The Paramount+ series MobLand is brilliant on paper — and not so much in execution. The latest in a long line of gangster series boasts a murderers’ row of talent, led by Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren. But there’s just as much genius behind the camera, including series creator Ronan Bennett, who gave audiences the phenomenal The Day of the Jackal TV series in November. Unfortunately, MobLand never reaches Day of the Jackal‘s narrative heights, because it’s stifled by its own artistry.
MobLand — which also could’ve benefited from a better title — tells the story of two warring crime families in London. The man in the middle is fixer Harry Da Souza, played with a cynical calmness by Venom star Hardy, back in his element. The plot follows the inevitable conflicts and the inevitable rising body count, but the characters get lost under a little too much flash and style. There’s a great show in here, but it just doesn’t always break through.
MobLand Has No Shortage of Talent, Both On and Off Screen
There Are Plenty of Names to Be Impressed With
The sheer amount of talent in MobLand will draw a huge audience to Paramount+ with good reason. The presence of Hardy, former James Bond Brosnan and Mirren — who’s also currently starring in 1923 for the streamer — is enough for most people to give the show a look, but it doesn’t stop there. The supporting cast is full of recognizable names from the British TV and film world. Harry’s wife Jan is played by Downton Abbey star Joanne Froggatt, while House of the Dragon alum Paddy Considine portrays Kevin, the son of Brosnan’s character Conrad Harrigan. Kevin is married to Bella, played by Sherlock actor Lara Pulver, while Ozark‘s Janet McTeer and former CSI: Vegas star Mandeep Dhillon are also in the cast.
Hardy is the clear lead of the series, with Harry spending most of his time going from one errand to another on behalf of Conrad and the rest of the Harrigan family. As is typical of this genre, he’s the blue-collar guy getting his hands dirty for the folks who live in the big house and drive the flash cars. But that’s an easy role for Hardy to inhabit, after the years he spent working on Peaky Blinders and well before that, his movie roles in Layer Cake and RocknRolla. He’s quietly charismatic; it’s easy to believe Harry can convince people to do things they’d rather not. Brosnan and Mirren chew the scenery as Conrad and Maeve, with Mirren getting as close as the show gets to comic relief (which is nice, because many viewers don’t know how funny she can be).
There are also plenty of known names among the crew. Bennett co-wrote the series premiere with Jez Butterworth, who co-created the Michael Fassbender spy thriller The Agency for Paramount+, and both are among a list of over a dozen producers on MobLand. Others include Hardy and Ritchie, who also directs. It’s a pretty stacked list of behind-the-scenes talent, too. But this may be a case of “too many cooks in the kitchen,” because MobLand is heavy on style and all of the elements viewers want from gangster dramas, at the expense of meaningful character development.
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MobLand Was Originally a Ray Donovan Prequel, And It Shows
The Series Feels Like It’s Looking for Something
In the early stages, MobLand was meant to be a prequel to the hit Showtime series Ray Donovan. Bennett’s idea was retooled into a different series, but that reworking is obvious, particularly in the early episodes. Eddie still has an awful lot in common with Ray Donovan. Both are fixers who handle problems for other people; Harry just has one specific boss. Both are blue-collar, cynical, rough around the edges guys who aren’t afraid to get blood on their hands. The opening sequence of MobLand establishes Eddie’s credibility as a fixer and his willingness to be violent without question. Plus, both have loyal wives who put up with their erratic behavior. Hardy’s just as good as Liev Schreiber in putting viewers at ease until he doesn’t anymore, but his protagonist is walking a familiar road.
The same can be said for some of the other characters. It’s entertaining to watch Brosnan and Mirren at work (and to compare them to the dynamic Mirren has with Harrison Ford in 1923), but Conrad and Maeve aren’t much different from the usual crime bosses in other British gangster projects. Then there’s the obligatory reckless young kid in the family, played by Anson Boon as Eddie Harrigan. Eddie’s cocaine-fueled decision to stab a guy in a bar is the inciting incident for the entire series, yet the writers struggle to develop him beyond being a mouthy, hot-headed brat. It takes a while for the viewer to become invested in the characters, not just the actors playing them.
Maeve Harrigan (to Archie): What are you doing here? I thought you were dead.
That may be because there’s layers upon layers of style in MobLand, which really feels like a Guy Ritchie production. The opening credits sequence is a shiny montage set to a rap song with typical gangster imagery. Needle drops happen when they’re not really necessary. The scenes with the upper echelon of characters are typically bright, while those with Harry and the folks around him are much darker, filled with characters who all dress in black and have the same world-weary attitude.
The writers lean into the genre expectations, too, as people curse and insult each other in every third sentence. Anyone who’s seen gangster shows or movies will get everything they’re used to in MobLand — but that’s also what keeps it from being truly great. There’s not enough that makes it unique, in the way that The Day of the Jackal was a special take on one of the best-known thrillers of all time. Bennett still has moments of brilliance, and the series picks up steam as it goes further. It’s not a bad show by any means. It could just do so much more if had a more distinct narrative voice, similar to how Layer Cake took such a tongue-in-cheek approach to the drug trade.
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Is MobLand on Paramount+ Worth Watching?
It’s Not a Prestige Drama, but Viewers Have a Fun Diversion
Because it mostly stays comfortably within the genre, fans of gangster TV shows and films will enjoy MobLand. So will folks who are waiting for Paramount+ to premiere Tulsa King Season 3, because this show is a sort of British equivalent to that, except with even more star power. And anyone who just wants to watch some top-notch British talent at work can get their popcorn and kick back as Harry tries to problem-solve for a family that doesn’t seem to know what they’d do without him.
MobLand is worth watching to a variety of audiences, just because of the sheer amount of known names involved. Whether someone wants to see what the actors or doing, or they’re interested in seeing more of Bennett’s work after Day of the Jackal, or if they want to see how Ritchie’s style translates on a TV show not based on one of his movies, there’s a lot to be curious about. Whether or not viewers stay after the first few episodes will depend on their individual taste. Gangster drama enthusiasts will sink their teeth into the whole thing, which includes many of the great story beats every gangster story has. Those looking for something subversive or unique will be disappointed. But this is the kind of show that knows what it is and commits completely, even if it doesn’t always get it right.
MobLand premieres Sunday, March 30 on Paramount+ and airs Monday, March 31 at 8:00 p.m. on Paramount+ with Showtime.
- There’s an incredible amount of talent in the show, both in front of and behind the camera.
- There’s enough action to keep the episodes moving along.
- Too many creatives leads to a muddled vision for the show.
- The series covers very familiar ground as far as mob dramas go.
