A Forgotten Guy Ritchie TV Spinoff is a Must-Watch for The Gentlemen Fans

Summary

• Looking for your next British gang drama?
• This show is based on one of Ritchie's most famous films.
• Find out where and how you can still catch it.

A spin-off of the movie of the same name, Guy Ritchie 's TV series The Gentlemen proved to be a hit with his fans.

With a completely new cast and a different protagonist, you could argue that the TV show is loosely connected to the movie. But both feature the trademark Guy Ritchie mix of humor and gangland shenanigans that put him on the map in the late 90s.

Both also deal with what happens when things change in the world of cannabis dealing, as the old and the new try to find a way into the future of the industry.

The TV show received a 72% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, slightly below the movie's 75%. Similarly, the movie's audience score was 84%, compared to 82% for the TV series.

It's not the first Guy Ritchie film to reinvent itself on the small screen

Back in 1998, before he married Madonna or made his millions, Ritchie wrote and directed Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Like The Gentleman, it was a hybrid of gangland drama and black comedy set in London's East End.

The plot was complex and compelling, but it was the characters that really brought the film to life and established Ritchie's unique style. A style that was very much replicated in The Gentleman in theaters and on television.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels was a huge success, grossing $28.1 million against a production budget of $1.4 million. It's often included on lists of the top British films of all time.

The TV spin-off, called Lock, Stock... is less well known. It never reached the heights one might have expected given its association with the movie – and it doesn't even get a mention on Rotten Tomatoes. IMDb gives the show a 75% rating, but it's not currently available on any streaming services.

But if you're a fan of Guy Ritchie's work, it's worth trying to track it down. More on how to do that later.

What is Lock, Stock…?

As he did recently with The Gentlemen, Ritchie went for a new cast for Lock, Stock... and set it in a similar world to its movie counterpart without making it a direct sequel or prequel.

It follows four hapless gangsters trying to make their way in the London underworld without upsetting the local crime boss. Needless to say, they don't always do a very good job.

The first episode is feature length and serves as a good introduction to the show and its characters Moon, Bacon, Jamie and Lee. If those names alone don't tell you that this is a Guy Ritchie production, I don't know what will.

These characters are played by Daniel Caltagirone, Shaun Parkes, Scott Maslen and Del Synnott respectively. Other familiar faces appearing in the series include Martin Freeman and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.

Beyond the feature length, each episode is a stand-alone show and there's no overarching plot. You can pretty much watch them in any order and they'll make sense. You don't even have to watch the feature length first, but it's recommended.

Where can I watch it?

This is the tricky part. Although after the success of The Gentleman (and the hilarious Brassic on Sky), I wouldn't be surprised to see one of the major streaming services pick it up.

For now, you'll have to see if you can get your hands on a copy of the DVD that was released when the show first aired in 2000, or watch the episodes that are still up on YouTube's Real Drama channel.

Source: YouTube.