This drama series centers on a power struggle for the English crown in the 12th century. Emerging from the war-torn shadows of England’s Dark Ages, an idealistic mason, Tom Builder sets out on a quest of erecting a glorious Cathedral bathed in light.
Over all, The Pillars of the Earth will go down painlessly for the fan of this sort of epic; while it's predictable and never exactly sweeping, it's certainly eventful, and the production values are above average.
It's the bountiful hamminess of McShane and the other evildoers that makes Pillars great fun, even if it's never going to be a candidate for Masterpiece Theatre.
