Washington Post by Hank Stuever

A love story that gets so close to the real deal that a viewer becomes as besotted as the lovers themselves. It’s one of the best works of TV I’ve watched so far this year, and the rare show during this pandemic stay-at-home saga that made me forget everything else.

The Guardian by Lucy Mangan

It’s a triumph in every way, from acting and direction to script, and if we see a better drama – certainly about adolescence, one which takes it seriously without treating it indulgently – this year, I’d be very surprised. It’s a beautiful, hugely beautiful thing.

IndieWire by Ben Travers

Hulu’s immaculate adaptation of a novel already hailed as a modern classic. ... “Normal People” is not only a worthy retelling of a great book; it’s a remarkable love story, both epic and intimate.

The Telegraph by Susannah Goldsbrough

This is not a nostalgia-soaked school fantasy, but a drama for grown-ups about growing up in a small town. It is, however, a romance, and an utterly riveting one.

The Independent by Ed Cumming

Their grand romance proceeds by tiny gestures. It’s an impressive feat in writing, even more so in adaptation. ... We’re lucky it’s so unusually good.

The New York Times by James Poniewozik

I found it all moving and emotionally wrecking, in the best way. Some viewers, I imagine, will find it goopy, or much ado about a much-told story. ... Edgar-Jones and Mescal are radiant individually — she’s a beacon, he’s an ember. But they also create something collectively. ... “Normal People” looks and sounds like a teen melodrama about falling in love and getting it on. But more than that, it’s a double-barreled bildungsroman, an empathetic study of two young people coming, together, of age.

New York Magazine (Vulture) by Jen Chaney

Normal People, which starts out as a teen romance but evolves over its 12 episodes into a richer, broader portrait of the way first love imprints itself on the psyche. ... There’s an intoxicating wistful and melancholy vibe in Normal People, conjured by its performances, the misty, bucolic Irish setting, and, especially, the terrific songs featured on its soundtrack.

Decider by Lea Palmieri

Normal People will punch you in the gut just as much as it embraces you in a hug.

Variety by Caroline Framke

With its trifecta of elegant writing, directing, and acting, Hulu’s “Normal People” is just as bleak and uncompromising as Rooney’s novel — a feat, and one that takes several episodes to fully absorb. In fact, it took me until about halfway through to understand just how much it was affecting me. ... As Marianne and Connell’s relationship grows deeper, “Normal People” becomes as immersive as the book that inspired it, making you both crave and dread knowing — or perhaps more accurately, experiencing — what happens next.

Rolling Stone by Alan Sepinwall

Excellent. ... Of the show's two young stars, much is asked, and even more is given. They are spectacular, apart but especially together, at conveying the vulnerability and longing essential to making a love story like this work. [Apr 2020, p.88]