Guy Ritchie’s Forgotten 7-Episode Gangster Spinoff Is The MobLand Of Its Day

Published Sep 11, 2026, 6:45 PM EDT After 18 months at Screen Rant, Guy became Classic TV Editor in September 2026, and specializes in leading features content about shows from decades gone by. Having written for and editing several TV, film and music publications, his areas of expertise include comedy and satire, animation, crime drama, Westerns, and political thrillers. A quarter of a century before MobLand turned Guy Ritchie into Taylor Sheridan’s biggest rival on Paramount+, the British writer-director made his first move into television with another gangster drama set in the East End of London. It features the kind of characters and plotlines which would become second nature to Ritchie in subsequent years. The series has been all but forgotten in the decades since its release, yet it’s never been more relevant to the career of the man who created it than it is today. Lock, Stock… is a spinoff of one of Guy Ritchie’s best movies, only without the all-star cast or big-screen release. It was overseen by Ritchie, who came up with its premise after a production company owned by British TV presenter Chris Evans commissioned a show based on Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. While Jason Statham and Vinnie Jones are conspicuous by their absence from the series, it otherwise feels very much the same as the movie that spawned it. Ritchie’s trademark quickfire gags and slick editing are present in abundance, as are the usual ghoulish gangsters, donning spivvy attire and causing trouble whenever they get the chance. Anyone counting down the days until MobLand season 2’s release date would do well to binge this seven-hour series beforehand. Guy Ritchie’s TV Spinoff Lock, Stock… Launched His Small-Screen Career Back in the year 2000, young filmmaker Guy Ritchie had never made a TV show before. 26 years on, and it feels like Ritchie’s TV shows are the mainstay of his career. He now has three small-screen juggernauts all dominating their respective streaming platforms. In addition to MobLand on Paramount+, The Gentlemen is Netflix’s biggest hit of fall 2026 so far, and Young Sherlock has made one of the strongest debuts of the year on Prime Video. Yet, it all started with Lock, Stock… at the turn of the millennium, when Ritchie and Ginger Productions were looking to capitalize on the enormous success of his debut feature film. Guy Ritchie TV Shows Year(s) Network/Platform Lock, Stock... 2000 Channel 4 The Gentlemen 2024–present Netflix MobLand 2025–present Paramount+ The Diamond Heist 2025 Netflix Young Sherlock 2026–present Prime Video Much like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels before it, most of this short-lived series takes place in seedy East London establishing, featuring gangsters with absurdly outlandish monikers like “Miami Vice” and “Two Sips”. But whereas the movie centers on gambling and drug-dealing, Lock, Stock… is about crime syndicates involved in the business of sex. Ritchie originated the show’s main characters, and co-wrote its first episode. Even if he didn’t direct any of it, the series is very much his baby, and bears all the hallmarks of a Guy Ritchie gangster flick. In fact, the most similar thing to Lock, Stock… that’s been released since it first aired is surely MobLand. Lock, Stock… Feels Like A Prequel To MobLand The latest gangster drama that Ritchie has put its name to might take itself more seriously than his first TV venture, and certainly benefits from higher production values. Nevertheless, it very much feels as though MobLand and Lock, Stock… exist within the same fictional universe. The same exaggerated gangster archetypes, no-nonsense approach to resolving conflict, semi-farcical depiction of extreme violence, quick-cutting visuals, and rapid dialogue, bridge the age gap between these two shows. It’s almost as if MobLand is the grownup version of Lock, Stock…. It’s already clear that the latest season of Ritchie’s Paramount+ megahit starring Tom Hardy will mirror the downward spiral into complete chaos that characterizes the plot of his first movie. MobLand season 2 shares key similarities with Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, albeit with a very different cast. The obvious parallels between MobLand and the TV spinoff series Lock, Stock… are only natural, then. After seemingly fading into the annals of television history, this 2000 miniseries has come into focus once again, by serving as the unofficial prequel to Guy Ritchie’s biggest small-screen success to date. Release Date 2000 - 2000-00-00 Network Channel 4 Directors David Thacker Writers Andrew Day, Chris Baker, Bernard Dempsey Cast Andreas Wisniewski Heinrich Bradley Walsh Larry Harmless