MobLand may seem like your typical crime drama on the surface, but there’s much more to it than that. Tom Hardy commands the screen in the lead role as London gangland enforcer/fixer Harry De Souza, and is joined by an eclectic cast of seasoned thespians and rising stars. Each cast member has their own backstory that is explored intricately outside of the show’s main overarching theme.
With Guy Ritchie behind the scenes, it’s no wonder that MobLand came out with a bang. And since then, it has been steaming ahead week to week, becoming one of the most-watched shows on Paramount+. So, if you haven’t yet, here’s why you should check out this multi-layered crime series.
What is the Premise of MobLand?
MobLand focuses on the Harrigan family, a London-based crime syndicate that has descended from Ireland. The firm is led by Conrad (Pierce Brosnan) and Maeve (Helen Mirren), a married couple who climbed the ranks of organised crime and have seen their offspring follow in their footsteps and join the family business. While he isn’t a Harrigan, it is Harry who gets his hands the most bloody as the family’s fixer and confidant. However, things get a little too hard to fix when the young and volatile Eddie Harrigan (Anson Boon) kills the son of Richie Stevenson (Geoff Bell), the leader of a rival crime family. Soon enough, an all-out war ensues and Harry’s family become affected as everyone becomes prime targets.
Why MobLand Stands Out Compared to Other Crime Shows
MobLand dishes up everything you would expect from a crime series; violence, drugs, sex, and foul language. Tom Hardy brings his iconic brooding intensity and tough guy image to the forefront but in a subtle way compared to previous renditions in crime projects. While there are moments of shocking violence and the odd gun fight, MobLand is much more a family drama, only its focus is on an extremely dysfunctional one. Conrad has imposed his life of crime on his family and they all seem pretty happy to go along, however, it is the other halves who struggle. Harry’s long-suffering wife Jan (Joanne Froggatt) longs for the attention any woman wants and deserves from their husband, but Harry’s devotion lies deeply with his other family, the Harrigans. This sends Jan into the comforting arms of Alice (Emily Barber), another woman in an unhappy marriage, only really she is an undercover police officer.
Close behind Tom Hardy’s intensity lies Paddy Considine‘s portrayal of Kevin Harrigan, the father of the wayward Eddie and son of Conrad. While every good TV show leaves the viewer dangling on a thread at the end of each episode, it is Kevin’s backstory of trauma from the sexual assault he experienced in prison that serves as the storyline that just keeps burning. This proves how MobLand is much more than a common crime series, it delves way deeper than just crime. It makes us feel for these people despite their dodgy moral compasses and insane flaws. Tom Hardy is clearly the driving force in the series, but the beauty is, every character has their own thing going on. Eddie is a hothead who is being manipulated by his grandmother Maeve, who is slowly pulling all of the shots behind Conrad’s back, creating even more tension. Harry’s daughter Gina (Teddie Allen), represents the good egg, a young girl who wants more for her life but is constantly dragged down by her father’s questionable and dangerous living. And when all of these characters are forced to live under one roof, this is where the true drama really unfolds, and the heart of the show is revealed.
So, on the surface, MobLand is a crime series. However, at its core, it is really a fully-fledge drama that focuses on deep character studies, exploring the psyches of not just a crime family, but its counterparts and the intricacies that play out underneath the underworld. Even the show’s lead character Harry is far from the man we thought he was at the beginning, torn between his loyalty to the family and the instinct to get out. To that, MobLand is complex, riveting, at times heartbreaking, and a swerve in a completely different direction from the fast-paced director we know Guy Ritchie as.
Will There Be a Second Season?
MobLand certainly took its time in closing off storylines, however, this slow-burn approach clearly achieved what it set out to do as viewers kept tuning in. Official viewerships figures show that MobLand‘s audience quadrupled in the first seven days of its global premiere, with 8.8 million viewers. With a +298% increase since the debut date, this milestone represents the largest worldwide series launch week ever on Paramount+. As the episodes rolled out, viewers kept coming back. With these kinds of numbers, it’s safe to say that Paramount+ will want a second season.
While there is no official announcement as of yet, Tom Hardy has expressed interest. When speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, he was quizzed about a second season and said that is certainly “the plan”. He then stated how the show could become more international, saying: “There are international elements to organised crime, which are touched on in season one and the control of drugs and ammunition and weapons and people and all kinds of things that go through Europe and from Africa through to South America, Pakistan and the variable commodities that move around Europe.” With the attempted poaching of Harry by the Americans towards the end of season one, this could easily be a plot point for a second season.
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