If you’re a gritty crime drama fan and you aren’t watching Guy Ritchie’s MobLand, which is currently airing on Paramount+, you’re gonna want to go ahead and hop on that immediately. As reported by Deadline, its premiere episode saw a record debut week, per Paramount Global, making it the streamer's biggest global series launch ever, even over Taylor Sheridan hits. MobLand joins 1923 and Landman but sits above them as part of the top three launches in Paramount+ history. What this means is, in short, MobLand season 2 looks pretty promising after this latest ratings reveal.
“MobLand is a runaway success thanks to the visionary work of Guy [Ritchie], Jez [Butterworth], Ronan [Bennett], and David Glasser and brought to life by the exceptional Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan, and Helen Mirren, who transport us into a world audiences clearly cannot get enough of,” said Paramount Co-CEO and President and CEO of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios Chris McCarthy.
MobLand focuses on two warring crime families in London, the Harrigans and the Stevensons, each with their own empire: guns vs. drugs. When a night out for a Harrigan ends with an unfortunate set of events, the empires clash in a kill-or-be-killed battle that threatens everyone and everything both families have worked to secure. However, though the war between families is a major focus of this narrative, it’s not the main focus.
Our sights are set on Harry Da Souza (Tom Hardy), a well-known, street-smart “fixer” working for the Harrigan family. Harry is refined and reserved but also tough and dangerous. His polite, respectful demeanor make him an unsuspecting threat full of skill, accuracy, and intelligence, who is highly trusted and respected by everyone. As such, he’s granted leeway and good rapport with other crime syndicates but remains loyal to the Harrigans.
Harry knows all too well, though, where loyalties lie when opposing forces collide and lines are crossed. In fact, he doesn’t just expect it: He prepares for it. To see how his role as a fixer in this particular predicament not only affects him but also his family is where I find most of the tension, but you have to be looking for it to notice it. You mustn't get so wrapped up in the war between organized crime family that you forget to pay attention to who (and what) is between them: the fixer. Though MobLand has only just begun, you can almost feel his internal struggle battling to break free. What will it cost him to fix everything, and will it be worth it?
In addition to Hardy, Pierce Brosnan stars as patriarch of the Harrigan organized crime family, Conrad, fighting for power within a global crime syndicate. Dame Helen Mirren also stars as his wife, Maeve, and let me just tell you, she’s one to watch as this story plays out. There’s much more to her than meets the eye, and Mirren is absolutely divine in this role, especially fresh off the heels of playing Cara Dutton in 1923. The series also features Paddy Considine, Joanne Froggatt, Lara Pulver, Anson Boon, Mandeep Dhillon, Jasmine Jobson, Geoff Bell, Daniel Betts, Lisa Dwan, and Emily Barber.
While there is no official word yet on the renewal of season 2, I think it's a really safe bet to expect it to come on down the Paramount+ pipeline.
MobLand is executive produced and directed by Guy Ritchie. It’s his first TV series for Paramount+. The series is produced in association with Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios. It was created and written by Ronan Bennett (The Day of the Jackal) and written by Jez Butterworth (Ford v Ferrari). This marks Butterworth’s second successful TV series for Paramount+, following The Agency. Both series are part of his exclusive TV overall deal with Paramount+ and Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios.
MobLand episodes 1 and 2 are currently available on Paramount+, with new episodes airing on Sundays.