lazarus project movie review

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The Lazarus Project series two review – the spectacular action scenes are worthy of Bond

This twisty time-loop thriller gets even more dramatic in its second outing. Paapa Essiedu’s George is a jittery joy in a smart, sharply scripted show that’s lots of fun to watch

A lot can happen in 17 months. Keeping track of who is in the cabinet is difficult enough, let alone remembering the finer details of a TV series you watched in June 2022. When that show is the complex time-loop thriller The Lazarus Project, that’s even harder.

So, to recap: season one established that the Lazarus Project is an organisation capable of going back in time to a set point – the first day of July – to undo cataclysmic events. Our protagonist, George (Paapa Essiedu) joined the Project thanks to his innate ability to remember multiple timelines, only to find himself in an ethical quandary when his girlfriend Sarah was killed in a road accident. Not content to focus on the task at hand, namely preventing apocalyptic events, he instead engineered the detonation of a nuclear warhead to force the Project to reset the timeline so that he could prevent her death. Unfortunately for George, saving Sarah didn’t mean rescuing his romantic life: as Lazarus project leader Wes (Caroline Quentin) says witheringly, “After all that, she dumped you anyway?”

Series two jumps in right as we left off, at least in terms of George’s perspective. We not only see his personal and professional life in ruins but are introduced to new rivals in the form of the Time Break Initiative – which is building its own time machine that may ensure the apocalypse – and its mercurial leader, played by Colin Salmon. To make matters more complicated, rogue former Lazarus agent Janet (Vinette Robinson) is stuck in the past after a time machine stranded her there. Now, not only is George single and stuck in Groundhog Day hell, but his loss of faith in the Lazarus Project’s mission means he’s untethered from a set of protocols and losing the will to go on. The time loops have shrunk from six months down to just three weeks, and this makes George feel all the more dissociated from time and space, as the very fabric of the universe seems to be disintegrating. While he longs to have a semblance of a normal life with colleagues and a girlfriend, there’s an increasing paranoia and jitteriness in Essiedu’s performance, which suggests he doesn’t really trust anyone but himself any more.

The series takes us across the globe into chic labs and Alpine retreats, extending the grasp of the Project. Part of this seems to be down to expanding the narrative scope, but, after the first series’ success, there appears to have been a subsequent loosening of the purse strings in its production budget, and the show feels significantly more lavish – with action set pieces bordering on Bond levels of spectacle. Trying to follow a complex plethora of timelines is no mean feat, but the show’s taut editing and sharp scripting keep things coherent even when characters are in a state of existential turmoil and barely able to make hide nor hair of the hellish time loops they become trapped in. At one point, Lazarus agent Shiv (Rudi Dharmalingam), whose fate is to be eternally gunned down by George, grimly states: “Every three weeks possibly until the end of time I wake up being shot by you.”

Watching The Lazarus Project requires focus, and it refuses to become the sort of TV that can be half-watched while flicking through your phone. But the sense of pride that comes from solving the twisted puzzle box of the plot is part of the fun. Watching Essiedu, Quentin and Salmon face off is a more straightforward pleasure, but keeping abreast of the various timelines appeals to the part of the brain that gets flooded with dopamine after solving a tricky sudoku.

Even when the action pauses to make way for an exposition dump, the show injects enough humour to keep things afloat, with one plotline seeing Sarah castigate a time-travel physicist for never bothering to watch Back to the Future (“even my mum has seen it!”). But, more impressively, while most time-travel narratives ask you to stop thinking at some point, lest the gaping plot holes unveil themselves, The Lazarus Project stays true to its own internal logic, and the scrutiny only enhances proceedings. Not only do the time loops make sense, but the betrayals and shifting allegiances feel true to the characters.

By the end of the series, there’s another giant cliffhanger ending, meaning the inevitable third outing has even more chaos to contend with – and, given what a safe pair of hands series two has proved, this is no bad thing. If you somehow find yourself with an excess of time, watching this series is an incredibly fun way to spend it.

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The Lazarus Project series two aired on Sky Max and is available on Now TV

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The Lazarus Project review: Paapa Essiedu makes a sweet, upbeat everyman – but can we face another pandemic storyline?

Though a little under-explained and occasionally simplistic, ‘the lazarus project’ has a bright concept behind it with satisfying bursts of action, article bookmarked.

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Hands up if you don’t want to see another pandemic-related storyline ever again. If your hand’s raised, fair warning: you’ll be in for a pang of horror in the first few minutes of The Lazarus Project . On the bright side, the crisis that kicks off this plot isn’t Covid – but if the sight of masks, fevers and widespread despair turns you off, then you might be tempted to do the same to this dystopian drama. Stick with it, though, and you may find yourself drawn into a world of perfectly enjoyable, time-shifting intrigue.

