7 Things Guy Ritchie’s MobLand Does Better Than The Gentlemen

Published Oct 30, 2026, 9:00 PM EDT As Classic TV Editor at Screen Rant, Guy specializes in leading features content about shows from decades gone by. Having written for and edited several TV, film and music publications, his areas of expertise include comedy, crime, historical drama, Westerns, and political thrillers. So far this fall, Guy Ritchie’s new releases have been dominating the crime genre on streaming. Between them, both MobLand and The Gentlemen have accrued over 30 million views in less than two months for their second seasons alone, even though MobLand season 2 still has three more episodes to be released on Paramount+. The Gentlemen is currently outpacing its fellow Ritchie production in terms of overall viewership, having been seen more than 100 million times since its Netflix debut in March 2024. However, MobLand is the series that comes out on top in critical terms. In reality, there’s more between the shows than the 2% difference we see on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes. Whether it’s the substance to MobLand’s characters or the levity to The Gentlemen’s dialogue, it feels as though there’s something the gritty gangster thriller starring Tom Hardy, Helen Mirren, and Pierce Brosnan does that little bit better. In fact, there are several things, as this list will elucidate. Which show someone prefers is ultimately a matter of taste. On balance, The Gentlemen is undoubtedly funnier, whereas MobLand has more swagger and visual clout. Perhaps The Gentlemen season 3 will reverse the trend of being outdone by its closest Guy Ritchie rival when it comes to critical approval. But, for now at least, there are at least seven aspects of MobLand that are superior. MobLand Has An Unbeatable Cast Few TV shows could even dream of an acting ensemble as good as MobLand’s cast, so there’s no shame in The Gentlemen losing this one. As great as Theo James and Kaya Scodelario are in The Gentlemen, they’re ultimately no match for Tom Hardy, who’s capable of spanning immense emotional range with the shortest phrase or subtlest gesture, whilst absolutely owning the screen. Then there are British acting heavyweights Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Paddy Considine, Toby Jones, who are all going hell-for-leather every scene they’re in. At the same time, it’s Mandeep Dhillon who frequently steals the show, as the scheming favorite child of Brosnan’s character. It’s fantastic to see Vinnie Jones and Ray Winstone back involved in a Guy Ritchie production on The Gentlemen, while Giancarlo Esposito, Joely Richardson, and Hugh Bonneville bring an extra touch of class to proceedings. But there’s no question that MobLand’s all-star cast members suit their series better, and makes its characters entirely their own. Harry Da Souza Is A More Compelling Protagonist Than Eddie Horniman Luke Varley/Paramount+ Theo James has rightfully taken his place among Hollywood’s established leading men thanks to his all-round excellence in The Gentlemen. His sublime comic timing, and the way he subtly blends upper-class self-assurance with primal brutality, makes for a compelling satirical antihero who’s more complex than he initially seems. He’s just not as compelling as a protagonist who makes Peaky Blinders look tame compared to MobLand. As Toby Jones’ slippery ex-copper Colin Tattersall puts it in season 2, “Harry is the money.” In other words, Tom Hardy’s crime family fixer Harry Da Souza is the real deal, an enigma who gives away very little, but seems capable of almost anything, from diffusing a Mexican standoff, to forcing an accidental snitch to hang himself. It’s hard to imagine MobLand working without Tom Hardy, which is testament to just how special his performance in the show really is. Eddie Horniman is a uniquely engaging central character, but Harry is on another level. MobLand Is More Realistic Than The Gentlemen Image courtesy of Everett Collection The Gentlemen isn’t meant to be realistic. It takes the slick, fast-cutting approach of Guy Ritchie’s classic heist movies, ramps up the level of farce, and adds an extra dollop of wry class commentary for good measure. MobLand, by contrast, is supposed to ground us in the world of a contemporary British-Irish crime family. Compared to a series like The Sopranos, of course, it’s still heavily stylized and highly speculative. But it still feels far more authentic than The Gentlemen. As Tom Hardy observed during an interview about MobLand alongside Paddy Considine, Harry’s way of navigating through the extremely dangerous world of organized crime, at the same time as watching his family fall apart, feels “pretty realistic” overall. As many laughs as The Gentlemen gives us, the show’s preposterous premise can often be