Peaky Blinders, Series 5
by Steven Knight; dir. Anthony Byrne (BBC, 2019)
Series 5 carries an aura of unravelling but is hard to judge as its downward spiral—what shapes as a compelling pronouncement on hubris/nemesis—is carried over into Series 6. Sam Claflin brings palpable power and menace as fascist politician Oswald Mosley.
Peaky Blinders, Season 4
by Steven Knight (BBC, 2017)
Season 4 contrives to relative flatness, squeezing the Shelby family apart and then together again to counter a mob vendetta that never really amounts to much (though there are some cleverly worked surprises and Adrien Brody does bring presence to Luca Changretta).
Peaky Blinders, Season 3
by Steven Knight (BBC, 2016)
Season 3 challenges the audience by exploring more seriously the moral double-standard to which the Peaky Blinders—and Thomas Shelby in particular—hold themselves. At its best in the scenes where Jewish gang leader Alfie Solomons (Tom Hardy) refuses to be cowed.