For the most part, our protagonist George ( Paapa Essiedu ) is living a millennial dream. On 1 July 2022, he wakes up beside partner Sarah (Charly Clive) in their stylish flat, filled from floor to ceiling with plants. Causes for celebration just keep on coming: first comes a business loan approval, then comes a pregnancy announcement, and then a wintery wedding with all their friends and family in tow. It’s all smiles for now, but trouble’s coming – the spreading of the Mers-22 virus that threatens to decimate humanity. (Shudder.)

Despite the world recovering from Covid not long before, people are coughing again and the news is back to playing constant updates about the many lives lost. A pregnant Sarah starts to suffer badly from the virus, and the distressed couple wonder whether they’re going to die. It’s all so bleak and unrelenting – until, with a gasp and the crashing noise of the bin collectors outside, George wakes up again on 1 July 2022, as if none of the last few torturous months ever happened. But he knows that what he’s been through can’t be explained away as a bad dream, or deja vu. What he saw was real, and he needs answers.

The mysterious Archie (Anjli Mohindra) soon provides them, after approaching him in corny, but fantasy-genre-appropriate fashion, smirking from the shadows. The universe, she tells him, operates in time loops, and George is one of the rare few who are able to recall them, post-pandemic. But these loops aren’t accidents or random happenings; The Lazarus Project is a secret, high-stakes organisation that intentionally controls time to undo mass extinction events. Exactly how they do it remains a mystery to both George and us at home, but essentially this group of special agents work together to save us all from nuclear and chemical disasters. In fact, the reason a Covid vaccine came about in nine months, Archie claims, is because The Lazarus Project had a few goes at it. They try to solve crises naturally, but every time they’ve exhausted their options in a particular quest, they reset life to their checkpoint date: the most recent being 1 July.

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Now, they’re taking on Mers, and they invite George to help. He accepts, launching himself into a new world of missions and brilliant colleagues, including wise group leader Wes (Caroline Quentin). Though a little under-explained and occasionally simplistic, The Lazarus Project has a bright concept behind it with satisfying bursts of action (think shootouts and international car chases). Essiedu is sweet enough as the upbeat, everyman hero, but time will tell if the show allows him to reach the same heights as he did in the superb I May Destroy You . With the likes of Russian Doll , The Umbrella Academy and even Doctor Who already being prominent time travel pieces in the cultural conversation, sceptics might say we’ve seen all we need to of this theme. But hey, it’s timely. And there are some gruesome surprises along the way. We’re well used to those in the real world by now. The question is, can we watch them on TV, too?

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Den of Geek

The Lazarus Project Review: Sky Sci-Fi Thriller Lives Up To Its Hefty Ambition

Paapa Essiedu capably leads the cast of a sci-fi action series that grounds big ideas and action set-pieces in ordinary lives.

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This The Lazarus Project review is spoiler-free and based on episodes one to four of eight.

With its top-secret organisation, globe-trotting car chases, shoot-outs, time-loops and kick-ass agents saving the world, The Lazarus Project may sound like the stuff of James Bond or Fox TV, but this Sky series is no escapist romp. Instead of distracting from the world’s problems, it brings them into focus: Pandemics. Wars. Nuclear annihilation. The quiet parade of continual threats to mortal life that make collapsing into bed at the end of each day a victory if you only let yourself think about it…

App designer George Addo ( Paapa Essiedu ) until now, has never let himself think about it. He’s an easy-going plodder who shares a flat with girlfriend Sarah ( Charly Clive ) and, were he not the lead character in this ambitious series, would likely contentedly tick off life’s milestones until his final breath. That’s how it goes until the day George wakes up to find the calendar has inexplicably rewound six months. Even more inexplicably, nobody else appears to have noticed. Is George losing it, or is Something Else going on?

Something Else is going on and the Lazarus Project is behind it. Everyman George has stumbled upon an earth-shattering secret that throws him into a heightened world of apocalyptic threat and super-villains. Can he slot in among them? And what will be the human cost of knowing what he knows?

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The first thing (of many) that The Lazarus Project does right is casting Paapa Essiedu as its lead. The Royal Shakespeare Company, I May Destroy You and Gangs of London actor has what feels like effortless charm but is likely the result of careful study and attention to detail. As our doorway into this heightened world, he’s entirely believable and puts you instantly on his character’s side. George’s understated confusion faced with the intensity and solemnity of Lazarus agents is funny and relatable. He’s us, and soon – very soon, this show does not mess about when it comes to escalation and pace – he’s faced with a life-changing dilemma.

