Despite seeing previews for Black Doves, I basically had no expectations for Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw’s new series, which looked like a potential failure from Netflix. But it turns out that the exact opposite is true, and Black Doves did it outstanding Reviews after his debut.

Black Doves currently has a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on a whopping 31 critics, meaning only one was negative. It’s rare to see such high numbers for new Netflix series, and you can compare that to the perennial No. 1 on the Top 10 list, “The Madness,” which only gets a 76% from critics. The rating for Black Doves is lower at 67%, but that’s only because there are only a handful of reviews, and given that it’s 9 a.m., I doubt most people are actually watching the just-released show have already finished reading.

Here is the official synopsis of Black Doves:

“Helen begins a passionate affair with a man who has no idea what her secret identity is; She finds herself in the crosshairs when her lover falls victim to London’s dangerous underworld, and Helen’s employer calls Sam to protect her.”

There are two things to note here: First, Black Doves is not based on an existing book or anything like that. Rather, it was created specifically for Netflix by Joe Barton, known for the excellent Giri/Haji series from a few years ago. Secondly, the even better news is that Netflix renewed the series for the second season before the first season even aired. They must have really liked what they saw, and the critics agree. This is what some of them say:

• Decider – “Black Doves won’t blow your mind with a revolutionary spy story. But the story is fascinating enough and is made even better by the chemistry between Knightley and Whishaw, with the great support of Lancashire.”
• Chicago Sun-Times – “There’s a lot to reveal in ‘Black Doves,’ but the various machinations and shocking developments are handled in a clear manner that makes them relatively easy to follow.”
• Vanity Fair – “Black Doves puts matters of the heart on a par with all the bloody intrigue. The characters’ idiosyncrasies and cheeky humor in the face of deadly risk are charming, where so much else in the mini-spies-with-a-private-genre seems canned.”

In addition to Knightley and Whishaw, I’m also pleased to see Warrior and Happy Valley actors Andrew Koji and Sarah Lancashire here as supporting cast members, as they are the leads of two of my favorite series of recent years. For this reason, I will definitely be checking out Black Doves.

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