With strong performances, intrigue, and intensity, MobLand has a bit of everything for fans of crime thrillers. Led by Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren as Conrad and Maeve Harrington, along with Tom Hardy as Harry Da Souza, MobLand presents the ins and outs of mob rivalries in London with gripping ferocity reminiscent of Gangs of London.
Gangs of London debuted in 2020 and entered its third season in the UK in March 2025. The first two seasons of Gangs of London are available on Netflix, offering an opportunity for MobLand fans to dive even deeper into the world of the London-based underground.
The cast of Gangs of London includes Colm Meaney, Paapa Essiedu, and Joe Cole, among others. As the show weaves through the family dynamics alongside British legal and criminal woes alike, Gangs of London is a must-see for any fan of MobLand.
Release Date
April 23, 2020
Network
Sky Atlantic
Directors
Corin Hardy, Xavier Gens, Marcela Said
‘Gangs of London’ and ‘MobLand’ Are Fascinating Glimpses Into the World of Organized Crime
When Gareth Evans and Matt Flannery created Gangs of London, they set out to give the audience a “sense of what goes on behind closed doors” in the world of organized crime in London. They worked with current and former undercover police officers and learned about “the city and how things happen,” and, as Evans recalled,
“I remember on one of our trips we were with an undercover cop, a former undercover cop, who was like, okay, you see this street? And there were, like, five money transfer places. He said that definitely one of them would be responsible for money laundering in some way or another. And literally, while we were stood on the pavement watching, a group of plain-clothes cops came in and raided the place right in front of us.”
While Gangs of London is much more internationally focused, Tom Hardy didn’t dismiss the opportunity for MobLand to go the same direction. He told The Hollywood Reporter about how MobLand fits into the global criminal landscape:
“There are international elements to organized crime, which are touched on in Season 1 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. There are families that are involved in each European country that are vying for power to have that status to be able to move these kind of commodities through and who polices that and how that fits into a world stage.”
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‘Gangs of London’ Cranks Up the Violence Well Past ‘MobLand’ and Feels Like a Natural Companion Show
MobLand’s strong ensemble cast and that of Gangs of London both bring depth to portraying the criminal underworld, but if MobLand’s violence is an eight out of 10, Gangs of London is a full 10. The first two episodes of MobLand were directed by Guy Ritchie, no stranger to violence in his films like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. That said, reviewer Emily Baker noted,
“MobLand certainly has potential, and its lack of bombastic bilge is quite refreshing. It takes itself seriously – though not as seriously as its closest comparable series, Gangs of London. The stage is set for an intriguing, bloody gang war and – if it continues in the same vein – could become one of Ritchie’s better works.”
This could be a ringing endorsement of either series, or both, depending on what audiences are after. As a result, MobLand feels like a nice appetizer for viewers in need of taking their British crime thrillers to the next level with Gangs of London.
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Here’s Where You’ve Seen ‘MobLand’s Shockingly Star-Studded Cast Before
From 007 to that guy from that thing, you’re going to recognize everyone.
‘Gangs of London’ Is Based on a Video Game, and ‘MobLand’ Was Originally Supposed To Be a Spinoff
There are notable differences between MobLand and Gangs of London, especially the latter’s origins in a video game of the same name, although both Gangs of London and MobLand have roots in other media properties. While MobLand was originally slated to be a spinoff of Ray Donovan, it later became a standalone series. From the outset, Gangs of London was linked to the Getaway franchise, being something of a spin-off game.
Gangs of London effectively captures the diversity of London and continuously introduces new characters and ideas to add layers to the story. With time, MobLand may do the same thing, as noted by Hardy when he told The Hollywood Reporter, “the plan is definitely to see more seasons.”
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