MobLand (Paramount+) 

By: Rachel Brodeur

Generational family feuds never looked so dignified as they do in Paramount+’s action crime thriller  MobLand. Set in present-day UK, MobLand follows two rival crime families, the Harrigans and the Stevensons, whose long-standing animosity festers beneath a temporary period of uneasy calm. That fragile quiet is broken when Tommy Stevenson, son of family boss Richie Stevenson, vanishes after a night out at the London clubs.

Because the missing man is a Stevenson, suspicion quickly falls on the Harrigan grandson, who was also at the clubs that night. With neither family turning to the police, the Harrigans send in their fixer, Harry Da Souza, played by Tom Hardy (Mad Max: Fury Road, The Dark Knight Rises). Despite being a brutal criminal capable of murder, he’s hard not to like. He’s competent, quick thinking, and only lacks when it comes to tending to the needs of his own family, led by wife Jan, played by Joanne Froggatt of Downton Abbey fame. Da Souza, not a member of the Harrigans by birth, seems like both an outsider and an insider at the center of this crime syndicate. I found myself counting how few hours he gets to rest before being pulled in the direction of someone else’s problem that only he can solve. He’s a man of few words, but when he speaks, people listen. 

Like every mob-based story, family is at the core of MobLand. The Harrigans are led by patriarch Conrad, played by Pierce Brosnan, (The World is Not Enough, Mama Mia!) who transcends his typecast of handsome leading man, complete with a heavy Irish accent. His depth of character is only shadowed by the stellar performance of his partner, Maeve, played by the incomparable Helen Mirren (The Queen, Red). Born in 1945, at the age of 80, she carries every moment that she is on screen. Together, Brosnan and Mirren bring a commanding presence that grounds the series, portraying a couple whose decades of power, shared history and manipulation feel fully lived-in.

With director Guy Ritchie (The Gentleman, Snatch) at the helm, MobLand delivers his signature blend of stylized action, sly humor, and unpredictable twists. But what sets this series apart is how it roots that chaos in family legacy. Beneath the shootouts and betrayals lies a story about blood ties, obligations passed down like heirlooms, and the weight of choices made by one generation crashing down on the next. Set against a backdrop of London’s underworld and lush countryside estates, the show deepens with every episode, and like any good vendetta, it only gets more personal.

Rachel’s Rating: 9/10  Paramount+’s action series MobLand is as much a study in inherited power as it is in organized crime. The standout performances of movie stars Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan and Tom Hardy, make this series a jewel in Guy Ritchie’s illustrious arsenal.