Ridley Scott And Tom Hardy Produced A Dark TV Adaptation Of A Classic Holiday Tale

Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" is already a haunting tale about the consequences of treating your employees and friends horribly. But in 2019, Ridley Scott and Tom Hardy produced an even darker and more twisted TV adaptation of the classic holiday tale. The TV series was also written by Steven Knight, the "Peaky Blinders" creator and an Oscar-nominated screenwriter but the big names weren't just behind the camera. Andy Serkis played the Ghost of Christmas Past, Stephen Graham was Jacob Marley, Joe Alwyn portrayed Bob Cratchit, and Guy Pearce took on the role of the infamous Ebenezer Scrooge. 

Serkis, Alwyn, and Pearce almost disappear under the makeup and prosthetics at times, so all you see is the character instead of the famous face. This version of "A Christmas Carol" — which premiered on FX in America and the BBC in the U.K. – has more time than an average movie, allowing the miniseries to flesh out the mythology of the original novel's iconic characters, especially Marley, Scrooge, and the Cratchits. This time around, Marley is even motivated to join Scrooge's haunting so he can escape his torture in purgatory. That said, the TV adaptation is still only three episodes, so it never strays too far from the main story.

Ridley Scott, Tom Hardy, and Steven Knight's "A Christmas Carol" was a little bleaker than other versions. Some adaptations try to counter the darkness with humor, like "A Muppets Christmas Carol," or at least provide some levity in the Ghost of Christmas Past or Present segments. But the 2019 miniseries never steps back from the story's darkness and even adds new changes, including assault and sexual abuse.

The grim spin taken in FX's "A Christmas Carol" was not loved by everyone, with the show receiving a Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 52% and an audience rating of 58%. Deadline reported that the miniseries's viewing numbers dropped by over a million after the first episode aired on BBC. Several critics complained about the pacing, as well. Scrooge's first encounter with the ghost of Christmas past didn't happen until Episode 2, and the final two ghosts were rushed through in the series finale.

Additionally, some critics questioned whether or not the series made Scrooge too irredeemable. While the original Scrooge is a horrible, greedy, spiteful man, Pearce's version has more blood on his hands after the show reveals Scrooge's actions led to lethal workplace accidents.  He and his nephew Fred never even reconcile in this version, depriving Scrooge of the original story's happy ending. Judging by the story's bleak conclusion, this version of "A Christmas Carol" feels less interested in absolving or redeeming its monster, and more interested in examining Scrooge's repentance without the opportunity for forgiveness.