Kaya Scodelario and Theo James in “The Gentlemen” Season 2.
Netflix/Christopher Raphael
The Netflix action-crime comedy The Gentlemen, starring Theo James and Kaya Scodelario, is back for Season 2 and is being met with unanimous praise by critics.
Based on writer-director Guy Ritchie’s 2019 film The Gentlemen, the series premiered on Netflix in March 2024 with Season 1. The Gentlemen has attracted headlines recently over reports that the Duchess of Sussex and former Suits star Meghan Markle was being considered for a role in the then-unconfirmed third season of the series.
However, former The New Yorker and Vanity Fair editor-in-chief wrote in her Substack column just days after the reports broke that “the casting of Meghan Markle in season 3 of Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series The Gentlemen has been withdrawn” because “backlash in the UK was so intense.”
In addition, James told Town & Country Magazine Tuesday that the reports of Markle’s potential involvement in The Gentlemen next season was “a lot of hot air.”
The Gentlemen Season 2 picks up a year after Eddie Horniman (James) and Susie Glass (Scodelario) join forces to expand Susie’s father Bobby Glass’ (Ray Winstone) weed empire into Italy. Their move is soon in jeopardy, though, when Bobby begins to increasingly make unsound decisions.
Consisting of eight episodes — which all premiered on Netflix on Thursday — The Gentlemen Season 2 also stars Giancarlo Esposito, Joely Richardson, Daniel Ings and Vinnie Jones.
The review embargo for The Gentlemen Season 2 lifted on Thursday morning, and as of the publication of this article, the sophomore season of the Netflix hit has earned a 100% “fresh” critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer based on six reviews. RT’s Critics Consensus, Audience Summary and Popcornmeter score based on verified user ratings are still pending.
By contrast, The Gentlemen Season 1 earned a 75% “fresh” critics’ score on RT based on 71 reviews, while audiences awarded the freshman season an 84% “fresh” Popcornmeter score based on 1,000-plus verified user ratings.
Note: The RT critics’ score in this article will be updated once more reviews are posted on the site.
Ray Winstone in “The Gentlemen.” Season 2.
Netflix/Christopher Raphael
What Are Individual Critics Saying About ‘The Gentlemen’ Season 2?
Kaiya Shunyata of RogerEbert is among RT’s critics who give The Gentlemen a “fresh” score, writing, “Instead of zipping around and following an expansive cast, the series tightens its scope, letting audiences follow two central figures who feel like real people rather than caricatures from spy dramas of decades past.”
The show’s second season has also won the approval of Collider’s Therese Lacson, who writes in her “fresh” RT review summary, “As The Gentlemen sheds some of its flash, it’s replaced with a far more thoughtful and philosophical story, one that will carry it through to what is sure to be another outstanding season.”
Eleane Kuiper of Screen Rant also gives Season 2 of the series a “fresh” score, but with some reservations. Kuiper writes on RT, “Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen returns for a second season that decenters its dynamic duo, for better and for worse.”
Award Daily’s Maxance Vincent has a short take on The Gentlemen Season 2, writing in his “fresh” take on RT that it is “a thrilling and audacious second season.”
All 16 episodes of The Gentlemen Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming on Netflix.
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