Writing for Deadline, Nellie Andreeva describes Cursed as "a re-imagining of the Arthurian legend, told through the eyes of Nimue, a young heroine with a mysterious gift who is destined to become the powerful Lady of the Lake. After her mother's death, she finds an unexpected partner in Arthur, a young mercenary, in a quest to find Merlin and deliver an ancient sword. Over the course of her journey, Nimue will become a symbol of courage and rebellion against the terrifying Red Paladins, and their complicit King Uther." In another piece on that site, Andreeva calls the show "a coming-of-age story whose themes are familiar to our own time: the obliteration of the natural world, religious terror, senseless war, and finding the courage to lead in the face of the impossible".
On March 28, 2018, it was announced that Netflix had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes. The show is based on the upcoming novel of the same name by Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler that had itself been announced a week prior and was expected to be published by Simon & Schuster in 2019. The book, an illustrated young adult novel entitled Cursed, was set to have Wheeler write the story and Miller provide the illustrations. In addition to creating the television adaptation, Miller and Wheeler were also expected to executive produce the series as well. On September 12, 2018, it was announced that Zetna Fuentes is set to direct and serve as an executive producer for the first two episodes of the series.
Casting
In September 2018, Katherine Langford was cast in the series' lead role. In March 2019, it was announced Devon Terrell, Gustaf Skarsgård, Peter Mullan, Lily Newmark, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Daniel Sharman, Sebastian Armesto, Emily Coates and Billy Jenkins had joined the cast. Creator Frank Miller appears in a cameo.
Filming
In January 2019, set building began on disused Army land in Deepcut, England. This was expected to continue until March 2019, with filming then scheduled to start and continue until September 2019.
Release
The series was released on Netflix on July 17, 2020.
Reception
Review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes compiled 44 reviews, identified 70% of them as positive, and assessed an average rating of 6.05/10. The website's critics consensus states, "Curseds first season isn't as subversive as its source material, but strong plotting and a heroic performance from Katherine Langford make for an enjoyable escape." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the show a score of 57 out of 100 based on 11 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Lucy Mangan from The Guardian criticized the writing and the acting, but wrote that "at times during its 10 beautifully meaningless hours, it's great fun". Huw Fullerton of Radio Times also opined about the "awkward performances and exposition" while saying that the series "never quite feels big enough to tell this epic story but overall the storytelling does a good job of showcasing varied, interesting characters in a growing cycle of violence."
