Sean Bean Steals the Show as Sheriff of Nottingham in New Robin Hood Series

Critics are showering British actor Sean Bean with praises for his performance in the new Robin Hood series on MGM+.

The series had its two-episode premiere on the American premium cable channel yesterday, 2nd November.

The Lionsgate Television-created show follows the list of centuries long adaptations centered around the legendary English folklore figure.

Bean Shines As The Sheriff of Nottingham

The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones star plays the antagonist to the titular character, Sheriff of Nottingham, impressing the critics once again.

Robin Hood debuted with an 80% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes prior to its premiere. While the current reviews' sample size is still small, most of them noted Bean's performance as one of the show's highlights.

CBR's Martin Carr says Bean 'stamped his authority' on the show with his portrayal.

'Thankfully, legendary character actor Sean Bean has been charged with taking up the mantle as Sheriff of Nottingham and stamps his authority on this latest limited series from MGM+,' Carr wrote.

Radio Times' Jess Bacon says Bean's acting gave the Sheriff 'more depth than ever before,' noting the torment of war around and within 'humanised' the character.

Besides Bean, Collider's Maggie Lovitt praises the show's setting saying the series 'couldn't have come at a better time' when people are also looking for someone to be the 'savior of the poor.'

Show Creators On Working With Bean

Series co-creators John Glenn and Jonathan English gave Bean his flowers for breathing life to the reimagined version of the Sheriff they created for him.

'We wanted him to be a very complex character who's torn between trying to uphold the law, but also struggling with everything that he deals with, his responsibilities as the sheriff, as the policeman of Nottingham, and having a rather unruly daughter as well.' English told Radio Times.

'Sean just brought so much complexity and greyness to all of that,' he added.

Glenn also credited the actor for his artistic choices and line delivery that adds flavor to the scenes.

'It's his choices and how he delivers lines, which are fairly simple, not necessarily important moments and he just instils such colour and complexity [in them],' he remarked.

Bean's Take On The Sheriff

Bean's take on the Sheriff focused on making the character his own and bringing the script to life rather than being inspired by actors who played him in the past.

'I didn't want to be too heavily influenced by past performances of the Sheriff of Nottingham in particular,' Bean told UPI. 'I wanted to start fresh and put my own mark on it from the beginning.'

He also revealed in the interview that he didn't have any scenes with Robin Hood, played by Jack Patten, but shared that meeting him on set was a pleasant experience.

'I didn't have any scenes with Robin Hood, with Jack, because he was always hiding from me, Bean shared. 'So he was a nice guy when I met him.'

How To Watch The Show

Robin Hood is available to watch on the MGM+ channel for television and through its streaming service in the US. In the UK, the series is on Amazon's Prime Video streaming service via the MGM+ add-on worth £5.99 a month.

The series will run for 10 episodes airing weekly on Sundays through 28 December.