A Forgotten ‘Beowulf’ Fantasy Series Adaptation Is Heading to Netflix US
Picture: ITV
Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands is amongst the quietly announced titles set to release on Netflix in the United States beginning on December 1st. It wasn’t included amongst the official list of new releases, but the big-budget fantasy series based on the famous works will debut on Netflix for the first time nearly 10 years after its initial broadcast on ITV in the United Kingdom.
For those unfamiliar, Beowulf is the oldest surviving epic poem in the English language. Written in Old English (Anglo-Saxon) between 700 and 1000 AD, it tells a heroic story set in 6th-century Scandinavia. The story follows the life of the Geatish hero Beowulf, defined by three major battles against supernatural monsters: the monster Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and the Dragon.
We’ve seen countless adaptations of the famous poem over the years, whether that be in literature, video games, comics, or films, with perhaps the biggest being the 2007 Robert Zemeckis motion-capture film starring Ray Winstone and Angelina Jolie.
In 2016, it was ITV’s turn to try to take on the juggernaut that was Game of Thrones with its series adaptation, which ran for 13 episodes. It later aired on the now-defunct Esquire Network in the US.
In the series, Beowulf, played by Kieran Bew, returns to Heorot to learn that Hrothgar has died and Rheda has taken power, sparking tension with her son Slean, who resents both Beowulf’s homecoming and being passed over as Thane. As Rheda maneuvers for control and tries to rally support to claim the powerful title of Jarl, old rivalries flare and political loyalties turn sharp. Trouble deepens when the village reeve is found dead, and Beowulf, wrongly blamed, uncovers signs that a dangerous skinshifter is stalking Heorot.
The cast also includes Lee Boardman as Hane, David Bradley as Gorrik, Lolita Chakrabarti as Lila, Elliot Cowan as Abrican, Laura Donnelly as Elvina, Holly Earl as Kela, Gísli Örn Garðarsson as Breca, David Harewood as Scorann, Edward Hogg as Varr, William Hurt as Hrothgar, Ian Puleston-Davies as Lagrathorn, Edward Speleers as Slean, Ellora Torchia as Vishka, Joanne Whalley as Rheda, and David Ajala as Rate.
The show was a mixed bag, with both ratings and critical opinion leading to a swift cancellation after only a single season. Per The Guardian, the series only drew an average of 1.5M viewers, significantly less than the broadcaster had hoped for at the time. The decision was made before the first season had even finished airing, and left to swift outrage from fans of the show, which has grown over the years.
Compared to the likes of The Last Kingdom over Game of Thrones, the series picked up modest reviews at the time, with the IMDb score sitting at 5.8 at the time of writing.
This is one of three major British shows set to arrive on Netflix in the United States throughout December 2025. As we’ve previously covered, three shows that PBS Masterpiece covers are headed to Netflix US on the first, including all seasons of the excellent period drama Victoria, starring Jenna Coleman and Adrian Schiller. Netflix is also set to pick up Grantchester, too.
For more on what’s coming up throughout December 2025, keep it locked here on What’s on Netflix.