If Essiedu is great, then the rest of the cast is equally well chosen. Vigil and Bodyguard ’s Anjli Mohindra is a cool customer as George’s recruiting officer into Lazarus. Caroline Quentin plays an M-like boss. Rudi Dharmalingam is unrecognisable from the sweetly nerdy character he played in BBC One’s The Split , and here is the darkly tormented Shiv. Tom Burke ( Strike , The Souvenir ) and Vinette Robinson ( Boiling Point , A Christmas Carol ) entirely steal later episodes as the show’s focus pivots from character to character. Add in Charly Clive and Brian Gleeson and it’s a strong ensemble.

The next masterstroke is how creator Joe Barton ( Giri/Haji , The Ritual ) pitches his scripts’ tone. The project was originally titled ‘Extinction’ but renamed to avoid feeling too bleak. The world being what it is right now, care has clearly been taken here to lift what could be an onslaught of real-life trauma, though that being said, episode three still contains one of the most harrowing sequences on TV in years.

Given the intensity and gravity of the subject matter, it’s astonishing that the four episodes available to preview never become suffocating. A bolt of real-world irreverence is shot through even the most solemn exchanges, undercutting what could in other hands be extremely ‘I’ve been expecting you, Mr Bond’ dialogue. Barton’s speech here foregrounds character over situation, and is always ready with a leavening, humanising touch.

It’s a good job the main characters are written and performed as emotionally accessible as they are, because the chronology is – for want of a better word – a headache. Episode two’s time loops will test anyone not blessed with the power of logic, but even if you lose track of which iteration we’re on, the characters will guide you in like runway landing lights.

Either that, or you’ll be so diverted by the action you won’t think too hard about the time loop stuff. The Lazarus Project is a big, robust sci-fi thriller with proper action scenes. Well-directed shoot-outs, car chases, punch-ups, sniper attacks and on-foot pursuits… the action is good, meaty and regularly delivered. It’s pacy and exhilarating without suffering from loud, bangy attention deficit disorder. The dynamic range from quiet moments to loud, impressive set pieces is handled well.

Alongside the intrigue, humour, action and enjoyable characters are big questions, such as those posed in similarly cool, ambitious British drama Utopia by similarly cool, ambitious British writer Dennis Kelly almost a decade ago: what’s the value of a life? How about eight billion lives? What might make you sacrifice one for the other? In short, this ambitious Sky thriller is the complete blockbuster package.

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All eight episodes of The Lazarus Projec t are available to stream on NOW and Sky Go in the UK.

Louisa Mellor | @Louisa_Mellor

Louisa Mellor is the Den of Geek UK TV Editor. She has written about TV, film and books for Den of Geek since 2010, and for…

The Lazarus Project Review: Déjà Vu All Over Again

An app developer (Paapa Essiedu) joins a secret organization that resets time in The Lazarus Project.

British sci-fi hit The Lazarus Project arrives across the pond as a complex thriller with familiar themes. A top secret organization continually resets time on a specific date to thwart apocalyptic events. Its agents face personal losses and emotional turmoil as they relive devastating trauma. A new recruit with a unique gift questions their tactics as manipulators of fate when unthinkable tragedy strikes. The series blends existential crisis , pandemics, and nuclear explosions like a morning coffee run. It's initially a lot to digest but finds firm narrative footing once the overall plot takes shape.

George (Paapa Essiedu) wakes up in bed with his beloved girlfriend. Life with Sarah (Charly Clive) has been domestic bliss. She cheers him on for an important day ahead. George is applying for a loan to expand his business development app. Sarah, a teacher with a fawning coworker (Chris Fulton), sees a bright future together. They ignore headlines of a new virus emerging in different parts of the world.

Months pass and their relationship grows as MERS-22 explodes into a deadly contagion. Everything that George and Sarah have built together becomes threatened. Their happiness is shattered by sickness when something truly bizarre occurs. George leaps out of bed on the same morning he went for the loan.

Paapa Essiedu as George

A perplexed George doesn't have a clue what's happening. He's somehow been transported back to July 1st. He terrifies Sarah with predictions of the coming plague. She thinks he's lost his mind and needs psychological help. Their bond crumbles when George transforms into a doomsday prepper. His anxiety and paranoia reaches a fever pitch ... until everything starts over again. A mysterious woman approaches George as he wanders and questions his sanity. Archie (Anjli Mohindra) gives him a card with an address. Come here when you're ready for the answers.

The premiere unloads a torrent of exposition in fast fashion. George's Groundhog Day experience is a whirlwind of montages that signify the passage of time. The screen blurs, reality resets, and he's back in the sack with Sarah. It's déjà vu all over again. This methodology plays out similarly in the next episode, but documents another catastrophe involving Archie and her previous partner in 2018. Their inability to stop World War III forces numerous resets. We then see the toll that changing time takes on those tasked with repeatedly saving humanity from extinction.

