Expanding its lineup of British programming, which already includes big-name series like Doctor Who and Sherlock, Netflix recently announced that it will air the first two seasons of BBC Two’s ambitious crime saga Peaky Blinders for stateside viewers. The show, which was acquired by The Weinstein Company last year, will premiere on Netflix on September 30th, and its second season (which will kick off on October 2nd) will be added to the streaming service in November.
Created by Locke writer-director Steven Knight, Peaky Blinders is set in post-World War I Birmingham, England, where the streets are ruled by the Shelby family, which heads up a fearsome gang known as the Peaky Blinders (so named because of their habit of sewing razors into the peaks of their caps). Cillian Murphy, Sam Neill, Helen McCrory and Annabelle Wallis all starred in the first season of the series, and the second will see stars like Tom Hardy, Noah Taylor and Charlotte Riley join the cast.
If Peaky Blinders is picked up for a third season by the BBC, Netflix will also have rights to air that run of episodes. Said executive producer Caryn Mandabach of additional seasons:
“We have to wait for the BBC to weigh in… In our happy minds, it goes on for much longer. [Knight] is very committed to Peaky Blinders. He’s not a gun for hire. There is a mythology and a story to tell.”
Harvey Weinstein called Peaky Blinders “a richly creative, deeply engaging series that will have the perfect home in the U.S. on Netflix,” while adding that, “We’re sure American viewers will be seduced from the very first moment.”
Here are the trailers for the first two series. After watching them, let us know, are you intrigued (or, indeed, seduced) by Peaky Blinders?