Emily Watson, Olivia Williams and Mark Strong star in a visually grand six-part series, which takes place before the events of Denis Villeneuve’s blockbusters and focuses on a scheming drama surrounding the Bene Gesserit.

A long-gestating prequel, about the women who seek to guide a galaxy, is splashy, somber and insufficiently spicy.

This is a spoiler-free review of Dune: Prophecy's first four episodes. The show premieres on HBO and Max on November 17, 2024, with new episodes airing Sundays through December 22.

The initial reviews and the Rotten Tomatoes score for HBO’s upcoming series Dune: Prophecy are considerably subdued, compared to the Dune movies. The show, taking place 10,000 years before the events of Dune (2021),