Started May 14, 2019 · Ended · Based on 1 season, 6 episodes through June 18, 2019 · TV-MA · 60 min
Years and Years follows the Lyons family, a large family in Manchester and London, from 2019 to 2034. Daniel works with refugees, Stephen and Celeste raise two daughters, Rosie is a single mother who uses a wheelchair, and Edith returns from activist work abroad. Their grandmother Muriel holds the family together as war, floods, disease, money trouble, new technology, and a powerful politician reshape Britain. The family tries to keep ordinary jobs, homes, marriages, and celebrations while the country becomes less safe. The tone moves from funny family drama to a frightening political thriller.
Daniel is a gay man who falls in love with Viktor, a gay refugee from Ukraine, and their relationship becomes one of the main story lines. Bethany calls herself transhuman and wants to move her mind into a computer, while her parents first think she means transgender. Edith works on climate and human-rights causes, and the family later fights refugee camps and a government that hides people. The show presents far-right populism, anti-migrant policy, climate harm, surveillance, and economic inequality as linked dangers, and it shows how public fear can make people accept new controls over speech, work, movement, and private life. The family ends by using technology, shared action, and public protest to resist the system.
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Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Years and Years.
Woke representation / casting
The Lyons family includes a black mother and daughter, a gay male lead, and a disabled single mother played by a wheelchair user. Daniel’s romance with Viktor also puts a gay Ukrainian refugee in a major role. Rosie and Bethany stay important to the story instead of appearing only in the background. Russell T Davies also said inclusive casting became a policy for him after working with Ruth Madeley. The modern British setting makes these choices believable, but the repeated identity focus still makes representation a visible part of the cast.
38%
Woke political dialogue
Characters often talk about elections, refugees, climate change, war, fake news, economic collapse, and surveillance. Viv Rook turns anger at old parties into a movement and later defends migrant camps with cold public speeches. Muriel’s final speech says ordinary people share blame for letting the country fall apart. These talks return from the first episode through the finale and push the family into action.
70%
Identity-driven story themes
Daniel’s gay identity shapes his love story with Viktor, a gay Ukrainian refugee. Viktor’s deportations, trafficking, and detention make migration a continuing personal issue. Bethany calls herself transhuman and later uses her implants to expose government crimes. Edith’s climate and human-rights activism joins the family story to wider justice causes. These threads return across the season and help decide the ending.
58%
Western institutional / cultural critique
Rook’s government removes rights, hides migrants, and turns camps into a business. The show links climate damage, economic inequality, private technology, and false news to failing public systems. Edith and other family members treat protest, leaks, and shared action as the answer to state control. The criticism runs through the season and targets a future authoritarian government, private business power, and surveillance.
58%
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. The show is an original TV story, not an adaptation. It does not rewrite an established fictional character or a known historical event.
0%
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Small X accounts called the show a checklist of woke themes involving refugees, climate doom, LGBT themes, transhumanism, and a far-right villain. Other small accounts called it propaganda about digital control and said it treats the far right as Britain’s main threat. The supplied X pass found no large account, organized campaign, boycott, or major review-bombing. The complaints had little reach, so the backlash remains low.
15%
Creator track record context
Russell T Davies has a long record of LGBTQ+ stories, including Queer as Folk and It’s a Sin. He has also described himself as a political writer, and he created this show after Trump’s 2016 election win. Nicola Shindler and Michaela Fereday also have records tied to queer-focused dramas, and Andy Pryor has a record of inclusive casting. The directors and other listed crew have little public political or identity-focused context, but Davies is the sole writer and main creative voice.
84%
Production
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