By Shivam Das | Updated October 12, 2026
Quick answer: Not necessarily. Making Bess Hawkins more active can give the new Treasure Island a richer family dynamic, but it risks weakening Jim’s coming-of-age journey if the show gives him too little agency. The key question is not whether Bess gets more screen time; it is whether Jim still makes meaningful choices, faces consequences, and grows into the story’s central adventurer.
The new six-part Treasure Island adaptation puts Hayley Atwell’s Bess Hawkins closer to the center of the action than many readers may expect from Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1883 novel. That change has a clear dramatic logic: Bess is not simply a parent waiting at home while Jim leaves for adventure. She is involved in the discovery of Captain Flint’s map and in the dangerous decisions that send mother and son toward the Hispaniola. But the change also raises a fair adaptation question: when a supporting character becomes more powerful, does the original hero lose the space he needs to become a hero himself?
Why Bess Hawkins has a bigger role in the 2026 series
In the original novel, Jim’s point of view drives the adventure. The story’s power comes partly from watching a young person step away from the limited safety of home and learn how dangerous adults, money and ambition can be. Bess—often called Mrs. Hawkins in the book—is important to Jim’s home life, but she is not the engine of the long voyage in the way a modern television drama can make her.
The new adaptation gives Bess, played by Atwell, more independence and more direct involvement in the treasure-map plot. Paramount+’s official series guide describes Jim and his mother coming into possession of Flint’s map before their journey takes them aboard the Hispaniola. That premise makes Bess a participant in the danger rather than merely the person Jim leaves behind. It also creates more room to explore the risks a mother might take when she believes her child’s future is at stake.
The real risk: Jim becoming a passenger in his own adventure
Expanding Bess only becomes a problem if the series repeatedly lets her solve the central conflicts while Jim watches. A coming-of-age story needs more than a young character’s presence; it needs his decisions to change what happens next. Jim can be inexperienced, frightened or outmatched. Those qualities make his growth possible. But if every important discovery, moral choice and escape belongs to someone else, the audience has little reason to believe he is becoming the story’s central figure.
This is the strongest version of the criticism raised by the latest reviews. In its October 12 review, The Guardian awarded the series two out of five stars and argued that the adaptation pushes Jim toward the margins while adding a photographic-memory ability and other new plot elements. That is a critic’s assessment, not an objective verdict on what every viewer will think, but it identifies a useful test: do the new ideas reveal Jim’s character, or do they substitute for character development?
What Bess adds when the writing gets the balance right
A more prominent Bess can strengthen the adaptation in three ways. First, she gives the story a more immediate emotional stake: Jim is not simply leaving home, but navigating danger alongside a parent whose judgment he may trust, question or eventually outgrow. Second, Bess’s practical choices can expose the economic pressures behind the treasure hunt. Third, a fuller role gives Atwell material beyond reacting to the decisions of male characters.
Those benefits do not automatically make the adaptation better, but they are not betrayals of Stevenson by themselves. Television and novels have different tools. A six-episode drama needs several relationships and sources of tension to sustain its runtime. Reworking Bess can be a sensible choice if the series still allows Jim to make consequential mistakes and earn his own authority.
What viewers are saying—and what the evidence can prove
Online reactions are not a scientific audience poll. A Reddit discussion about the official trailer includes both skeptical comments about the period look and viewers who say the show looks entertaining. Those comments show that some fans are debating the adaptation’s style, but they do not establish that viewers broadly agree Bess has ruined Jim’s story. Until a representative audience survey or a substantial, systematically sampled set of reactions is available, “social media is divided” should be understood as a description of visible online discussion—not a measured split among all viewers.
Discussion of the Treasure Island official trailer in r/PeriodDramas
That distinction matters. A few highly visible posts can reveal what passionate viewers care about, but they cannot tell us how many people have watched the series, how most viewers feel, or whether a second episode will change their minds. The fair takeaway is that the expanded Bess role gives traditionalists and new viewers something concrete to debate: whether the adaptation is enriching the family story or shifting too much of Jim’s agency elsewhere.
How the series compares with Stevenson’s novel
The original Treasure Island, first published in 1883, is built around Jim’s first-person account. That narrative choice makes his observations, fears and growing confidence central to the reader’s experience. A television version can broaden the point of view, but it has to replace the novel’s intimate voice with visible choices and consequences.
For viewers judging this version, three questions are more useful than asking whether Bess simply has “too much” screen time:
- Does Jim make consequential choices? His decisions should change the course of the voyage, even when they go wrong.
- Does Bess have her own motives? She should be a fully drawn character, not just a device to make Jim’s journey easier or harder.
- Do their goals conflict in believable ways? A mother and son can love each other while disagreeing about risk, trust and independence.
If the series delivers on all three, Bess’s expanded role can make Jim’s journey more emotionally complicated rather than less important. If it fails to give Jim meaningful decisions, the criticism that he has become an afterthought becomes much harder to dismiss.
Verdict: Bess does not ruin Jim’s story by existing at the center
The more interesting question is whether the series understands what Jim’s story is for. Bess Hawkins can be bolder, more resourceful and more involved than in earlier versions without taking the adventure away from her son. The problem begins only when the show confuses giving a character more to do with giving the protagonist less to become.
My assessment: expanding Bess is a defensible adaptation choice, and potentially a smart one. The two-star Guardian review suggests that the show’s larger issue may be how its many reinventions fit together—not simply that Bess has a bigger role. Viewers should judge the balance by watching what Jim is allowed to decide, risk and learn as the season continues.
Frequently asked questions
Does Bess Hawkins have a bigger role in Treasure Island (2026)?
Yes. The new adaptation places Bess, played by Hayley Atwell, closer to the center of the treasure-map story and sends her into the adventure alongside Jim.
Who plays Jim Hawkins in the new Treasure Island series?
Tom Sweet plays Jim Hawkins, while Hayley Atwell plays his mother, Bess, and David Oyelowo plays Long John Silver.
Did The Guardian criticize the new Treasure Island?
Yes. In a review published October 12, 2026, The Guardian gave the series two out of five stars and criticized its handling of Jim and several new plot elements. That is one critic’s opinion, not a universal audience verdict.
Are fans divided about Bess’s expanded role?
There is visible online discussion about the adaptation’s changes, but the available comments do not establish a representative split among all viewers. It is more accurate to say that the change is open to debate than to claim a verified majority opinion.
Where can viewers watch Treasure Island in the US?
The series premiered on MGM+ in the United States on October 11, 2026. Paramount+ carries the series in the UK and Ireland from October 12, 2026, according to the official release information.
Sources and further reading
- The Guardian: Treasure Island review, October 12, 2026
- Paramount+: Treasure Island — cast, story and release details
- Playground Entertainment: official series page
- Reddit: viewer discussion of the official trailer
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