With plenty of time remaining beforePeaky Blinders’ upcoming movie,The Immortal Man, finally arrives on Netflix, franchise creatorSteven Knight has a critically acclaimed new crime drama that’s fantastic to watch while waiting. Focusing on the exploits of the titular gang in early 20th-century Birmingham,Peaky Blindersbecame a massive hit with widely praised performances from stars like Cillian Murphy, Helen McCrory, Paul Anderson, and Tom Hardy. WhilePeaky Blindersseason 6 ended the seriesin 2022, Steven Knight’s franchise is continuing withThe Immortal Man’s sequel movie and various spinoff shows in development.
Though the highly anticipated movie began filming in September 2024,The Immortal Man’s release datehas still yet to be announced by Netflix. As such, it’s unclear whether thePeaky Blindersmovie will hit Netflix in 2025 or 2026. While there are no spinoffs to the main series to watch in the meantime, show creator Steven Knight does have a new show on Hulu with a similar concept that will fill thatPeaky Blindersgap before the film’s arrival. Already boasting critical acclaim,A Thousand Blowsseason 1 offers much of the same period crime drama appeal asPeaky Blinders.
A Thousand Blows Is Another Critically Acclaimed Crime Drama From Peaky Blinders' Creator
A Thousand Blows Follows A 19th-Century Gang In London
Steven Knight has created a few intriguing shows sincePeaky Blinders’ ending, including Netflix’sAll the Light We Cannot Seeand Hulu’sThe Veil, butA Thousand Blowsis the closest he’s come to emulating anotherPeaky Blinders-esque period crime drama. Inspired by the true story of The Forty Elephants gang in 1880s London,A Thousand Blowsseason 1debuted on Hulu and Disney+ on February 21 with an impressive 92%Rotten Tomatoesscorefrom critics. This score currently surpasses the acclaim forPeaky Blindersseason 1, which holds an 88% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.
92%
A Thousand Blowsseason 1
88%
While also focusing on the real-life crime syndicate,A Thousand Blowsdoubles as a sports drama by integrating the world of illegal bare-knuckle boxing. Another notable difference betweenPeaky BlindersandA Thousand Blows’ English crime stories is thatKnight’s new TV show is focused on an all-female gang, whereas the titular Peaky Blinders gang was primarily run by men, with the exception of characters like Polly Gray and Ada Shelby. Furthermore, whilePeaky Blindersfrequently integrated real-life historical figuresand events into its fictional story,A Thousand Blows’ main characters and narrative primarily draw from real people and history.
A Thousand Blowsseason 2 was renewed by Hulu/Disney+ prior to the series premiere.
Among the aspects receiving thehighest praise forA Thousand Blowsseason 1 are the performances by Stephen Graham as boxer Henry “Sugar” Goodson and Erin Doherty as gangster Mary Carr.A Thousand Blowshas been described as a character-driven drama, with these two actors being the stars of the show’s boxing and female crime syndicate stories. Steven Knight’s compelling characters and masterful historical setting inA Thousand Blowshave generally drawn positive comparisons toPeaky Blinders, making it a worthy follow-up to the hitCillian Murphy-starring franchise.
Are Peaky Blinders & A Thousand Blows Connected?
They Don’t Seem To Be Set In The Same Universe
Though both are centered on crime gangs in late-19th century and early-20th century England,it doesn’t appear thatPeaky BlindersandA Thousand Blowsare meant to be set in the same universe. Other than being created by Steven Knight and featuring Stephen Graham (who playedHayden Stagg inPeaky Blinders' cast), there won’t be any narrative connections found betweenPeaky BlindersandA Thousand Blowson-screen – at least in season 1.
A Thousand Blows Review: As A Peaky Blinders Fan, I Genuinely Can’t Get Over How Good This Perfect Replacement Works
If you’re waiting for a Peaky Blinders replacement, Steven Knight’s A Thousand Blows is a hell of a contender.
Additionally,A Thousand Blowsseason 1 takes place in the 1880s, over 30 years beforePeaky Blindersseason 1’s timeline beginsin 1919. Given that gap between the two shows, it shouldn’t be expected that familiar members ofPeaky Blinders' Shelby familywould ever show up or be referenced inA Thousand Blows– even if they were potentially revealed to be in the same universe. Furthermore,A Thousand Blows’ narrative is set in London, whilePeaky Blinders’ early seasons are focused on the gang’s exploits in Birmingham.
A Thousand Blows Could Give Steven Knight Another Crime Franchise Like Peaky Blinders
A Thousand Blows Has The Potential For Spinoffs
It seems unlikely thatA Thousand Blowswill be revealed as being set withinPeaky Blinders’ fictional version of history, which gives Steven Knight the opportunity to helm a brand-new period crime drama franchise. The real Forty Elephants gang was seemingly active until about the 1950s,giving Knight another several decades’ worth of historical eras, characters, and events to pursue in that world. Even if it’s not focused on Mary Carr or “Sugar” Goodson,A Thousand Blowscould lead to aPeaky Blinders-esque franchise full of spinoffs about on connected historical figures and events.
