Gangs of London (TV series)
Gangs of London is a British actioncrime drama television series produced by Pulse Films & Sister, following struggles between rival gangs and other criminal organisations in present-day London and loosely based on the 2006 video game of the same name. The first series aired in the UK on 23 April 2020 on Sky Atlantic. The series was created by Gareth Evans, best known for "The Raid" action crime films, along with Matt Flannery. AMC subsequently announced a deal to take over US broadcast rights and became co-producer for a newly-commissioned second series. Premise . Set in the heart of London, one of the world's most dynamic and multicultural cities, "Gangs of London" tells the story of the city being torn apart by the turbulent power struggles of the international gangs that control it and the sudden power vacuum that's created when the head of London's most powerful crime family is assassinated. For 20 years, Finn Wallace (Colm Meaney) was the most powerful criminal in London. Billions of pounds flowed through his organisation each year. But now he's dead, and nobody knows who ordered him killed. With rivals everywhere, it's  up to the impulsive Sean Wallace (Joe Cole), with the help of the Dumani family headed by Ed Dumani (Lucian Msamati), to take his father's place. If the situation wasn't already dangerous enough, Sean's assumption of power causes ripples in the world of international crime within the streets of London, which consists of the Albanian Mafia headed by Luan Dushaj, as well as the Kurdish freedom fighters, Pakistani Drug Cartel, Welsh travellers and various other criminal elements. In the middle of this is newcomer Elliot Finch (Sope Dirisu); an undercover policeman who has infiltrated the Wallace family  organisation. Additionally, Fady Elsayed, Waleed Zuaiter, Jasmine Armando, Salem Kali and Aymen Hamdouchi have all been cast in Series 2. Production. During filming production visited St Clere Estate in Kent to stage a Traveller site and Dartford to film a speed boat scene near Queen Elizabeth II Bridge. A driving scene was also featured on Pilgrim's Way. The show was confirmed for a second series premiering in 2022. In July 2021, production on the second series had been halted for 10 days following a crew member testing positive for COVID-19. Filming for the second series began on the 31st  May 2021 and wrapped on the 14th December 2021. Release. The first series was co-produced with American pay network Cinemax which was expected to air the programme alongside Sky. However, following an announcement in January 2020 by executives with parent company WarnerMedia that they would be winding down Cinemax's original programming, its producers began negotiating to move the series to another U.S. outlet, with Cinemax's blessing. AMC took over distribution. Reception. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 91% based on 33 reviews. GQ said it is "a strong early contender to  be the best show of the summer." The series became Sky Atlantic's second-biggest original drama launch of all time, with a 7-day cumulative audience of 2.23 million viewers for the opening episode.