It seems that mobsters and organized crime are in fashion in television series: this month we have the return of two titles on this theme that became hits with their debut season. If in the second half of September it will be Land of Mafiosi on SkyShowtime, we can already enjoy the new episodes of The Gentlemen on Netflix.
The series created by Guy Ritchie (inspired by his own 2019 film, the one with Matthew McConaughey and Hugh Grant in the cast) became one of the platform’s big successes in 2024, led by an irresistibly sexy duo at the forefront, formed by Theo James and Kaya Scodelario, and a breezy tone that blends action and dark humor.
If in that first season Eddie Horniman (Theo James’s character) was an aristocrat who discovered, almost against his will, that his family was neck-deep in shady business and tried to get out of the mess, though he ended up getting dragged in further, now his situation is different. The protagonist has not only embraced his place within organized crime, but he has new goals and ambitions alongside Susie Glass (Scodelario) that, of course, will not be easy to achieve.
Entertainment, Luxury and Seduction
The second season of The Gentlemen starts a year after what happened previously, when Eddie and Susie joined forces to work together in Bobby’s criminal empire. Both want to take their marijuana business further and expand into the international market, which leads them to connect with the dangerous Italian mafia boss Marco Moretti. Bobby, Marco and, of course, Freddy, Eddie’s scatterbrained brother, will be destabilizing factors.
Kaya Scodelario in an image from the second season of The Gentlemen.
What stands out most about The Gentlemen is that it isn’t a dense series; on the contrary, it is fiction focused on pure entertainment. With a brisk script and direction (something that won’t surprise anyone who knows Ritchie’s filmography), what matters is not so much what happens or what deviations the characters take along their path, but the enjoyment of making that journey with them; the adrenaline, the luxury, the expensive clothes, the locations, and the playful dialogue.
It doesn’t aim to be especially deep, but that doesn’t do it a disservice. Its mix of action, comedy, and excess works as a very effective formula to hook you in and have a good time, leaving no room for boredom. I doubt anyone could yawn at The Gentlemen. And, moreover, it intelligently exploits the chemistry (not necessarily sexual) of its two leads, two rogues whom you can’t help but feel drawn to.
A series that invites travel
The production design of The Gentlemen is overwhelming, conceived to immerse us in that world of wealth so tempting, sparing no expense. We don’t expect, of course, that it will make you want to commit crimes and sell marijuana to reach it, but we’re sure that you’ll feel tempted to book a few flights to the United Kingdom or Italy.
Benedetta Porcaroli on Lake Maggiore in Italy, in an image from the second season of The Gentlemen.
To begin, we have the Horniman family’s mansion, which makes us imagine decadent aristocrats going on a hunt through the British countryside (even though we don’t even like hunting) and who drink Darjeeling tea all the time. It is, in fact, a blend of three locations: the most recognizable corresponds to Badminton House, a Gloucestershire mansion where several nobles have lived (such as the Dukes of Beaufort or Mary of Teck), but there are also parts filmed at Loseley Park, in Surrey, and at Ashcombe House, which is, curiously, the residence of Guy Ritchie himself in Wiltshire.
Those locations, though idyllic, do not escape the gray British skies, so you might find the landscapes and villas of Italy that come into play this season more evocative, all around Lake Maggiore (very close to the more famous Lake Como). There stand out the 19th-century Villa Rusconi-Clerici, located in Verbania, with its beautiful gardens and its lakeside views, or the Grand Hotel Majestic in Pallanza with its Belle Époque interiors.
