Netflix’s “The Gentlemen” has already built enough momentum to make the hunt for similarly sharp crime television feel especially timely: the Guy Ritchie-inspired series has been renewed for a third season before its second season has even premiered.
The 2024 Netflix show, based on Ritchie’s 2019 film, follows Eddie Horniman, played by Theo James, after he inherits his family estate and is drawn into the criminal underworld. His new reality connects him with Susie Glass, played by Kaya Scodelario, who oversees her father’s drug empire from a covert operation based on the estate. With its mix of dark comedy, polished action and criminal intrigue, “The Gentlemen” sits in a crowded but highly watchable lane of stylish crime storytelling.
For viewers wanting more shows with overlapping DNA — British crime, black comedy, family secrets, reluctant criminals, cinematic violence or movie-to-TV origins — there are several series that fit the brief.
Crime sagas with style
“Peaky Blinders” may be set far from the world of Eddie Horniman, but the comparison starts with a returning war veteran pulled into the building of a criminal empire. The series, set in Birmingham, England, in the aftermath of World War I, follows Tommy Shelby, played by Cillian Murphy, and the Peaky Blinders crime syndicate. Its story folds in arms trafficking and unrest connected to the rise of communism, giving the crime drama a broader historical sweep. Tommy Shelby’s story also continues in the Netflix film “Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.”
“Gangs of London,” which premiered in 2020, offers a much more brutal path into the modern U.K. underworld. Based on a video game, the series begins with the assassination of crime boss Finn Wallace, played by Colm Meaney, creating a power vacuum among London’s criminal organizations. His son Sean, played by Joe Cole, attempts to carry on his father’s legacy while rival forces move in. Originally planned as a movie franchise, the series retains a cinematic presentation and leans heavily into the violence of its premise.
Another British crime movie that found new life on television is “Sexy Beast.” The 2024 Paramount+ original is a prequel to the 2000 film, exploring the early criminal partnership between Gal Dove, played by James McArdle, and Don Logan, played by Emun Elliott, in 1990s London. The eight-episode series also features Teddy Bass, played by Stephen Moyer, and Deedee Harrison, played by Sarah Greene, while emphasizing both style and brutality.
Movie-to-TV crime comedies
“Snatch” is an especially direct cousin to “The Gentlemen,” since both trace back to Guy Ritchie films. Loosely based on Ritchie’s 2000 movie, the 2017 series follows small-time crooks who come into possession of stolen gold bullion and are pulled deeper into the British criminal underworld. Rupert Grint, Lucien Laviscount and Phoebe Dynevor are among the ensemble cast. The show ran for two seasons and uses the film more as a tonal and thematic launchpad than a strict adaptation.
FX’s “Fargo,” created by Noah Hawley, also began from a film foundation. Premiering in 2014, the anthology series tells a new standalone crime story each season across different locations and time periods. Like its cinematic inspiration, it balances dark comedy with life-or-death stakes and has been noted for its period design, cinematography and ensemble-driven storytelling built around flawed characters connected by criminal activity.
Comedies with criminal consequences
“The Outlaws,” a 2021 Prime Video and BBC co-production, puts a comic spin on British crime stories. Stephen Merchant co-created the series with Elgin James and stars as Greg Dillard, who is sentenced to community service for a petty offense. Greg and the other members of his court-mandated crew discover a parcel of money without realizing it belongs to dangerous criminals. Christopher Walken appears as an American con artist in the community service group.
“Year of the Rabbit,” the 2019 crime comedy available on BritBox, takes the action back to Victorian London. Matt Berry stars as Eli Rabbit, a weary police detective partnered with Wilbur Strauss, played by Freddie Fox. Together, they investigate cases ranging from serial killers to conspiracies involving London high society. Susan Wokoma appears as Rabbit’s colleague and his boss’ daughter, with the series leaning into both period comedy and the bleakness of its setting.
“Boat Story,” a BBC-Amazon Freevee series that premiered in 2023, follows Janet Campbell, played by Daisy Haggard, and Samuel Wells, played by Paterson Joseph, after they find cocaine on a boat and decide to sell it. Across six episodes, the pair try to avoid both law enforcement and lethal figures tied to the drugs, as the story mixes wit with considerable violence.
Families, outsiders and new empires
Netflix’s “The Brothers Sun” arrived two months before “The Gentlemen” and shares the idea of a character discovering the dangerous truth about family ties. The series centers on Bruce Sun, played by Sam Song Li, whose Southern California life changes when his older brother Charles, played by Justin Chien, returns from Taiwan. Bruce learns he belongs to one of Taiwan’s most powerful crime families, a secret kept by his mother, played by Michelle Yeoh. Netflix cancelled the series after one season.
“Tulsa King,” the 2022 Paramount+ series created by Taylor Sheridan, stars Sylvester Stallone as Dwight Manfredi, a mobster sent by his crime family to expand operations in Oklahoma. Dwight becomes resentful of his old bosses and moves toward becoming his own crime lord. The show begins with fish-out-of-water comedy mixed with mob thrills before developing into a broader crime saga.
Together, the ten shows map the same territory that has helped make “The Gentlemen” stand out: criminals with charisma, violence with visual flair, and comedy that does not erase the danger.