Guy Ritchie Gets Major New Streaming Rival Thanks To Prime Video Crime Series

Published Jul 17, 2026, 2:30 PM EDT

This includes a number of notable crime comedies, especially in recent years. Highlights include 2019's The Gentlemen, 2023's Operation Fortune: Ruse de Gauerre, and 2025's Fountain of Youth. While each of these movies holds a different reputation based on varying degrees of critical success, each one proves the creator is dedicated to his craft.

The same can be said for his foray into streaming TV shows, all of which have prominently involved crime and mystery. His acclaimed TV rendition of The Gentlemen became an instant Netflix success, with The Gentlemen season 2 set to arrive on September 3, 2026. He also serves as an executive producer on Paramount+'s MobLand, which has a season 3 in the works, and co-developed Prime Video's Young Sherlock, already renewed for season 2.

Ritchie has made a name for himself amongst the streaming TV landscape for his comedic yet dramatic shows, complete with sharply-written characters, biting humor, and quick-paced events. Yet he'll now face competition from an upcoming Prime Video series, which not only rivals his latest work on TV, but includes a familiar actor in the leading role.

Prime Video's Criminal Can Rival Guy Ritchie's Streaming Success

The success of Guy Ritchie's crime shows has opened the door for plenty of other potential series to grab the spotlight. One such upcoming show is Criminal. Based on the Image Comics (formerly Marvel Comics' Icon) series created by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, the show follows generational criminal families connected to past murders that ended up defining their present day. The show was created by Brubaker and Jordan Harper, with filming having taken place in 2024.

The series stars Charlie Hunnam as Leo, a criminal who plots out non-violent crimes in response to the violent past of his father. Hunnam is also known for having starred in Ritchie's The Gentlemen movie, showcasing another connection between the creator and the show. But Criminal also has a twist-laden story that is reminiscent of how Ritchie approaches his own TV shows. It makes for an unpredictable page-turner that can easily be replicated on the small screen.

Criminal also has plenty of compelling characters that have their own brands of unique characterization, much like Ritchie's work. This includes Ivan (Richard Jenkins), a former robber with dementia, Jenny (Logan Browning), an Internal Affairs detective acting as Leo's surrogate mother, and Tracy Lawless (Luke Evans), a criminal-turned-Army Special Forces member. These are just some of the compelling, unique characters to expect from the show.

Criminal's Comic Origins Make It Unique Within The Crime Genre

Beyond comparisons to Ritchie's work, however, Criminal stands out for being adapted from a comic series, a rarity among TV adaptations in the genre. The comic itself is also noteworthy because of its interesting approach, with each story arc centering around a different character in the same crime-focused universe. Leo is only the first of these primary viewpoints, with the comic series evolving over time to give more of its characters the spotlight. It's unclear if the show will behave the same way.

What is apparent, though, is that Criminal is a strong competitor for some of Guy Ritchie's most prominent crime TV shows, something that makes it the perfect rival once it arrives on Prime Video. Although a release date hasn't been announced as of writing, the show has all the makings of something that will impress greatly once it finally arrives on the small screen.