Sorry, Kids, FX's Christmas Carol Adaptation Is So Dark It's Rated TV-MA

Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is a tale that stands the test of time. Whether it's the classic story of an old rich man learning the moral cost of his greed, or it's ability to be adapted in several different ways that makes it timeless. In either case, the story is still going strong, although its latest iteration at FX is so dark, it received an TV-MA rating.
Yep, families best put the children to bed before firing up FX's A Christmas Carol, as it's violent, disturbing, and features some nudity. It's certainly more intense than other past adaptations, though audiences so far tend to be responding positively to it. While there is a tonal shift in how it is presented, it's still one of the greatest Christmas stories ever told!
That said, there's no shortage of people who enjoy A Christmas Carol, so why would FX go out of its way to make it more extreme and risk alienating people? There's no denying this star-studded affair has the right home, and is in line with other popular programs on FX. This version of A Christmas Carol could've aired right after shows like Legion and Mayans M.C., and I don't think anyone would've batted an eye.
Plus, there's no denying an adaptation that opens with someone swearing and pissing on the grave of Jacob Marley (who, let's be honest, deserved that) is going to get some reactions this holiday season. A Christmas Carol has an adaptation that was done with Muppets, it was going to take something startling to move the needle and get people interested in yet another one.
The internet is watching A Christmas Carol both on FX and abroad on BBC One, and it's certainly drawing some reactions. It's hard to say whether or not the buzz is mostly good or mostly bad so far, but many are taking note of the more mature themes, and the fact that Scrooge is a bit of a foul mouth.
There's definitely no shortage of haters, and purists who hopped online just to let others know they prefer Michael Caine's Scrooge to that of Guy Pearce. There's also a fair few English teachers tuning in, and joking about how they'll probably have to correct student's papers for years to come for all the things featured in the adaptation that aren't in the source material. It appears that, while this story is an adaptation, it does take a few creative liberties. One of which being a deviation from Dickens' dialogue, which have ruffled quite a few feathers.
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