The End of the Fing World

Did You Know?

• The 2014 short film is now considered lost, with no way to access it online.
• Before the second series's release, writer Charlie Covell said a third series was not planned.

Production

The series was based on Charles Forsman's self-published mini-comics, later collected as a graphic novel by Fantagraphics Books in 2013 and republished in hardback in 2017. Jonathan Entwistle contacted Forsman about adapting the work, initially considering an American film and later a web series. A short film was made in 2014 with funding from Film4, directed by Entwistle and produced by Dominic Buchanan; Jessica Barden played Alyssa, while Craig Roberts portrayed James.

Although the short was well-received, no production companies wanted to invest in a full-length film. Entwistle and Buchanan then developed the project as a television series with Clerkenwell Films, leading to involvement from Channel 4 and Netflix. Forsman had no official role in the show's production but was regularly consulted by Entwistle. The television series differs from the comics in several ways: it replaces a satanist serial killer with police officers Eunice Noon and Teri Darego, and does not depict the killer as a satanist.

The graphic novel's ending shows a satanist police officer chasing James, a fight, a gunshot, and Alyssa carving "JAMES" into her arm; some critics interpreted this as James dead, but Forsman considers the ending ambiguous. In August 2018, Channel 4's director of programmes Ian Katz expressed frustration that many viewers consider the programme a Netflix original, stating it is "absolutely a Channel 4 show".

Release

The first series premiered its first episode on Channel 4 on 24 October 2017, with all eight episodes then released on All 4. Netflix handled international distribution, releasing the series on 5 January 2018. Sales of the graphic novel rose considerably that weekend, with Fantagraphics Books selling out of the current print run. The second series premiered on Channel 4 on 4 November 2019, with two episodes broadcast back-to-back daily until 7 November; the full series became available on All 4 after the Channel 4 premiere and internationally on Netflix the next day.

Reception

The End of the Fing World holds a 94% overall approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The first series has a 96% approval rating based on 52 reviews, with an average rating of 8.4/10; the site's consensus describes it as a "romantically nihilistic show." The second series has a 92% approval rating based on 37 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10, and the consensus calls it a "darkly funny meditation on love and trauma." On Metacritic, the series has an overall score of 77 out of 100 based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews." The first series scored 81 out of 100 ("universal acclaim"), and the second series scored 71 out of 100 ("generally favourable reviews"). Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter praised the writing, characters, soundtrack, and performances of Alex Lawther and Jessica Barden, calling it a "pitch-black, eight-episode comedy gem." Kelly Lawler of USA Today described it as "batty fun," also praising the performances and the surreal concept and execution.