Taboo, the 2017 period drama starring Tom Hardy, has been re-added to BBC iPlayer. Hailed as "mesmerising" by the streamer, the series, which was first released in 2017, has received glowing reviews from critics, while fans on IMDb have described it as a "thrilling" watch. Co-created by Steven Knight, Tom Hardy, and his father, Chips Hardy, Taboo is set in 19th-century London. Spanning eight episodes, the show follows James Keziah Delaney (Hardy), an adventurer believed to be dead, who returns home from Africa in 1814.
Following the death of his father, Horace Delaney, James inherits his family's shipping empire in London (not to mention several enemies) as he attempts to rival the corrupt East India Company, while seeking vengeance for his father's death.
Rounding out the cast are Leo Bill, Jessie Buckley, Oona Chaplin, Stephen Graham, David Hayman, Tom Hollander, Jonathan Pryce and Mark Gatiss.
Currently, Taboo holds a Certified Fresh score of 76% on Rotten Tomatoes with multiple positive reviews.
"Taboo's strength is that, despite borrowing from westerns, gangster flicks and even Dickens, it still manages to feel utterly original," wrote the Daily Telegraph.
"It's an aggressive, fearless, and periodically nasty story filled with men who Delaney wants to kill, and told in a fashion that makes waiting all the more entertaining," IndieWire stated.
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Meanwhile, The Atlantic raved: "Hardy, always an admirably committed actor, has the magnetism to elevate even the silliest moments, making this an intriguing, if sometimes oppressively moody trip into a sinister underworld."
Likewise, in our review, we lauded Taboo as "utterly ridiculous but totally absorbing", noting: "Some will be turned off by it, while others will no doubt take it far too seriously. But hopefully, most will be able to appreciate it as the barmy but rather brilliant drama it actually is."
Speaking about the series, Knight told Collider: "It's a human story of one individual and the consequences of their decision to take on the world, effectively. He takes on the Americans, the British, the East India Company, the Crown, and everybody."
Revealing how Hardy and his father brought him in on the project, Knight added: "It was actually the first time I'd met Tom. I was invited to meet him to talk about Taboo, and it was a very open brief, which was great. It was an adventure for a character who came back to England to seek revenge. That was the basic initial idea.
"And while we were talking about Taboo, I was also putting together Locke, so in the same conversation, I said, 'Would you want to do Locke?' I explained it, and we did a deal where he would do Locke if I did Taboo. Then, I developed the initial idea and wrote two scripts to begin with. And then, I ended up writing the rest."
Taboo is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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