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Coming Home

Coming Home

1998Miniseries1 season2 episodes~101 min/epNot RatedMidcredits score: 38th percentile of all shows

Alone and without her parents, Judith Dunbar spends her school days in a boarding school. When her friend Loveday invites her to Gut Nancherrow one day, it is love at first sight for Judith. The elegant lady of the house Diana, her husband Colonel Cary-Lewis and Loveday's siblings Edward and Athena immediately fall in love with her and treat her like family. But the outbreak of the Second World War put an end to the idyll on Nancherrow overnight. A long, thorny road lies ahead of Judith until she finally finds happiness in a family of her own...

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about Coming Home?

Coming Home earns 1 badge: Bittersweet.

Reception

Is Coming Home worth watching?

Coming Home's Midcredits score is the 38th percentile of all shows, from 865 ratings. 65% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

38th percentile

Better received than 38% of shows

33rd percentile among Drama25th percentile among 1990s
Acclaim (how much people like it)38th
Approval (how many liked it)40th

Acclaim

Mixed: Rating-distribution shape vs the catalog

How much people like it

68 /100

38th percentile of all shows

35th percentile among Drama25th percentile among 1990s

Rating distribution

A broad spread centered near 6.9 — solid but not unanimous.

Approval

How many liked it

65% liked it

40th percentile of all shows

32nd percentile among Drama27th percentile among 1990s
65% rated it 7–1035% rated it 1–6

Reach

How many have seen it

48th percentile

865 ratings across platforms

38th percentile among Drama30th percentile among 1990s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 13% in 30 days

What reviewers say

Common ground

A well-cast but shallow adaptation of Rosamunde Pilcher's novel, set in Cornwall during WWII.

Fans praised

  • strong cast with Peter O'Toole, Joanna Lumley, Penelope Keith
  • beautiful period settings and costumes
  • entertaining wartime melodrama with emotional moments

Detractors panned

  • superficial adaptation that loses the book's depth and setting
  • weak lead performances and miscast Emily Mortimer
  • pointless nudity and sentimental treatment of war

What stands out

Acting72

strong supporting cast but main roles criticized

Cinematography70

beautiful Cornish scenery and period detail

Atmosphere70

immersive period and location feel

Pacing55

sprawling but uneven 199-minute runtime

Emotional impactDivisive50

manipulative sentimentality rather than genuine depth

CharactersDivisive45

underwritten and inconsistent from book

Plot and storyDivisive40

chopped and simplified from novel

Originality30

derivative of classic wartime romance

Preferred by

No notable difference between any of the groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • US vs non-US even

Episodes

1 season

Miniseries · 1998 · 2 episodes

  • S1E1
    S1E1

    Part 1

    Apr 12, 1998102 min
  • S1E2
    S1E2

    Part 2

    Apr 13, 199898 minFinale

Watch experience

What is Coming Home like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Earnest, serious and charged — a slow-burn watch that leaves you bittersweet.

ToneFeelDemandexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

What it feels like

Moods
MelancholicHopeful
Heaviest: middle
Register
Romantic · 7% of showsMelodramatic · 9% of shows: Heightened emotion, played large.
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.SerializedSingle-season story
TonePlays its wartime romance and melodrama with earnest sentiment, never winking at the viewer.
The rideThe middle (wartime) likely carries the heaviest emotional weight, with bookends of pre-war warmth and post-war reflection.
StructureThe miniseries tells Judith's story chronologically from boarding school through the war to its aftermath.
Episode formatTwo episodes telling one continuous story across the war years.
Season formatA two-episode miniseries that tells a complete story in one season.

How it leaves you

what you carry away
BittersweetHopeful
Why it leaves you this wayThe viewer is left with a sense of loss from the war's tragedies but hope in Judith's new romance and resilience.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all shows
Monster — 18% of shows. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of shows. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 6% of shows. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 2% of shows. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 12% of shows. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 4% of shows. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 7% of shows. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 8% of shows. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 40% of showsPredator — 7% of shows. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 3% of shows. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of shows. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 3% of shows. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of shows. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of shows. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of shows. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of shows. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of shows. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of shows. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — 1% of shows. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of shows. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of shows. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of shows. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of shows. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 2% of shows. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 4% of shows. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of shows. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — under 1% of shows. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of shows. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 1% of shows. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — under 1% of shows. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of shows. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — under 1% of shows. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 2% of shows. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of shows. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of shows. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of shows. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 2% of shows. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of shows. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — under 1% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 1% of shows. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 1% of shows. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 1% of shows. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 1% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 3% of shows. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of shows. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 1% of shows. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of shows. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 6% of shows. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 1% of shows. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).Rags
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 18%: Predator 7% · Tyrant 3% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 3% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3% (this title): Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent 1% (this title) · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 6%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 2% · Mission 4% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage under 1%
  • Voyage 2%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 1% · Survival ordeal under 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent under 1%
  • Comedy 12%: Romantic comedy 2% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 2%
  • Tragedy 4%: Hubris 1% · Obsession under 1% · Corruption arc 1% · Doomed love 1% · Crushed by fate 1%
  • Rebirth 7%: Redemption 1% · Healing 3% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 1%
  • Mystery 8%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 6% · Enigma 1%
  • No archetype 40%

Rags to riches: A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition. · Social ascent: A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).

