Gangs of London (2020)

TV show · 2020 · Action & Adventure, Drama, Crime · English

Curator score: 6.4/10 (53.6K ratings)

Anyone can fall.

Overview

When the head of a criminal organisation, Finn Wallace is assassinated, the sudden power vacuum his death creates threatens the fragile peace between the intricate web of gangs operating on the streets of the city. Now it’s up to the grieving, volatile and impulsive Sean Wallace to restore control and find those responsible for killing his father.

Ratings

Production

SISTER, Pulse Films, Vice Studios

Cast

Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, Michelle Fairley, Orli Shuka, Lucian Msamati, Jasmine Armando, Narges Rashidi, Brian Vernel, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Richard Dormer, Andrew Koji, T'Nia Miller

Where to watch

AMC+, Philo, Spectrum On Demand

Curator Review

Verdict

A brutal, propulsive crime saga with standout action choreography and a strong sense of urban underworld scale. It’s worth it if you want operatic violence, gang politics, and high tension, but the plotting can be uneven and the series is more compelling in bursts than as a perfectly calibrated drama.

Best for

  • Viewers who want stylish, hard-hitting crime drama
  • Fans of elaborate action sequences and kinetic direction
  • People who enjoy power-struggle stories with shifting alliances
  • Audiences comfortable with graphic violence and bleak tone

Skip if

  • You want a grounded, realistic procedural
  • You prefer clean, tightly plotted storytelling
  • Extreme violence and gore are a dealbreaker
  • You want a warm, character-driven ensemble with lots of humor

Overview

Gangs of London is built like a prestige crime epic with a bruiser’s punch. Gareth Evans brings a ferocious action sensibility, and the series repeatedly delivers set pieces that feel bigger and nastier than most TV crime dramas dare to attempt. The world of competing crews, family loyalties, and sudden betrayals gives it a strong hook, and the cast sells the volatility well.

Worth noting

The tradeoff is that the show can be messy in its storytelling. It often prioritizes momentum, shock, and spectacle over elegance, so character arcs and logic sometimes take a back seat to escalation. When it’s firing on all cylinders, it’s thrilling; when it isn’t, it can feel like it’s stretching for intensity rather than earning it.

Bottom line

Best approached as a high-voltage genre ride rather than a perfectly balanced drama. If you’re in the mood for a savage, glossy underworld series with real cinematic ambition, it’s easy to recommend. If you want consistency and realism above all else, it may be a tougher sell.

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Topics

crime drama, action thriller, violent, gritty, ensemble cast, high-stakes, modern urban, stylized, fast-paced, prestige

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