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Netflix's crime drama The Gentlemen has returned for a second season that marks a deliberate change of direction from its predecessor, trading much of the first run's comic energy for a darker, more overtly Godfather-influenced tone. Created by Guy Ritchie and based on his 2019 film of the same name, the series follows Eddie Horniman (Theo James), the 13th Duke of Halstead and former Army captain who inherited his family's stately estate only to discover it doubled as the base for a vast cannabis operation. Where the opening season eased Eddie, and viewers, into this criminal world with a light, often farcical touch, the follow-up pushes him towards becoming a hardened underworld figure in his own right, with James's performance shifting accordingly towards something colder and more troubled.

The new episodes widen the story's canvas considerably. Eddie is no longer content simply managing the enterprise built by jailed cannabis boss Bobby Glass (Ray Winstone) and his daughter Susie (Kaya Scodelario); he is now working to expand it into Italy while also manoeuvring to secure a seat in the House of Lords, partly to help block a parliamentary bill that would decriminalise marijuana and undercut the value of the family's illicit trade. That ambition draws in a host of new players, among them Italian mafia boss Marco Moretti (Sergio Castellitto) and his volatile enforcer Cico Maldini (Michele Morrone), alongside fresh complications closer to home involving Bobby's increasingly erratic, spiritually preoccupied leadership and his son Jack's (Harry Goodwins) usefulness in winning over a peer of the realm. Eddie's chaotic brother Freddy (Daniel Ings), last seen reeling at being passed over for the dukedom, is meanwhile packed off to rehab as the family's troubles multiply.

At the heart of the season remains the charged partnership between Eddie and Susie, whose chemistry continues to anchor the show even as the pair are pulled in different directions, both professionally and romantically. Eddie becomes involved with an Italian countess, Bella (Benedetta Porcaroli), while Susie reconnects with a former flame, Joe (Tyler Conti), who complicates matters further by offering her an alternative path in the drugs trade. As the empire stretches beyond Britain's borders, the fragile balance the pair struck by the end of the first season unravels, with betrayals, violence and shifting loyalties testing their bond and forcing Eddie to assert himself as a leader rather than a reluctant recruit.

Critical reaction to the tonal overhaul has been mixed. Some reviewers regard the pivot towards a bleaker, more prestige-drama register as a natural and successful evolution, arguing that the larger scale and higher stakes suit a story that was always fundamentally about class, power and the corrupting pull of criminal ambition. Others are less convinced, suggesting that in chasing the grandeur of The Godfather the series loses the eccentric humour and supporting characters that distinguished it the first time round, and that Eddie's suffering feels engineered rather than earned, with setbacks that rarely leave any lasting mark by the time the credits roll. What is not in dispute is that Theo James has been asked to do something markedly different this year, swapping affable bewilderment for a harder, more calculating presence as the Duke embraces the family business in earnest.

Where outlets differ

One outlet takes a notably critical stance, arguing the season loses the humour and quirky supporting characters that made season one distinctive, and that its Godfather homage feels hollow because Eddie's losses lack real weight; the other two outlets are considerably more positive, describing the season as having 'hit its stride' and evolved 'organically'.

Accounts differ on how much time has passed since season one — one source says roughly two years, another says two and a half years.

Plot emphasis varies: one outlet highlights the parliamentary vote-trading subplot involving Lord Hawthorne in detail, another foregrounds the introduction of Peruvian cartels and mystical/mythical elements alongside the Italian mafia storyline, while the critical review focuses more on tone and pacing than on plot specifics.

The negative review singles out sidelined comic characters (such as Jimmy Chang) and a diminished role for Susie as weaknesses; the more favourable pieces instead emphasise the expanded scale, new romantic subplots and the Eddie–Susie relationship as strengths.

• www.polygon.com
• variety.com
• collider.com