Gangs of London: Season 1 - TV Reviews (2024)

With a long wait until Peaky Blinders returns, there's room for another lavish, sprawling crime drama. Gangs of London confidently barges its way into that space. It could well wind up challenging for the title of best crime drama on British TV.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 29, 2021

Gangs Of London doesn't just put bodies into the ground; it exhumes the ones in the foundations of these supposed beacons of civilization.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Apr 9, 2021

Despite all our reservations, we're recommending Gangs Of London because it feels like the story is going to be relatively straightforward.

Full Review | Apr 9, 2021

Gangs of London exists on a fully realized plane of its own, where brutality is power, death is inevitable, and even the pigeons are on cocaine. I love it. I cannot get enough of this show.

Full Review | Apr 7, 2021

Finch is a terrific audience surrogate, radiating the disgruntled lumpenprole badassery of Charles Bronson.

Full Review | Apr 2, 2021

Not for those who don't like brutal violence portrayed with gusto. But for those who can take it, the series is really an intriguing chess game about seizing power.

Full Review | Apr 2, 2021

Whole scenes feel like utilitarian placeholders where better versions would go if the creative team cared about them nearly as much as they do about the action. But my goodness, that action!

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 1, 2021

By being one part The Departed, one part Guy Ritchie movie, and splashed with the blood of a thousand The Raids, Gangs of London ends up scratching multiple itches simultaneously.

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Feb 24, 2021

It's very well done, but the violence, starting from the opening few minutes which made me close my eyes (a rare occurrence), makes The Sopranos look like Mary Poppins.

Full Review | Feb 9, 2021

It strives for a Gomorra-like bleakness... while simultaneously delving into the grotesque ultra-violence that serves no real purpose and completely annihilates any investment in the story.

Full Review | Original Score: 5.2/10 | Dec 9, 2020

Gangs of London has copped criticism for its visceral brutality, but the brilliant cast, the character development, and its unromanticised depiction of a grimy, multi-ethnic underworld are compelling.

Full Review | Nov 17, 2020

Action fans will find plenty to unpack in this no-holds-barred violent juggernaut assault to the senses.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Nov 13, 2020

It may be harrowing at times but with its first-rate cast, clever direction and incisive writing full bore, Gangs of London is always fascinating to watch.

Full Review | Nov 10, 2020

Not for the faint hearted, Gangs of London is tough as nails and addictive as hell.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Nov 8, 2020

The highly choreographed action scenes are nothing short of stunning, but series creators and action-movie veterans Gareth Evans and Matt Flannery know that it's the characters that really do the heavy lifting.

Full Review | Nov 4, 2020

Without that heart, "Gangs of London" would just be another slickly made gangster entertainment. With it, it's one of Gareth Evans' best accomplishments of his career to date.

Full Review | Original Score: A | Oct 13, 2020

Gangs of London's family drama, constantly changing motivations, and overall mystery make it a solid choice to fill the Succession or Game of Thrones-sized hole in your TV schedule.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Oct 8, 2020

It takes its story very seriously, "Gangs" does, but it's also audacious enough to engender good will and enigmatic enough to keep one engrossed.

Full Review | Oct 2, 2020

Joe Cole gives a memorable performance as he channels his inner Al Pacino with a calm and calculated menace, while Sope Dirisu delivers the action chops.

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Oct 1, 2020

A bold continuation of the mafia movie tradition, yet like the inexperienced figures at its center, the show carves its own enthralling path.

Full Review | Sep 28, 2020