One of the best shows on Netflix in March is about to premiere, and The Gentlemen may sound familiar to anyone who saw Guy Ritchie’s film of the same name in 2019. The Gentlemen isn’t the first movie to make the leap to television, but this show isn’t some cheap knockoff. Instead, Netflix has made it one of the marquee series of the month with production values that are worthy of any feature film.
With the series premiere right around the corner, we’re sharing three reasons why you should watch Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen on Netflix. If you love crime shows or Guy Ritchie flicks, this may be your new favorite binge.
The Gentlemen isn’t a rehash of the original film
True Detective‘s Matthew McConaughey starred in The Gentlemen movie as Mickey Pearson, an American expatriate living in London after amassing a formidable marijuana empire. However, Mickey wanted to sell his underworld operation to a billionaire, Matthew Berger (Jeremy Strong), so he could retire with his wife, Rosalind Pearson (Michelle Dockery).
The Gentlemen TV series does have some common themes with the film, but this is not the same story. Instead, The Gentlemen is considered a standalone spinoff from the movie that doesn’t require any previous knowledge about what came before. It features an entirely different cast of characters, with the focus on Eddie Halstead, a young man who was born into money and a noble family. What Eddie doesn’t realize is that his late father’s wealth was built on a marijuana empire that now belongs to him. Eddie even has a billionaire, Stanley Johnston, who wants to buy him out, much like Matthew did. But in contrast to Matthew’s story, Eddie finds himself drawn deeper and deeper into the criminal underworld… and he likes it.
Guy Ritchie is actively involved in the series
FX’s Fargo is a magnificent series despite not featuring creative input from the Coen brothers, who created the world that is shared by the film and the show. Ritchie didn’t take the same approach with The Gentlemen. Rather than pass on the project to someone else, Ritchie created the new series, co-wrote the story with Matthew Read, and stepped behind the camera as well.
Ritchie directed the first two episodes of The Gentlemen, which almost makes it the sequel that we never got in theaters. Although Ritchie didn’t helm the remaining episodes, he maintained his role as an executive producer to help ensure that his vision for the show was brought to life.
The Gentlemen has an amazing cast
It would be very hard to top the cast of The Gentlemen film, but Ritchie and his collaborators have brought together a very impressive lineup of performers for the show as well. Theo James is headlining the series as Eddie Halstead, while Kaya Scodelario is co-starring as Susie Glass, one of Eddie’s primary criminal contacts in the show. She’s also the daughter of Bobby Glass (Ray Winstone), a gangster who is running his part of the marijuana business from behind bars.
Additionally, Breaking Bad‘s Giancarlo Esposito has a supporting role as Eddie’s prospective buyer, Stanley Johnston. Veteran actress Joely Richardson also stars in the series as Eddie’s mother, Lady Sabrina Halstead, with Daniel Ings as Eddie’s troubled and drug-addicted older brother, Freddy Halstead.
That’s a strong foundation for the show’s cast, which also includes Peter Serafinowicz, Vinnie Jones as Geoff Seacombe, Chanel Cresswell, Max Beesley, Harry Goodwins, and Ruby Sear in supporting roles. But since this is a Guy Ritchie series, you shouldn’t expect every character to make it out of season one alive.
The Gentlemen will premiere on Netflix on March 7.
