Episodes 1 and 2 of “Gangs of London’s” second season cut the path for Episode 3, where the story begins in earnest. This is typical of most television shows with scope and pretense: If we make it through the first one or two hours of expository material, we’re rewarded for our patience with the part where things start getting good. What a treat. “Gangs of London” starts out well enough in its return to air, a sharp contrast to so much of what runs on premium cable and streamers, but Corin Hardy, taking over showrunner duties from series creator Gareth Evans for the latest round of frenetic mob mayhem, holds in reserve the season’s “what” until “Episode 2’s” final minutes. 

At best, this is a venial sin, but at worst, the “what” in question hinges on a reveal that viewers who’ve never seen a thriller before will consider a “spoiler.” On the other hand, anyone with even a passing awareness of what comprises “dead” in high-tension tales of backstabbing conspiracy probably suspects that the climactic character death in “Gangs of London’s” first season was a red herring.

Continue reading ‘Gangs of London’ Review: Corin Hardy Takes Over The Hyperviolent Crime Saga For Season 2 & Mostly Delivers The Goods at The Playlist.

Perhaps sensing that the movie release slate in November would overwhelm many of us, television has slowed down (a touch) with most of the month, including returns of TV favorites. While shows like the much debated and buzzed about “The Crown” will see dominance in the discourse, there are also shows such as “Mythic Quest,” which has been overshadowed by some of its more audience-friendly streaming peers (like “Ted Lasso”) and “Gangs of London” which created a small but loyal following in its first season. 

While “Andor” ends this month, Disney+ has a new, nostalgia-filled series to take its place with the premiere of “Willow,” a sequel to the 1988 original film.

Continue reading 11 TV Shows To Watch In November: ‘The Crown,’ ‘Yellowstone,’ ‘Willow’ & More at The Playlist.

“The Raid” director Gareth Evans struck gold in 2020 with “Gangs Of London.” Based on the 2006 video game of the same name, the show was a fast favorite in the UK on Sky Atlantic before AMC picks up the US broadcast rights; then the show really took off. Now, the show returns with its much-anticipated second season, with London’s soul hanging in the balance.

Continue reading New ‘Gangs Of London’ Season 2 Trailer: The Hit Series Returns To AMC+ On November 17 at The Playlist.

“What does it feel like to be a king?,” asks the latest trailer for season two of Sky’s sprawling crime series “Gangs of London.” The show’s first season followed the Wallace crime family in the aftermath of the assassination of Finn (Colm Meaney), their leader and patriarch. With Finn dead, his son Sean (Joe Cole) is thrust into his father’s role, having to navigate the perilous halls of leadership.

Continue reading ‘Gangs Of London’ Trailer: The Acclaimed Crime Drama Returns For An Explosive Second Season Later This Year at The Playlist.

As the world loosens the grip of a historic pandemic, people are turning in greater numbers to entertainment to escape reality. At the same time, productions that were shut down in 2020 are rebooting with new precautions and protocols in place, while other shows that might have returned under normal circumstances now seem less likely to do so. The delays in production in 2020 were felt strongly in early 2021 as the TV landscape felt more fractured than ever and, quite frankly, was still missing a lot of its heavy hitters.

Continue reading The Best Television Of 2021… So Far at The Playlist.

Not to exclude stellar photography all the world over, but there’s a common theme here in The Playlist’s picks for Best Cinematography ‘20: America. The year is littered with movies about the red, white, and blue in one form or another, to one extent or another, movies that capture either a period of time, or an enduring ethos, or tall tales and B.S. we tell ourselves as citizens of the self-styled greatest country in the world.

Continue reading The Best Cinematography Of 2020 at The Playlist.

There is no shortage of genre television offerings for this October, with plenty of shows looking to sustain horror fans who are looking for new output. Every streaming site seems to have either a horror anthology series or something branded with horror labeling. There’s less in the way of your standard drama and comedy, but still plenty of variety for those who aren’t just looking to revel in the Halloween spirit. From space-wandering bounty hunters to romantic comedies and paranormal activity, there’s something for everyone this month.

Continue reading 10 TV Shows To Watch In October at The Playlist.

A key exchange occurs in the third episode of “Gangs of London,” the Sky Atlantic series aired in April this year and now streaming on AMC+; it’s a conversation between Elliot Finch (Sope Dirisu), an undercover cop embedded for two years as an enforcer for the Wallaces, the city’s most powerful organized crime family, and his handler, DI Vicky Chung (Jing Lusi).

Continue reading ‘Gangs of London’: Slick, Brutal Gangster Series Showcases Gareth Evans In Peak Form [Review] at The Playlist.

You got AMC+ right? You know, the streaming platform for those that love AMC shows so much that they pay a monthly fee to get access to all the episodes of “The Walking Dead?” Well, if you do, feel free to shoot over your login credentials because I need them to watch “Gangs of London.”

READ MORE: 2020 Fall TV Preview: 45 Shows To Watch

As seen in the first trailer for the new crime thriller series coming, exclusively, to AMC+, “Gangs of London” tells the story of a murdered crime boss and the power vacuum that is created in his absence.

Continue reading ‘Gangs Of London’ Trailer: Gareth Evans’ Crime Series Comes To The US Exclusively On AMC+ at The Playlist.

Despite being just the weirdest year ever, it’s also been a super-strong, solid one for television. Maybe it’s because movies got kneecapped during the pandemic or maybe it’s because we’re all stuck at home more than ever, but there’s definitely lots of good TV to watch, including our picks for the 20 best shows of 2020 at the halfway point, which didn’t even include August’s acclaimed “Lovecraft Country.”

READ MORE: Fall Film Preview: 40 Most Anticipated Films To Watch

However, the Fall has always been the big season for television.

Continue reading 2020 Fall TV Preview: 45 Shows To Watch at The Playlist.

If you sit down and watch a film or TV series directed by Gareth Evans, you kind of know exactly what to expect. No matter if it’s “The Raid” films, “The Apostle,” or the upcoming “Gangs of London,” you know that anything Evans touches is going to have plenty of brutality and anger. And it’s probably going to look great.

Continue reading ‘Gangs Of London’ Trailer: Gareth Evans Returns With A Brutal, Action-Filled Crime Series at The Playlist.

As documented in our Best TV of The 2010 Decade feature, which you should read, the 2010s were the age of PeakTV, Prestige TV and the dawn of the streaming age. Now in this new decade of the 2020s, we enter the Streaming War era. Yes, Netflix is here and here to stay, HBO isn’t going anywhere and Showtime, FX and all the other major players are solidified in status.

Continue reading The 60 Most Anticipated TV Shows Of 2020 at The Playlist.