Peaky Blinders is back with a brand new series setting up a new era for the Shelby clan!
Peaky Blinders was a surprise smash hit for the BBC, especially when Netflix acquired the rights to show it off to an international audience. Set in 1919 London, the show focused on the Shelby clan, a criminal family rising to power, led by the conniving Tommy (Cillian Murphy).
The series would jump ahead in the timeline from season to season, taking the story from the 1920s to the early 1930s, reflecting the changes in Great Britain and the Shelbys’ struggles mounting. The sixth and final season was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and had to deal with the tragic loss of Helen McCrory, who played matriarch Polly (the actress passed away from cancer in 2020).
The show ended in 2022 with Murphy going on to greater fame, including winning an Oscar for Oppenheimer. A feature-length movie, titled The Immortal Man, starring Murphy, is in post-production and set to be released on Netflix in 2026. But now we’re getting a new series as well!
What is the new Peaky Blinders show about?
Netflix and the BBC announced that writer/creator Steven Knight is coming out with a new Peaky Blinders series. It already has an order for two six-episode seasons, headed up by writer/creator Steven Knight.
The show is notable for jumping ahead into the 1950s, as England has mostly recovered from World War II, and the Shelbys are seemingly legitimate. When an opportunity to own reconstruction of Birmingham arrives, the family may get back to their bloody roots to get the edge.
"Britain, 1953. After being heavily bombed in WWII, Birmingham is building a better future out of concrete and steel. In a new era of Steven Knight’s Peaky Blinders, the race to own Birmingham’s massive reconstruction project becomes a brutal contest of mythical dimensions. This is a city of unprecedented opportunity and danger, with the Shelby family right at its blood-soaked heart."
Knight had his statement on how he wanted to keep to the feel of the story, showing Birmingham in this unique era of rebirth.
“I’m thrilled to be announcing this new chapter in the Peaky Blinders story. Once again it will be rooted in Birmingham and will tell the story of a city rising from the ashes of the Birmingham blitz. The new generation of Shelbys have taken the wheel and it will be a hell of a ride.’
It’s unclear yet if Murphy will star in the series (Tommy would be in his early 60s by 1953), so it's more likely this focuses on a new generation of the Shelbys. While not confirmed, it’s rumored that The Immortal Man film may take place during World War II and show how the Shelbys survive that conflict.
That means the new show would spotlight the next era for the clan. It is a compelling idea as the 1950s were a huge cultural shift for England with Queen Elizabeth II taking the throne, various conflicts, internal strife and more. That’s easy fodder for a series with the older-school crime gangs having to adapt to these changes while a new style of crime bosses starts to take over.
It’s still early, so no word on casting, with the possibility this won’t hit Netflix until 2027. Yet, continuing the saga of Peaky Blinders is great news for its many fans and something to look forward to on the streamer.