'Renegade Nell' appears to place considerable emphasis on identity-driven casting and messaging, with the titular character occupying every empowering trope possible. Skill and character depth seem secondary to making a point, and historical realism is sacrificed for modern sensibilities. The narrative sometimes reads like a checklist of progressive priorities rather than a naturally unfolding story.

The show makes a conscious effort to subvert traditional gender roles, overhauling the norms of the historical period. Masculinity is often sidelined or portrayed as bumbling, while religious and family themes are barely acknowledged except when criticized or inverted. Any sense of historical cultural values is updated for modern tastes, almost as if 18th-century England secretly had access to Twitter.

There is little room for dissenting views or traditional perspectives in 'Renegade Nell.' Most authority figures clinging to old ways are either buffoons or outright villains. The few opposing voices are straw men, there to be outmaneuvered by our heroine, with almost no ideologically diverse debate played out in good faith.