Related: Best Movies About Time Travel

The Lazarus Project doesn't get granular with scientific details. The time travel tech isn't a main focus. You get a simple explanation, George joins the gang, and the mission proceeds. Let's just say they're not piling into a DeLorean and racing to 88 mph. This is a smart tactic that keeps rapidly evolving storylines on a specific path. The protagonists try to develop new possibilities to known dire outcomes.

Godlike Power

George learns early on that comprehending the time displacements is a curse. The titular Lazarus Project uses its godlike power on a macro scale with no concern for the individual. They literally make life or death decisions for everyone. An inherent conflict brews when that authority is challenged. What right do they have to dictate the future?

A rushed opening settles into a thoughtful exploration of thorny possibilities. There's sufficient action, but it's far from a guns-blazing title like Edge of Tomorrow . The Lazarus Project requires commitment and an appreciation for the abstract. It's not for the casual viewer.

The Lazarus Project is a production of Urban Myth Films in association with Sky Studios. It will have a June 4th US television premiere on TNT and has already been renewed for season two .

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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Lazarus Project’ On TNT, Where A Man Joins A Secret Organization That Turns Back Time To Save The World

Where to stream:.

• The Lazarus Project
• Paapa Essiedu

Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Genie’ on Peacock, Where It Takes A Genie’s Help to Save A Struggling Marriage

What does ‘nf’ mean in ‘black mirror’ episode “demon 79”, ‘black mirror’ season 6 teases salma hayek, aaron paul and annie murphy in trippy first trailer, is ‘i may destroy you’ season 2 in the works at hbo.

Shows and movies with time jumps, especially ones where someone repeatedly relives the same day, weeks or months , make some people uneasy because of the idea that you live life for a time and then… you live it over again, completely aware that something isn’t right. In a new TNT thriller, a man finds out he has the ability to remember these time jumps and who’s been controlling them.

THE LAZARUS PROJECT : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A man and a woman in bed. When there’s a noise, the woman says, “The rubbish men are here,” then her hand lands on his face. He looks at his clock. It’s 7 AM on July 1.

The Gist: It’s an important day for George (Paapa Essiedu); he’s pitching his app to a bank for a business loan. His girlfriend Sarah (Charly Clive) tries to get him to relax by offering a flash of her tits if he makes her tea.

The pitch meeting, for a predictive stock performance app, goes well. Sarah finds out she’s pregnant. Then there’s a joyous wedding. But all is not well. A new global pandemic puts the UK in lockdown, and it seems to be worse than COVID ever was. By the holidays, everyone is in masks, hospitals are overwhelmed, and a pregnant Sarah is being rushed to an overcrowded ER, barely able to breathe.

All of a sudden, George wakes back up in bed with Sarah’s hand on his face. It’s July 1 again, but George remembers everything that just happened from July to December. It makes him completely paranoid, because he knows that the pandemic is coming. Things get so bad that he doesn’t get the loan and eventually Sarah leaves him. As he goes after Sarah, a woman named Archie (Anjli Mohindra) gives him a card with a building name on it and says he experienced a time jump, and if he experienced another one, he should go there.

Sure enough, he wakes up again on July 1, and he goes to the building. Archie introduces him to the other members of The Lazarus Project, who have the ability to turn back time whenever humanity is on the verge of extinction. July 1 is basically their checkpoint; they’ll keep going back to the previous July 1 as much as they need to save humanity, then when the emergency is over, time then moves forward, and the next July 1 becomes their new checkpoint. George is one of the very few people on the planet who can recall time jumps, and they can use that ability in the Lazarus Project.

He meets the group’s leader, Elisabeth ‘Wes’ Wesley (Caroline Quentin), and the other members: Blake (Lorn Macdonald), Greta (Salóme Gunnarsdóttir), Erik “The Dane” Erikson (Lukas Loughran) and Shiv (Rudi Dharmalingam). Shiv also has the same natural ability George has, but he’s got the serious manner of a man who’s seen some things.

Because of the time jumps, they have the time to help develop a vaccine, so they get past George’s first checkpoint as an agent. But there’s another threat; a nuclear warhead has been stolen by a former Lazarus agent named Rebrov (Tom Burke), who apparently isn’t the first agent to “go bad.”

An incident with Sarah’s coworker Ross (Brian Gleeson) almost leads Sarah to getting hit by a garbage truck at the school where Sarah and Ross work, but George grabs her at the last possible second. But when the Lazarus team tries to retrieve the nuke in Paris, Rebrov not only kills Archie and The Dane but sets off the bomb. Which means, of course, everyone goes back to the previous July 1. But George finds that didn’t happen before may happen now, and he may not be able to fix it.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Think Groundhog Day or Russian Doll but deadly serious.

