The series recounts the career and sexual offences of Jimmy Savile, who was one of the best-known radio and television personalities in Britain during his life, and whose crimes emerged after his death.

"[21] Pragya Argawal, writing in The Independent, stated: It also feels insidiously callous and thoughtless that an organisation that played a role in glorifying a sex offender and profiting from him [the BBC], while covering up his actions for many decades, are once again capitalising on his "brand" and the fascination that viewers have with monsters and true crime.

[a][b] Coogan said the decision to play Savile was "not one I took lightly", but felt that writer Neil McKay's script "tackled a horrific story which – however harrowing – needs to be told".

[28] Coogan asked the filmmakers to tone down a scene where Savile is implied to molest an elderly woman's dead body in a morgue, finding it too uncomfortable.

[37] Several scenes have been described in the Telegraph as embellished or false.In a subplot in Episode 2, Savile, after hosting an edition of Top of the Pops, rapes a young Asian girl who subsequently kills herself with an overdose of pills.

The website's consensus reads: "Featuring an absolutely chilling performance by Steve Coogan, The Reckoning wallows in a sordid legacy where there's scant closure to be had.

[45][46][47][48] John Nugent of Empire gave the series three out of five stars, describing it as a "tough watch, of course, made with obvious conscientiousness, centred around a deeply disturbing central performance from Steve Coogan.