off-putting when it looms large over the show’s plot. For all MobLand’s stylization, we can still believe the overall story. There's Far More Suspense In MobLand Image courtesy of MovieStillsDb While The Gentlemen is a welcome antidote to gritty crime shows, the action comedy’s plot has its fair share of twists and turns, and tries to keep us guessing about how Eddie Horniman and Susie Glass are going to win the day. On the other hand, MobLand smolders with suspense throughout every episode. The show moves effortlessly from one perilous situation to the next, as the Harrigan family’s criminal enterprise spirals deeper into crisis. Its timing of pivotal plot developments has improved dramatically in season 2, while it continues to keep trump cards in reserve, building up towards each season’s climax like the lives of all its main characters depend on it. MobLand Has The Better Villains Only one of the two shows we’re discussing has villains we should genuinely be afraid of. The Gentlemen has its own collection of Guy Ritchie’s usual suspects, comic-book gangsters with names as colorful as their accents. The funniest of the lot, Tommy Dixon, is played by legendary Liverpool comedian and impressionist Peter Serafinowicz. By contrast, MobLand has some truly nasty characters, with Kat McAllister, Richie Stevenson, and Frankie Cooper foremost among the outright villains. McAllister is an unusual case who doesn’t quite fit the bigger picture of the series, but Stevenson and Cooper are classic Ritchie archetypes. Only, they’re more sinister than anyone we meet in Snatch or Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Scratch & Peek Identify the cover art while scratching off as little foil as possible. Indeed, Johnny Flynn’s Frankie is arguably Ritchie’s best villain ever, precisely because the pacing of the show allows for a less-is-more approach to revealing the extent of his malice, contrary to the 100 beats per minute we get in The Gentlemen, as well as the crime capers which inform its style. It’s looking increasingly as though Frankie is the yin to Harry Da Souza’s yang, which should make for a truly thrilling finale to MobLand season 2. The Gentlemen Season 2 Can't Compete With MobLand's Second Season Credit: Matthew Towers/Netflix Even if The Gentlemen kept up its brash style and frenetic pacing throughout season 2, this follow-up effort barely lays a glove on its competition over on Paramount+. MobLand season 2 is the best TV release Guy Ritchie has ever been a part of. The Gentlemen season Rotten Tomatoes score MobLand season Rotten Tomatoes score Season 1 75% Season 1 77% Season 2 87% Season 2 90% OVERALL 81% OVERALL 83% It raises the stakes beyond anything we thought was possible, yet feels like a genuine continuation of season 1. Every second of the season so far has been utterly gripping, with several jaw-dropping highlights elevating it into contention for the best TV crime thriller of 2026. Although it isn’t clear how the season will end, its initial 100% Rotten Tomatoes score speaks volumes about the caliber of television we’re watching. MobLand Has More Room To Grow Luke Varley/Paramount+ The Gentlemen’s uncharacteristically blood-soaked season 2 ending is taking Eddie Horniman’s character arc in a surprisingly tragic direction, but it’s hard to see where else the show can go from here without completely changing tack, in terms of both narrative and tone. On the other hand, MobLand feels as if it’s just starting to hit its stride. Conrad Harrigan’s family is tearing itself apart, but there are various directions the overall story could take from here, and many different options on the table for Harry Da Souza. MobLand season 3 already has a production timeline, and as long as Tom Hardy is still committed to the series, more seasons should follow. Several characters have so much more to give than what we’ve seen so far, and may need several more years to develop in full. Conversely, The Gentlemen is in danger of being reduced entirely into the Eddie and Freddy show, which won’t work on the basis of what happened at the end of the second season. If MobLand finishes its sophomore installment strongly, it will be perfectly placed to keep on growing, on both sides of the screen. MobLand Release Date March 30, 2025 Network Paramount+ MobLand explores the intense conflict between two rival mob families whose escalating feud endangers both their criminal empires and the lives entangled in their violent world. The Gentlemen 6/10 Release Date 2024 - 2026-00-00 Network Netflix Based on the film of the same name, the Gentlemen is a crime drama series created for Netflix by Guy Ritchie. The series follows Eddie Horniman, who inherits his father's estate, only to discover he has inherited a vast cannabis empire - and all of the rivals that come with it.