Fans of hard-hitting and gritting British drama shouldn’t look past Gangs Of London for their next binge-watch. The Sky Atlantic series, which is being broadcast on Cinemax in the USA, has been making fans go wild since all nine episodes of the series were dropped last week. It has quickly become one of the biggest releases of the year for Sky, and has filled the void left by Game of Thrones.
The series is already being compared to one of the best British dramas of all-time in Peaky Blinders, and there is a lot of weight behind that argument. Gangs of London is brutally hard-hitting with no shortage of brilliant twists and turns and gang-related violence. The cast is stellar, and the writing is among the best that you can expect to find on television.
Gangs Of London: What’s It About?
The series is based in London, with the story based around the battle for power of one of the world’s most dynamic cities. As you would expect from a gritty series, it begins at a blistering pace with the formidable Sean Wallace standing at the top of the city burning a man alive before the rope breaks sending him through the sky. Sean is faced with finding the culprits for the murder of his father Finn Wallace.
The death of the leader of the gang means that the rest of the families see an opportunity to capitalise. Wallace is helped by the Dumani family; including Ed who is tasked with directing Sean to ensure that the power balance remains in their favour. Sean’s takeover means that the Albanian Mafia as well as the Welsh travellers, Chinese Triads and the Pakistani Drug Cartel all sense an opportunity to seize control from their new leader.
However, the answers to his prayers may come in the form of Elliot Finch, who quickly becomes a trusted new member of the Wallace family after helping Finn’s driver escape from the Albanian Mafia. However, could his prolonged interest in the Wallace family from the outside mean that Sean may be too quick to trust the newcomer?
Gangs Of London: Who’s In It?
The show does include a lot of upcoming talent, but the newfound head of the family Sean is played by Peaky Blinders star Joe Cole. Cole is brilliant in this Peaky-Esque thriller and quickly goes from the violent younger Shelby to a ruthless modern-day mafia leader. Colin Meaney stars as Finn, while fellow Peaky star Emmett J. Scanlan plays Jack O’Doherty.
Other stars that are included in the show are Sope Dirisu (Elliot Finch), Lucian Msamati (Ed Dumani), Michelle Fairley (Marian Wallace) and Mark Lewis Jones (Kinney Edwards). The series is already receiving rave reviews, with an 8.7/10 rating on IMDb. Fans who love Peaky Blinders are bound to love this modern-day equivalent.