Our Take: One of the things we appreciated about the first episode of The Lazarus Project is that writer Joe Barton ( Giri/Haji, The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself ) doesn’t torture George with dozens of time jumps before being introduced to The Lazarus Project. But what we also appreciate is that the first episode does just enough time jumping to set up what’s really going to happen in the series.

Yes, it’s about the fact that this group can turn back time to give itself the opportunity to save humanity. And there are rules involved in all this, some that are more vaguely defined than others. For instance, it seems that if you die before a time jump, you come back to life, and Lazarus Project members — who, except for George and Shiv, have been given this ability to remember jumps through artificial means — remember those deaths. How they’re not traumatized by that, we don’t know. Of course, if you die and the planet moves on to the next checkpoint, you’re out of luck, even if you’re a Lazarus team member.

That’s what is truly at play here. After Rebrov detonates that nuke, we get a time jump, which means that the incident with Sarah and Ross happens again, but this time, George doesn’t save her. If the threat of Rebrov is resolved this time around and the next checkpoint passes, Sarah will be gone forever.

So Barton is giving us a bit of a red herring by getting George involved with Lazarus. It’s what he does after Sarah dies, and who he turns to for help. that’s the real story here. And that’s certainly more intriguing than getting into the nitty gritty of just how Lazarus can do its thing. In fact, when George asks Archie how these time jumps work, the basically explains away things by telling him it’s a “singularity” and how it operates has to do with quantum physics, so “there’s really not much point in explaining it.” And with that sentence, Barton frees himself of having to do just that. The move is admirable in its obviousness, but it turns the show into more of an action series than a pedantic sci-fi show.

Essiedu is up to the task of playing George, who hasn’t seen as much of the world ending as Shiv has, but is soon going to learn that the personal consequences of having this “gift” are pretty vast. Mohindra is a good foil as Archie, and it seems that she gets to be one of the few who gets to fire off droll lines like “I’m a brown woman; why would I want to?” when George asks if they can go back to 1800s London.

Sex and Skin: We see Sarah and George having sex past the 2023 checkpoint, but it’s under the blanket with clothes on (the series was first developed for Sky in the UK and on basic cable here; that’s going to be all you get).

Parting Shot: Sarah gets hit by the garbage truck. George realizes what just happened, and we see him in slow motion turn around, silently yell “Sarah!” and run to where she got hit.

Sleeper Star: Rudi Dharmalingam’s Shiv is an interesting character, mainly because he’s seen the world end and knows that “it catches up with you.” It’s an entryway into examining just how this ability affects those who have it and why agents like Rebrov go rogue.

Most Pilot-y Line: After Rebrov sets off the nuke and time jumps, George calls Archie. “Holy shit, I got shot in the head!” she tells him with a bit of incredulousness but also a bit too matter-of-factly.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Because The Lazarus Project is more action thriller than sci-fi show, the mission that George goes on after Sarah dies will be interesting to watch, mainly because he may find himself in opposition to the group that constantly has to save humanity from itself.

Joel Keller ( @joelkeller ) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.

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The lazarus project, common sense media reviewers.

Smart sci-fi thriller stays tense without getting too gory.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Global politics get a nod in this show, which deal

Be present with those you love. Have integrity bec

Leadership roles are held by women who communicate

People of different backgrounds and ethnicities wo

Peril, gun violence, threats of war, and disease a

Characters kiss and have sex under covers. No grap

Language includes "s--t," "damn," "t-ts," "hell."

Brands seen in passing, but not focused upon.

Adults drink wine and hard liquor at bars and with

Parents need to know that The Lazarus Project is a sci-fi action thriller that contains peril, explosions, gun violence, and threat of mass extinction. The violence is intense, but not gratuitous or gory. Some scenes involve people having sex under a blanket in a bed. Moderate use of language includes "s--t,"…

Educational Value

Global politics get a nod in this show, which deals with threats to humanity. Moral lessons are brought up and dealt with to varying degrees of success.

Positive Messages

Be present with those you love. Have integrity because anything less can come back to haunt you. Tell the truth. Protect your loved ones. Look at the big picture, but don't forget the details. Don't let your selfishness blind you. Be loyal. Develop trust with your peers. Behave respectfully.

Positive Role Models

Leadership roles are held by women who communicate well and make huge decisions. Characters care for one another, showing love and respect.

Diverse Representations

People of different backgrounds and ethnicities work together for the greater good. Women hold leadership roles. The main character is of African descent. Characters of Danish, Indian, Pakistani, British, French, and Russian heritage are represented in this show.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Peril, gun violence, threats of war, and disease are prevalent.

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Sex, Romance & Nudity

Characters kiss and have sex under covers. No graphic nudity.

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Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Drinking, drugs & smoking.

Adults drink wine and hard liquor at bars and with dinner.

