Gangs of London (TV series)

Lore & Background

The series is set in London's criminal underworld, thrown into disarray after the murder of Finn Wallace, the most powerful criminal in London for twenty years. His son Sean Wallace, with help from his mother Marian and Finn's right-hand man Ed Dumani, attempts to continue the Wallace Organisation. Undercover police officer Elliot Carter infiltrates the Wallace family, while the power vacuum affects the Albanian mafia, Kurdish PKK, and Pakistani drug cartel, among others. The first series premiered on 23 April 2020 on Sky Atlantic. It was renewed for a second series in June 2020, with AMC co-producing and Corin Hardy as showrunner. The second series aired on 20 October 2022 in the UK and 17 November 2022 in the US. No official announcement or air date for a third series has been made as of the latest available information.

Reader's Guide

Gangs of London has received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its performances, narrative, and action sequences, though some criticism was aimed at its excessive violence. The series expands the universe of The Getaway video game franchise, with the main character Elliot Carter being based on the game character Frank Carter. The show features a large ensemble cast including Joe Cole, Colm Meaney, Lucian Msamati, Sope Dirisu, and Michelle Fairley. Its significance lies in its portrayal of multicultural London's criminal underworld and its high-octane action sequences. The series has been renewed through a fourth series, indicating sustained interest from both Sky Atlantic and AMC.

Did You Know?

• The series is based on London Studio's video game of the same name and serves as a spinoff of The Getaway franchise.
• The character Elliot Carter is based on The Getaway video game character Frank Carter.
• The second series was co-produced by AMC after the network took over American broadcast rights.
• The series was renewed for a fourth series in August 2025.

From Video Game to Screen: Origins and Production

Gangs of London traces its creative DNA back to interactive entertainment. Developed by Gareth Evans and Matt Flannery, the series draws directly from London Studio's video game of the same name and functions as a narrative spinoff of the broader The Getaway franchise. This gaming lineage is not merely cosmetic; it shapes character identities and plot architecture in ways that set the show apart from a conventional crime drama.

The production journey reflects a story of expanding ambition. The first series debuted on Sky Atlantic on 23 April 2020, and a swift renewal followed just two months later. That second season marked a significant structural shift: AMC stepped in as co-producer and secured American broadcast rights, while Corin Hardy assumed the showrunner role. The second series aired in October 2022 in the UK and November in the US. Momentum carried forward, with a third series confirmed in November 2022 and delivered on 20 March 2025, followed by a fourth-season renewal in August 2025. The arc from a single-network drama to an internationally co-produced franchise speaks to the series' sustained commercial and creative appeal.

The Wallace Dynasty and the Fracture

For two decades, Finn Wallace stood as the undisputed apex of London's criminal hierarchy, with billions of pounds in annual revenue flowing through the Wallace Organisation. His assassination in the first series detonates a shockwave that reorganises the entire city's underworld. His younger son Sean, played by Joe Cole, steps into the vacuum with the backing of his mother Marian — a ruthless matriarch portrayed by Michelle Fairley — and Finn's loyal right-hand man Ed Dumani. Yet the succession is anything but clean. Sean's older brother Billy, plagued by substance abuse, represents a fractured branch of the family, while their daughter Jacqueline, a doctor played by Valene Kane, has deliberately severed ties to protect her unborn child. The Wallace empire is thus not a monolith but a web of competing loyalties, generational tensions, and personal failings, all exposed the moment the patriarch falls.

A City of Rival Empires

London's criminal landscape in the series is deliberately polyglot and multi-ethnic, reflecting the city's real-world diversity. The Wallace Organisation does not operate in isolation; it exists in a dense ecosystem of rival factions. The Albanian mafia, led by Luan Dushaj, is drawn into the conflict when Finn is killed on their territory. The Kurdish PKK, under Lale, runs a heroin distribution ring while pursuing a personal vendetta against the Pakistani drug cartel's kingpin, Asif Afridi. In the second series, the Georgian mafia's ruthless arms dealer Koba arrives in London, deployed by a shadowy group called the Investors who seek to reshape the city's criminal order. The Algerian mafia, fronted by a humble cafe, and a band of Welsh travellers further complicate the picture. By the third series, an Irish gang led by Marian's own brother Cornelius Quinn enters the fray, while a new political force — Mayor Simone Thearle's declared war on drugs — threatens to upend every faction simultaneously.

Critical Response and Narrative Ambition

Critics have generally embraced Gangs of London, singling out the ensemble performances, the layered narrative structure, and the visceral action choreography as standout strengths. The show's commitment to kinetic, large-scale set pieces — a direct inheritance from its video game and action-film roots — has become a defining hallmark. However, not all reception has been uniformly warm; a recurring thread of criticism centres on the series' unrelenting graphic violence, with some reviewers arguing that the brutality occasionally overshadows character development. The narrative itself rewards patience, employing flashbacks that revisit key characters as teenagers to deepen their backstories, and seeding long-term reveals such as Elliot Carter's true surname — a nod to Frank Carter from The Getaway games — and the shocking disclosure in the third series that the assassin Zeek Kimura is Finn Wallace's illegitimate son. These layered storytelling choices, combined with a cast that spans multiple generations and nationalities, give the series a scope that few British crime dramas have attempted.