Summary

• The Gentlemen TV series fleshes out characters better than the film, creating genuine heroes and villains fans can emotionally connect with.
• The show addresses sociopolitical issues like capitalism and elite corruption, shifting Ritchie's storytelling style to a more classy setting.
• Eddie and Susan's dynamic in the series offers romantic sparks and potential soulmate exploration, leaving fans eager for more in Season 2.

The following contains spoilers for Season 1 of The Gentlemen, now streaming on Netflix.

Guy Ritchie's The Gentlemen left a cheeky mark on viewers who longed for more of this British gangster content in the wake of Snatch and RocknRolla. The 2019 movie starred Matthew McConaughey as Mickey, and Charlie Hunnam as his aide, Raymond. Both were part of the cannabis empire with a larger crew of lords in England.

Mickey and Raymond had to fend off rival buyers and corrupt individuals trying to strong-arm their business. They emerged on top, however, which led to the 2024 Netflix series of the same name. Many thought it might have been a prequel, but it's just set in the same universe. Interestingly, the show does improve on the film in a few big ways.

The Gentlemen TV Series Has Better Characters

As with most Guy Ritchie films, the characters in The Gentlemen are thinly developed and random. The film didn't explain much about how Mickey became so powerful as a don who came over from America. It also doesn't explain how rivals like Dry Eye decided to break the truce, and why boxers from the gym run by Colin Farrell's Coach decided to become gangsters. They all felt plot-convenient, meant to create conflict, tension and drama for Mickey's camp.

The Gentlemen TV series, however, gives its supporting cast proper screen time. It helps that there are eight episodes to do this and doesn't fall into the trap of many series that fail to fully flesh out characters. By avoiding this mistake, Ritchie gets fans emotionally invested in Eddie (played by Theo James) and why he takes on his father's weed business just to keep their estate running. Fans are also interested in why his family -- especially his brother Freddy -- is such a liability, and why the Glass family keeps manipulating him.

In the process, Ritchie maps out motivations, ambitions and creates better heroes and villains. They feel genuine. It's not rushed, nor are there too many gaps and questions as to why they behave the way they do. It allows fans to truly root for whichever side they pick. The sordid one has sympathy and tragedy to it, while the heroic one comes off hypocritical in a world full of mobsters. This does what the movie thematically tried and failed to properly execute. More specifically, it didn't illustrate a world where there are no heroes, just compromised people worshipping money.

The Gentlemen TV Series Addresses Key Sociopolitical Issues

The movie didn't focus much on anything other than toxic men flexing egos, being misogynists and seeking power. That was the only way to make billions of pounds. In other words, Ritchie's typical gangster fare. There was one fleeting moment where Mickey's wife, Rosalind, killed thugs to send a message to enemies. However, the movie ignored other potentially interesting arcs, such as Coach taking in marginalized youths to give them a sense of family. Instead, he kept cussing them out and using them as henchmen.

There was a chance to address England's systematic oppression and racism, that to this day, keeps such youth down. While the series doesn't needle down into race and ethnicity, it does dial into capitalism, the elite and how the wealthy use governments, ministries and business partners. Bobby Glass (Ray Winstone) is in prison, yet he lives lavishly, owns security guards and has his own five-star chef. He pulls strings to keep an intimidated Eddie under his thumb as a partner.

There is also Stanley (played by Giancarlo Esposito), a corrupt American billionaire looking to buy Eddie's share, hurt Bobby's business, and then buy up more weed partners, so he can peddle his meth. He uses bribes and controls politicians, among other things, that not even the rich Eddie can contend with. Both villains keep stating how they are gods, all due to money and influence. That's what generational wealth does. It doesn't matter if they're known criminals, they run vast parts of England.

At this point, Eddie entertains both sides because he realizes white collar crime is what his country was born from. If he doesn't get his piece of the pie, someone else will. This shifts Ritchie's usual-storytelling style from the grimy ground and mucky streets to something more classy, elegant, and finessed with all these business suits and royals treating the weed business like a board game. As Freddy says, they're all toys to the capitalists, and that won't ever change in countries built by slavery and conquering.

The Gentlemen TV Series Explores Romance Better

The Ritchie movie didn't really have nuance and depth to Mickey and Rosalind. They were said to be madly in love, yet it came off like lust. Maybe some flashbacks could have helped flesh them out and let audiences understand how this couple from two very different walks of life found true love. In the end, they came off feeling inorganic, in stark contrast with the Netflix action show.

The Gentlemen TV series follows a similar path with Eddie and Bobby's daughter Susan, but there is more endearment and sentiment. They switch from going at each other's throats, to then trying to unite, to betraying each other again, to then realizing they work well together. It's a very intriguing dynamic, with Susan torn by wanting to break out of her father's shadow, and Eddie interested in stamping his own signature on the field.

As they work through their dichotomy and duality, there are romantic sparks, sexual tension and the feeling that these partners could be truly in love. This remains true, even if they don't kiss or have sex (although it's implied something happened off-screen). Their innocence and reluctance to be open is something that a Gentlemen Season 2 can further explore, seeing as their potential as soulmates really strikes a chord. Their scenes are poetry in motion, which leaves some viewers putting the cannabis deals in the background. It's in stark contrast to the movie, where the marijuana contracts are front and center.

The Gentlemen TV Series Leaves Fans Wanting More

Ultimately, the show is more about character portraits and then making money. It inverts the original movie, which was more plot-driven. The movie ended with Mickey's team winning, the villains dying and the snitch, Hugh Grant's Fletcher, being abducted by Raymond for torture. Everything was neatly wrapped. Fans didn't really crave anything more after an average story that felt better placed as a one-and-done. This is why fans were shocked when Netflix did a follow-up.

In contrast with the movie, fans are left wanting more after The Gentlemen's Season 1 ending. They're eager to see how Eddie and Susan run the empire after buying Bobby's share, what Bobby and Stanley have in store, and if Eddie and Susan can mix professionalism and pleasure. There are dysfunctional friends and families on both sides that have an enriched narrative which begs to be expounded on. It's a mystique the film just didn't have, creating a lot more unpredictable threats internally and externally.

The Gentlemen Season 1 is now streaming on Netflix.