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Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Lazarus Project is a sci-fi action thriller that contains peril, explosions, gun violence, and threat of mass extinction. The violence is intense, but not gratuitous or gory. Some scenes involve people having sex under a blanket in a bed. Moderate use of language includes "s--t," "t-ts," "damn." People drink at parties and with dinners. Character traits of teamwork , perseverance , and integrity are explored.

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What's the Story?

In THE LAZARUS PROJECT, George (Paapa Essiedu, I May Destroy You ) wakes up one morning in July to attend a pitch meeting with an investor. It goes well, and he sails on the momentum through the next few months, marrying his girlfriend (Charly Clive) and attending to her when she falls gravely ill with an ultra-contagious pandemic virus. The next thing he knows, he's waking up and it's the same July day, his girlfriend isn't pregnant yet, his investment meeting is still pending, and it's as if his previous experiences never happened. Is he going insane? Or is there a reason for his ultra vivid déjà-vu?

Is It Any Good?

Excellent acting and a killer script come dressed to kill in this intriguing sci-fi thriller. Lush, tense, and complex, The Lazarus Project's quick pace will engage fans of action movies, while offering enough moral depth for those who long for some complexity. Actor Essiedu brings twinkling eyes to his smart-enough app developer named George, and adds a helping of heart when George learns hard lessons.

Fans of The Matrix will snap to attention when the time-continuum hiccups and puppet masters emerge from the background. Exciting without being gratuitous, teens and adults can enjoy this series together.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about teamwork in The Lazarus Project . How does an elite team like the one in this show operate when someone leaves the team? How important is trust to a team?

There are moral dilemmas aplenty in this show. How crucial is integrity to the function of the group?

Action-packed thrillers tend to have a lot of violence and brutality in them. Does this show rely on violence to create tension?

• Premiere date : June 4, 2023
• Cast : Paapa Essiedu , Caroline Quentin
• Genre : Action
• Topics : Superheroes , Adventures , Space and Aliens
• Character Strengths : Courage , Integrity , Teamwork
• TV rating : TV-MA
• Last updated : December 6, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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The Lazarus Project Review

Streaming on: NOW / Sky Max

Episodes viewed: 8 of 8

With the world’s current chaotic state leaving many wondering where it all went wrong, it’s unsurprising that recent temporally-tricksy offerings like Tenet , Palm Springs , and Life After Life have captured viewers’ imaginations. The idea of turning back the clocks is especially tantalising in times of crisis. But if you really could travel back in time, what would it cost you? Would you be willing to pay it? And if you could, does that mean you should? These are the questions at the heart of The Lazarus Project , from Giri/Haji writer Joe Barton – a taut eight-part sci-fi thriller that’s as big on emotion as it is on timey-wimey shenanigans and high octane action.

We meet app dev George ( Paapa Essiedu ) on 1 July 2022, and watch as a whirlwind six months – played out in an almost Up -esque opening montage – see him secure a big business loan, get hitched to girlfriend Sarah (Charly Clive), and prepare for imminent fatherhood. Background news and radio chatter about a potential new Mers pandemic, financial crises, and Eastern European nuclear tensions lend proceedings an underlying foreboding (eerily, Barton wrote this six years ago), and things soon take a grim turn for George and his family as Sarah comes down with the virus.

But then George wakes up and it’s 1 July 2022 again, the last six months of his life playing out in a kind of post-COVID Groundhog Day loop. Each reset only drives George’s loved ones further away as his desperation to be believed increases. On his umpteenth loop, George is approached by the mysterious Archie (a poised Anjli Mohindra), who explains that she’s part of The Lazarus Project, a secret organisation of time travellers – think the clinical cool of Spooks ’ MI5 crew crossed with the sci-fi bent of the Torchwood team – who exploit a space singularity (“Unless you have a degree in quantum physics, don’t ask,” she quips) to prevent extinction-level threats.

The wrinkle here then is that this singularity is less a time machine, more a video game checkpoint – travellers can only travel back to the most recent 1 July, with the save-point pushing humanity forwards a year when each 30 June passes. It may sound a bit headachey, but it keeps the series’ multiple timelines tightly focused, and thanks to Barton’s largely jargon-free writing, consistently slick editing work, and some generous timestamp deployment, it never feels overwhelming: if anything, it helps keep the show’s character-driven storytelling front and centre. A montage in the third episode poetically evokes the layered repercussions of each reset, masterfully recontextualising entire character arcs as the more nightmarish potentialities of continuous time loops are explored.

Barton picks at the difference between personal happiness and the “greater good” like a societal scab.

