ABOVE AVERAGE

Over the course of 14 years and six seasons, we followed a family of criminals in Birmingham who started out as a street gang after World War I, but who built, under the leadership of Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy), a lucrative organization with ties to the Mob in Boston.

Inspired by (but hardly devoted to the facts of) real-life events, creator Steven Knight wrote storylines involving Churchill, the IRA and the rise of British fascists under the despicable Oswald Mosley. Throughout remained a loyalty to family, in this case one with Romani roots, which was an important cultural part of the show.

Stylish and violent, Peaky Blinders offered tension and plenty of tragedy; Murphy and Helen McCrory stood out in the cast.

2013-2022:U.K. 36 episodes. Color. Created by Steven Knight. Cast: Cillian Murphy (Thomas ”Tommy” Shelby), Paul Anderson (Arthur Shelby), Sophie Rundle (Ada Thorne), Natasha O’Keeffe, Helen McCrory (13-19), Joe Cole (13-17), Annabelle Wallis (13-16, 19), Tom Hardy (14-22), Finn Cole (14-22), Aimee-Ffion Edwards (13-17, 22), Kate Phillips (17-22), Ned Dennehy, Benjamin Zephaniah, Sam Neill (13-14), Anya Taylor-Joy (19-22), Sam Claflin (19-22), Aidan Gillen (17-19), Paddy Considine (16), Adrien Brody (17), Stephen Graham (22). 

Trivia: Jason Statham was reportedly considered for the lead role. Followed by a feature film, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man (2026).

Last word: “My parents, particularly my dad, had these tantalising memories of from when he was nine or 10 years old of these people. They were incredibly well dressed, they were incredibly powerful, they had a lot of money in an area where no one had money and… they were gangsters! In a way I want Peaky Blinders to be a sort of the view of this world through the eyes of a 10-year-old because the men are smarter and stronger and handsomer and the horses are bigger and everything is big and intimidating as a kid.” (Knight, BBC)