ask: Is it for kids?
Basically, no.
While the books are often shelved in the "Young Adult" section, the His Dark Materials TV series is firmly for adults and older teens. It deals with child abduction, the death of God, parental abuse, and the loss of innocence. It’s heavy. If you’re looking for Narnia, go elsewhere. This is a story about why Narnia is a lie.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the show is its exploration of "Dust." In our world, we call it dark matter. In Lyra’s world, they call it sin. The show manages to bridge the gap between science and religion in a way that feels relevant to the 2020s. It asks: if knowledge is what makes us human, why is the world so afraid of it?
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How to actually watch and appreciate the series
Don't binge it too fast.
The His Dark Materials TV series is dense. If you fly through it, you’ll miss the subtle ways the Daemons reflect the internal state of their humans. Watch the way the Golden Monkey cowers when Mrs. Coulter is ashamed. Watch how Pantalaimon changes shapes based on Lyra’s fear levels.
If you’re coming to this as a fan of the books, prepare for the changes in Season 2 regarding the prophecy. The show makes it a bit more explicit than the books did. If you’re a newcomer, pay attention to the "Alethiometer" scenes. The way Lyra reads the symbols isn't magic; it’s a form of intuitive genius. It’s her "flow state."
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
If you've finished the series and are feeling that post-show void, there's a lot more to dig into than just a re-watch.
- Read The Book of Dust trilogy: Philip Pullman is currently writing a prequel/sequel series. La Belle Sauvage covers Lyra as a baby during a massive flood, and The Secret Commonwealth follows a 20-year-old Lyra. They are much darker and more "adult" than the original trilogy.
- Listen to the BBC Radio Dramas: Before the His Dark Materials TV series, the BBC produced an incredible full-cast radio play. It’s arguably the most faithful version of the story ever made.
- Explore the "Imaginary Worlds" Podcast: They have a fantastic episode breaking down the science and theology of Pullman’s multiverse, featuring interviews with experts on Gnosticism and physics.
- Visit Oxford (Virtually or In-Person): Much of the show was filmed on location or based on real spots like Exeter College (Jordan College in the show) and the Bodleian Library. Seeing the real-world counterparts of the "windows" adds a layer of reality to the fantasy.
The His Dark Materials TV series stands as a rare example of a high-fantasy show that didn't try to be the next Game of Thrones. It didn't add unnecessary sex or gore just for the sake of it. It stayed weird. It stayed intellectual. It stayed heartbreaking. In an era of "content" designed for the algorithm, this show felt like it was made by people who actually loved the source material. It isn't perfect, but it's the adaptation we deserved.
The ending of the show—that final montage of Lyra and Will's benches—reminds us that the greatest adventures aren't about traveling between worlds. They’re about the quiet, agonizing choices we make in our own.