We usually think of the better series from the United Kingdom ending up on PBS or BBC America, but video streaming services have opened up even more avenues for shows from across the pond.
Case in point: “Peaky Blinders,” a drama that in years past might have made its way to BBC America – it’s a bit too bloody and coarse for “Masterpiece Theater” – but can be seen now on Netflix.
Some have compared the gangster drama, set in 1919 Birmingham, to a British version of “Boardwalk Empire,” but with its thematic focus on the rapid social change sweeping England after World War I, “Peaky Blinders” has more in common with its genteel cousin “Downton Abbey.”
The series takes its name from a historic Birmingham street gang that thrived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In the show, the Blinders serve as the de facto rulers of the poor neighborhoods of Birmingham, where the police are every bit as corrupt and brutal as the gangsters. Labor unions are on the rise, and the British government fears the growth of communism.
These various forces play on the characters of “Peaky Blinders”: Cillian Murphy as the Blinders’ young, ambitious leader; Helen McCrory as the anything-but-sweet Aunt Polly; Sam Neill as the ruthless police inspector sent by Winston Churchill to maintain order; Annabelle Wallis as Neill’s undercover operative; Iddo Goldberg as the idealistic union organizer.
Their relationships push and pull as family, friendship and romantic interests collide with their goals.
Both six-episode seasons – the second of which just finished airing in the U.K. – are available on Netflix. A third season has been ordered by the BBC.
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Disc: “The Americans,” Season 2 (DVD); “Arrested Development,” Season 4 (DVD); “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis,” Season 4 (DVD).
Contact the writer: 714-796-7724 or mhewitt@ocregister.com or @WatcherofTV on Twitter
