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Netflix’s action-crime comedy “The Gentlemen,” starring Theo James and Kaya Scodelario, has launched its second season to unanimous critical acclaim, boasting a 100% “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes. The new season sees Eddie Horniman and Susie Glass expanding a cannabis empire into Italy, encountering fresh challenges as Bobby Glass makes unsound decisions. Meanwhile, recent reports about Meghan Markle being considered for a potential third season role were swiftly debunked. A former editor-in-chief stated her withdrawal due to UK backlash, and star Theo James dismissed the talk as “hot air.” Critics praise Season 2 for its tighter focus and more thoughtful narrative, calling it thrilling and audacious. Both seasons are now streaming.
The Netflix action-crime comedy The Gentlemen, starring Theo James and Kaya Scodelario, is back for Season 2 and is being met with huge praise by most 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the reports broke that “the casting of Meghan Markle in season 3 of Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series The Gentlemen has been withdrawn” because “backlash in the UK was so intense.”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 in early reviews, the sophomore season of the Netflix hit earned a 100% “fresh” critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer based on seven reviews. However, by Thursday afternoon, the score dropped to 85% “fresh” based on 13 reviews.
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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.
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.”
Ben Dowell of The Times (UK) points out the shortcomings of The Gentlemen Season 2 as well, but still awards it a “fresh” score on RT, writing, “This is a show far too in love with carnage, wisecracks, lavish cinematography and fast editing to hold on to any depth or seriousness for too long.”
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.”
Nick Hilton of The Independent is among the critics on RT who give The Gentlemen Season 2 a “rotten” score, writing, “The Gentlemen prioritizes the easy gratification of vaguely witty dialogue over actual jokes, big twists over character development, and cheap thrills over earned tension.”
All 16 episodes of The Gentlemen Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming on Netflix.