It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Excellent production providing a vivid window on the twilight years of the British Raj in India. The social circumstances with all the prejudices and fears that existed at the time set against a riveting story line was most entertaining. Such a pity that the series did not go on to cover the period of WWII, partition and independence. The story could have developed into something very special.

It is a shame to learn that they (the powers that be at Channel 4) decided NOT to go ahead with Season 3 earlier this year (2016). However, all is not lost as they will change their minds when enough people contribute to voting on how good the series was. Great acting, super costumes, wonderful script and the scenery was and exceptional. Season 3 would presumably have dealt with the period leading up to WW2 and the entry of Japan in 1941. Monumental times for the Indian sub continent and breathtakingly riveting & fearful for the countless millions involved. Can't believe that with such a rich vein of social history to come they have abandoned "Indian Summers to two seasons AND alas the best was yet to come. Fingers crossed the producers change their minds before the cast and crew move onto other things!

Except for the fact it wasn't even shot in India! How sad it that?There were really no sympathetic characters. All the English were racists and bigots, all the Indians were... ciphers. Yes, a lot of the English of that time were horrible, espousing the beliefs on view in this program. But there were many who were sympathetic to the plight of the Indians, yet there are only two people in this program who seem to tolerate or even like the native people they live among, Alice and Ian McCloud? Just doesn't seem realistic. And Julie Walters character? Oh, lord, what a harridan! I couldn't stand hearing her voice after the first episode, the writers had her spewing such hate and venom. I don't expect something that's all rainbows and sunshine, but the amount of hate and racism and bigotry on display in each and every episode made me nauseous. It's called striking a balance, showing all sides of a story, something that wasn't on display here.The worst part was the storyline regarding the missionary's wife, Mrs. Raworth and the sister of the private secretary to the Viceroy, Alice Whelan. Alice has left her husband back in London, taken their child and run away to India, but to avoid scandal she tells everyone that her husband is dead. Well, because Mrs. Raworth is a nosy, desperate, social-climbing sneak, she winkles out the truth and holds it over Alice's head, blackmailing her in order to gain entre into the higher echelons of Colonial Indian society. The question is, why? Mrs. Raworth is about as threatening as a wet tissue; this is a women who would become confused at an intersection where the street signs have been swapped. All it would take is for Alice to slap Mrs. Raworth smartly on the face and say to her, "Go ahead, tell everyone I've left my husband. Yes, you might have a brief triumph over me, but it will be brief because I will make sure everyone knows you for the low, backstabbing, sneaky, pathetic blackmailing worm that you are. And once your true character is revealed, no amount of brown-nosing will ever get you the approval you so desperately crave. Which means I'll eventually regain my status, but you will never be looked upon at any kind of equal ever again." For Alice to be continually threatened by Mrs. Raworth was just completely unbelievable. And ridiculous. And utterly irritating to watch.The main problem is whoever wrote this thing was trying to set up a grand mystery with lots of intertwining strands of smaller mysteries that somehow tied into the whole. Instead what was created was a vague, muddied, and meandering plot that barely allowed the viewer to get a grasp on any one character before being whisked off to another scene and another "mystery." There was no character development or depth, no understanding of the motivation behind their actions, and because of the general sloppiness, no reason was given to care about any of the characters or why they did what they did or wonder how they ended up. There are moments in the script where we're shown, "Hey, look, this character has feelings, is acting a little bit sympathetic even if you normally don't like them! That means they have depth!" Unfortunately, I don't buy into those moments because they're just more examples of lazy writing. And I think all of this is because there's no source material to back the program up as with the far superior "The Jewel in the Crown." Which is why I will recommend that program over "Indian Summers" any day because unless you like a pretty veneer with no depth, there's little else to look at.

Being born and brought up in Simla, only a few years after the British left, I hated it!!! It was so hard to watch. Simla is at 7500 ft above sea level. Tropical foliage where there should have been majestic deodars or Himalayan Cedars. Why did they not film it in Scotland? The vegetation and topography is so much more like the Himalayas. The Raj was as much about Simla and its unique landscape and the way it influenced life and government as anything else. The whole concept of the Mall and Promenade every evening, the Gaiety Theater and Green Room, Bandstand not to mention A race course created on a small hill using local labor to flatten the ridge to create an oval space, defined Simla. I actually have a map of the houses of the British which enabled social activity without losing ones way.The producers, directors etc, just did not get it! The Indians consisted of many more levels of society...educated, refined and of illustrious families.....than just household retainers and clerks. The British Civil servants themselves, were generally competent and decent and their lives consisted of a lot more than socializing. A bad show, misinforming the viewers. So disappointed, PBS!