3% of shows fit this archetype

with Tragedy underneath

A loose fit — the map only half-holds this one.

Why this archetypeJudith Dunbar is taken into a wealthy family and rises in status, but the war brings multiple tragedies, giving the story a dual shape.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 31% of showsSelf — 27% of showsPower — 7% of showsMorality — 11% of showsSurvival — 9% of showsSociety — 10% of showsIdeas — 5% of showsRomantic love — 10% of showsMarriage — 2% of showsFamily bonds — 22% of showsParenthood — 1% of showsFriendship — 18% of showsLoyalty — 7% of showsIdentity — 20% of showsComing of age — 9% of showsAging — under 1% of showsSelf-worth — 7% of showsAmbition — 14% of showsPurpose — 16% of showsMemory — 3% of showsObsession — 2% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 5% of showsCorruption — 3% of showsGreed — 2% of showsClass — 4% of showsOppression — 2% of showsFreedom — 4% of showsJustice — 14% of showsDuty — 2% of showsRevenge — 1% of showsGuilt — 1% of showsRedemption — 3% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — under 1% of showsSacrifice — 2% of showsBetrayal — 3% of showsDeception — 6% of showsSurvival — 12% of showsWar — 1% of showsViolence — 2% of showsMortality — 2% of showsGrief — 4% of showsTrauma — 5% of showsMental illness — under 1% of showsAddiction — under 1% of showsIllness and disability — under 1% of showsCommunity — 25% of shows. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 3% of showsPrejudice — 2% of showsDisplacement — 1% of showsFaith — 1% of showsTradition vs change — 3% of showsFame — 5% of showsLegacy — 3% of showsFate — 1% of showsFree will — under 1% of showsTruth — 6% of showsHope — 4% of showsNature — 3% of showsArt — 2% of showsTechnology — 1% of showsSelfFriendship
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 31% (this title): Romantic love 10% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 22% · Parenthood 1% · Friendship 18% (this title) · Loyalty 7%
  • Self 27%: Identity 20% · Coming of age 9% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 14% · Purpose 16% · Memory 3% · Obsession 2%
  • Power 7%: Power 5% · Corruption 3% · Greed 2% · Class 4% · Oppression 2% · Freedom 4%
  • Morality 11%: Justice 14% · Duty 2% · Revenge 1% · Guilt 1% · Redemption 3% · Forgiveness under 1% · Sacrifice 2% · Betrayal 3% · Deception 6%
  • Survival 9%: Survival 12% (this title) · War 1% (this title) · Violence 2% · Mortality 2% · Grief 4% · Trauma 5% · Mental illness under 1% · Addiction under 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 10%: Community 25% · Isolation 3% · Prejudice 2% · Displacement 1% · Faith 1% · Tradition vs change 3% · Fame 5% · Legacy 3%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 6% · Hope 4% · Nature 3% · Art 2% · Technology 1%

Bonds

FriendshipWar · 1% of showsSurvival · 12% of shows
Celebrates its theme: Affirms its theme — this is good and worth having.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Dual lead
How it treats its themeThe miniseries focuses on the sustaining power of friendship across the rupture of wartime.
StanceThe story celebrates the resilience of friendship as a sustaining force through war.

The world

Mid 20th centuryRuralDomesticRealistic
Orchestral classicalSupportive music · original score · Carl Davis
Settingthe UK countryside and home front before, during, and after World War II
MusicClassical-period setting, likely a traditional orchestral score.

Content guide

Is Coming Home okay for kids?

Not Rated

Coming Home is not rated. As of August 29, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its sexual content at moderate (58/100). It has too few votes to rank yet.

Overall
needs 3 or more scored categories
not ranked
Sex & Nudity
Moderate
too few votes to rank (4 votes)

Overall standing needs at least three scored categories; this title has 1.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other shows that have them.

What content warnings does Coming Home have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Coming Home?

Cast

Peter O'Toole
as Colonel Edgar Carey-Lewis
Joanna Lumley
as Diana Carey-Lewis
Gruschenka Stevens
as Athena
Paul Bettany
as Edward Carey-Lewis
Katie Ryder Richardson
as Loveday
Emily Mortimer
as Judith
George Asprey
as Jeremy
Patrick Ryecart
as Tommy Mortimer
Carol Drinkwater
as Aunt Biddy
Heikko Deutschmann
as Gus

Crew

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What are shows like Coming Home?

TMDB's suggestions for shows like Coming Home include Jane Eyre (2006), When Calls the Heart (2014) and R.L. Stine's the Haunting Hour (2010).

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What other shows share a tag with Coming Home?

724 other shows share the rarest tag below, kind of show: melodrama. Each tag opens Browse with the shows that share it.