While I liked Guy Ritchie’s 2019 film The Gentlemen, I didn’t love it the way Fred did in his review. I found it hard to care about the characters and it often put style over substance. But the reception to the film was strong enough that Netflix greenlit a spinoff TV series of the same name, with Guy Ritchie returning as creator and part-time writer/director. So how does the show fair when compared to the original movie and is this eight-episode romp through British high society and the criminal underworld worth your time?

Despite sharing the same title, Netflix’s The Gentlemen kind of feels like its own thing. None of the original characters return and none are even mentioned. Instead, the show runs with the concept of illegal weed grow-ops being housed under the manors of the British aristocracy. While the film focused on the dealers of this trade, the show locks in on Theo James’ bizarrely named Edward Horniman. A peacekeeping captain for the United Nations, Eddie is summoned back to his Downton Abbey-esque estate when his father falls ill and passes away. In the case of British nobility, the title falls to the firstborn, so Eddie’s addict brother Freddy is the presumed heir. But when the title of Duke instead passes to Eddie, the second born, all hell breaks loose…and that’s before Eddie learns about the weed growing on his estate. But Eddie isn’t too thrilled about the idea of an illegal drug empire growing in his backyard and makes a play to get his family out of harm’s way, a move that ironically sees him spiral further into the criminal underworld, so much so that we, the audience, have to wonder if Eddie enjoys this line of work more than he’s letting on.

So what works well about The Gentlemen? Well, just like the original movie, the cast and characters. Theo James crushes it as Edward, effortlessly convincing us that he’s an affluent posh Duke who isn’t afraid of getting his hands dirty. He has the right amount of grit and elitism about him, but he’s never pretentious or so far removed from reality to make him unlikeable to the audience. The same can’t be said for Freddy, played by Daniel Ings, who is beyond frustrating thanks to his moronic decisions, poor attitude and indifference to his brother’s attempts at withdrawing the family from the weed empire. That’s not a slight on Ings or the writers though; you love to hate this guy, so much that you want to throw something at the TV whenever Freddy makes the situation worse thanks to poor judgement. Rounding out the cast are Kaya Scodelario as Susie Glass, the interim head of the Glass crime family and Eddie’s new partner in crime, Giancarlo Esposito as Stanley Johnston (with a T, as it’s often noted), an affluent and filthy-rich American seeking to buy Eddie’s estate off him, Joely Richardson as Eddie and Freddy’s mother, and Guy Ritchie alum Vinne Jones as the estate’s groundskeeper Geoff Seacombe. Relative newcomer Michael Vu is also entertaining to watch as Jimmy, the enterprise’s weed grower thanks to his youthful optimism and complete lack of spatial awareness.

The exploration of the British aristocracy is a nice change of pace compared to the film. Where the first one kept things focused on the affairs of affluent dealers and how the operation works, this show showcases the ins and outs of high society and how it can violently clash with the outside forces they may not be prepared to deal with. Helping sell the illusion of ultimate wealth are the locations, especially Badminton House, which doubles as Eddie’s Halstead Manor. Much like Downton Abbey, using a real manor helps sell this place as otherworldly and out of our reach but gives us a peak behind the veil; both the exclusive and the criminal. While no one is quite as memorable as Colin Farrell’s Coach or Charlie Hunam’s Raymond from the original film, the cast still makes these characters interesting and ensures there are no redundancies between the two projects. It should also be noted that the show omits the racial stereotypes found in the original film for the better.

Guy Ritchie also only directs the first two episodes and doesn’t write every episode, so it’s a testament to the other directors and writers that you can’t tell when Guy isn’t directly involved with the creative aspect of the episode. The series lacks Ritchie’s usual signature humour I found, opting instead for a more grounded approach with a few laughs sprinkled in, rather than a consistent dose of humour as found in Snatch or Lock Stock. That’s not per se a bad thing, but Ritchie does British humour so well that it did feel strangely absent in his usual playground. Also, at eight episodes, The Gentlemen does drag. I did feel six episodes would’ve resulted in a more fluid and better-paced viewing experience, as the show does tend to wander or drag.

While there is an overall story revolving around Eddie’s attempt to get the grow-op off his land and distance himself from the syndicate, each episode has its own little focused story, resulting in a surprisingly episodic format. This approach works well overall and allows each episode to have its own off-brand wackiness to get some time in the limelight while also moving the main plot forward. For example, to get a deal done, Eddie may have to steal a car, or he may see an opportunity with a fellow lordly character’s estate, but that leads him down a rabbit hole of blackmail and artwork. Or he’ll cross paths with Travellers, in a clear nod to Mickey and company from Snatch.

That’s one thing about the show that I did notice as it went on, it sort of feels like a Guy Ritchie greatest hits. Caravans, boxing, fixed fights, non-linear storytelling, outrageous situations, it ticks a lot of boxes you would expect from a Guy Ritchie project. It’s not per se a bad thing, especially if you’re a fan of his work, but there’s also very little that’s fresh and new in The Gentlemen in the end. The show also had a tendency to cut away from the action right before it happened, which was sometimes frustrating. Worked some of the time for pacing and style reasons, but happened a bit too often.

But overall, I had a fun time watching the show. It was entertaining and engrossing enough and I was invested in Eddie’s story going into the criminal underworld. It’s not peak prestige television, but it’s an entertaining fun time and I do hope the series gets renewed for a second season on that note.