With exposition duly dumped, George is invited to join Lazarus and help take down former agent Rebrov (a characteristically captivating Tom Burke ), whose nuclear designs bely a motivation for destruction that’s grounded in profound trauma, sensitively unpacked by Barton over the series’ course. Led by Caroline Quentin’s brilliant, M-like Wes, alongside Archie and Rudi Dharmalingam’s embittered reset vet Shiv – a real standout amidst an ensemble that includes Brian Gleeson and Vinette Robinson on top form – George soon finds himself taking part in slickly-handled high-speed car chases through exotic European locales, saving the world like a regular 007. It’s not hard to see why Essiedu was Danny Boyle’s pick for Bond based on his showing here, the RSC alum displaying gravitas as well as a rough-edged charisma.

Eight episodes of globe-trotting, apocalypse-averting antics would’ve been plenty satisfying, especially given Marco Kreuzpaintner’s kinetic direction and DP Teo Lopez’s cinematic camerawork. But it’s Barton’s commitment to juggling international espionage with an intelligently written, poignant deep-dive into the ramifications of resetting time, both on a personal and global scale, that makes this such a gripping watch.

A tragedy early in the series turns George from an everyman hero into the subject of a fascinating morality play, his allegiance to The Lazarus Project pitted directly against his need to find a way to trigger a reset. This enables Barton to pick at the difference between personal happiness and the “greater good” like a societal scab, moving beyond moral binarism to explore the messiness of human hearts and minds. If you can find a way past the anxiety-inducing parallels this show draws with the real world – and handle some admittedly noodle-twisting looping antics as the series progresses – then you’ll find a fiercely original sci-fi offering that’s well worth your time.

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The Lazarus Project review: A slick, wrong-footing sci-fi thriller

Joe Barton’s time travel drama doesn’t follow the obvious route, and it’s all the better for it.

• Huw Fullerton
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At first glance, you might think you know what sort of show The Lazarus Project is. You might even have the vague sense you’ve watched something with a similar premise before.

George (Paapa Essiedu) is an ordinary app developer who suddenly realises he’s reliving six months of his life – soon, he’s recruited by a mysterious organisation who turn back time every so often to prevent apocalypses, with only a few special people (including him) able to notice the redo.

Once he’s in the team, the gang (also including Anjli Mohindra and Caroline Quentin among others) work together to stop some moustache-twirling terrorists from setting off nukes and the like, using their nous and action hero skills to save the world.

It’s a little bit Spooks, a little bit Primeval and sort of redolent of US TV shows like Timeless, and it’s easy to see where the story could go next – each week George and the team will surely stop an apocalypse, with a few ongoing arcs to tie together for a big finale. Except that’s not what The Lazarus Project does.

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Instead, creator Joe Barton (best known for his critically-adored, gone-too-soon crime drama Giri/Haji) invents a syndication-friendly set-up, only to sadistically prod at and unpick it over the course of the series. Somehow, the business of world-saving becomes background noise as George and other characters go through the emotional wringer in a slick, wrong-footing serialised story.

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The technology at the heart of the series feels like a dream – whenever something goes apocalyptically wrong, the Lazarus team (or rather, Quentin’s enigmatic boss Wes) simply turns back time by making a phone call, returning things to where they were on the last 1st July, aka the checkpoint. If the Earth manages to make it to the next July, it resets to that date. There’s no zipping back to 1939 or dealing with other real-world issues (though COVID does get a brief nod) – it’s just like a video game save point, allowing for second (and third, and fourth) chances.

As I said, it’s a dream – but soon Barton finds the nightmare. In every episode, he pulls at the thread of what this power would actually mean for the men and women affected by it – the children unborn, the pregnancies relived, the loved ones returned and the positive milestones undone. And the temptations. If you lost someone, and had the power to bring them back, why wouldn’t you? And if you’d seen the world die over and over again, would you start to lose sight of why it should survive anyway?

It's difficult to talk about the series without spoilers (admittedly, some have appeared in trailers anyway) and the plot is better experienced fairly fresh. All I will say is, you’ll be surprised by the directions this series goes in, but all the more satisfied by the unusual ride it takes you on.

Visually, the series is also a treat – fast-paced car chases, a clash in rural Eastern Europe surrounded by bleak emptiness, and inventive montage sequences are as much a part of the storytelling as the dialogue – and despite a few awkward performances in early episodes (and an unwise accent choice from Tom Burke) the cast give it their all throughout.

Essiedu has to be singled out for a wry, everyman performance that becomes something much more raw as the series continues, without losing his likability. He feels more real than the sort of heroes we normally see in sci-fi procedurals, and even as his actions become more morally grey it’s hard not to root for him.

Regardless of how it all wraps up, The Lazarus Project is already one of the most inventive time-travel shows I’ve seen in years. If the first episode doesn’t seem like quite your thing, push on – like Giri/Haji, this show’s something of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

The Lazarus Project comes to Sky Max and NOW from Thursday 16th June – sign up for Sky TV here .

