I found myself liking this fairly free adaptation of Leonardo Da Vinci's story, but it felt unsure about who it was trying to reach. It doesn’t have the inventive spark that made the initial season of Tom Riley's "Da Vinci's Demons" (2013) so good, or the warmth you get from Jonathan Bailey’s 2011 series, “Bridgerton.” This version feels too subdued when portraying the life and loves of this brilliant artist. It doesn’t explore his rumored indulgent lifestyle; it spends little time on his inventions and artwork, and his connections with the Medici family are essentially left out. Admitting that a lot of what we consider "history" about him is more like embellished stories – because truthfully, we don't know as much as we think we do about his life – doesn’t excuse how bland this presentation turns out to be. It feels like an outing for Turner (and his frequently changing beard) without enough attention paid to his genius; really, there isn’t nearly enough focus on anything important at all. Eight episodes still didn't reveal much about what drove this undeniably complicated person, and while I wasn't hoping for something overtly explicit, I did want it to be a bit more captivating or informative or fun. The production quality is good, but the writing and general approach hold it back and make it average. It’s disappointing because it brought to mind "Reign" (2013) – similarly lifeless in its portrayal of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Source on TMDB