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The Lazarus Project

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Buy The Lazarus Project on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

Cast & Crew

Paapa Essiedu

Charly Clive

Anjli Mohindra

Rudi Dharmalingam

Caroline Quentin

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The Lazarus Project

• A paroled former criminal is drawn into an endeavor that puts life with his family at risk and subsequently finds himself living an inexplicable new life working at a psychiatric facility.
• A harrowing and frightening thriller about a man who has everything he's ever loved stripped away from him; and to earn his life and family back, he must face obstacles of mystical origins, endure countless tests of his faith, struggle with his own sanity, and explore the depth and the power of his soul..
• In Dallas, Texas, the family man Ben Garvey is on probation but he is a hard worker of the Fort Garry Brewery Company and lives a simple life with his beloved wife Lisa and their daughter Katie. When his probation period finishes, Ben's brother Rick visits him after being released from prison and invites Ben to heist 12 kg of gold in dust from a laboratory. Ben refuses the invitation but he is fired from his job because of his record; he decides to join Ricky and his partner Phelps in the robbery. However things go wrong and Ricky, Phelps and a security guard die in the heist and Ben is sentenced to death for the murders. After his execution through lethal injection, Ben awakes working as housekeeper of the Monte Angel community in Dundee, Oregon, for Father Ezra, who explains to him that his past life is gone and now he is having a second chance. However he should never cross the boundaries of the location, otherwise he would die. Ben feels confused with the weird situation but he can not forget Lisa and Katie and forces Ezra to give a plausible explanation to him. But while working in the garden, Ben finds a frisby on the grass; he investigates and discloses the secret of the facility. — Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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Three people sit down to dinner at a remote cabin in the woods. Before they eat, they fold their hands and say grace. But they are not thanking God; they are thanking the cabin itself, which they have given the Biblical name of Lazareth, and which Lee ( Ashley Judd ) describes as their source of protection, food, water, and home. It is “more than a place, an idea, a world within a world.”

It is their only world. We hear Lee tell Maeve and Imogen about the time before they lived in Lazareth, when “people lived in cities and towns and people filled their time with mindless distractions.” But then came a global virus, and all systems collapsed. Those who got sick died. Those who survived became all but feral.

Lazareth is lit by candles and filled with mementos of the time before the virus. It is almost cozy, or it would be if not for reminders of the chaos of the world outside. Every time Lee returns from a trip to find supplies, in full hazmat protective clothing, she must strip off her gloves and mask so they can be burned. Lee’s whole life is devoted to protecting the girls physically and emotionally. When they ask about going with her, she says, “I spare you things. You stay here and frolic in the woods and that is as it should be.” They are very young girls when the movie begins, but soon we see them as teenagers, with Katie Douglas as Imogen and Sarah Pidgeon as Maeve. They have been so protected by Lee that they know nothing about the world other than that it is too dangerous. 

This movie combines three perennial, intersecting themes, all frequently explored in fiction and film because they are central to human experience and difficult to navigate. The first is the conflict faced by all parents and caregivers in trying to protect children from fear and sadness, heightened here by the post-apocalyptic terror posed by the virus and the savagery of other survivors. Lee wants to scare the girls enough to keep them from leaving Lazareth but still make them feel secure and safe as long as they are there with her. 

The second is the fragile veneer of civilization. The small group of humans who survived the virus have been reduced to whatever it took to stay alive. Lee explains, “Nature showed them who they really were and now they survive on what little they can find,” she says. We will see some survive on what they can take from others and some on stopping them.

That includes Lee. As the movie begins, a desperate woman comes to the cabin clutching a photograph of children and begging for food. Lee is about to give her a couple of cans of food when she sees the woman scratch her shoulder, indicating that she is infected and contagious. Lee unhesitatingly shoots her. 

It's not just what is happening outside that makes it difficult to protect young people. Growing up presents its own risks, the third theme of the film. We first see Imogen and Maeve as little girls, but for most of the film, they are teenagers, played by Katie Douglas and Sarah Pidgeon. When they discover an injured teenage boy named Owen ( Asher Angel of “Shazam”), adolescent feelings of rebellion and sexuality surface. They hide him in Lazareth, marveling at his muscled torso as they sponge him off and clean the wound in his side.  

The scenes of peril and confrontation are effectively suspenseful and unsettling. In early scenes, the candlelight and creaks in the cabin’s wood are reassuringly homey, but they are terrifying when they indicate the invasion of violent scavengers. 

The themes of the film are so resonant that they create an immediate connection with the audience, but producer/star Judd and writer/director Alec Tibaldi address them with sincerity but not much depth. The film is more about mood than insight. 

Nell Minow is the Contributing Editor at RogerEbert.com.

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