Ridley Scott & Tom Hardy’s “Gloriously Offensive” 91% Rated Thriller Series Deserves Another Look Before Season 2

Ridley Scott might be a successful director who has given us some tremendous films over the years, but behind the scenes he’s also a celebrated producer who has helped bring to life some wonderful movies and TV shows. The Man in the High Castle, Alien: Earth, and the upcoming Blade Runner 2099 series for Prime Video are just a few that come to mind, as is a 2017 thriller that starred Tom Hardy and has gone largely forgotten about these days, but is definitely worth another look before the eventual release of Season 2.

Titled Taboo, the series was created by Steven Knight and the father-son duo of Tom and Chips Hardy. Scott served as an executive producer through his company, Scott Free Productions, and while he obviously wasn’t on set every day, his fingerprints are all over the FX thriller. Set in 1814, Taboo stars Hardy as adventurer and businessman, James Delaney, and explores the dark side of 19th-century London. Despite being a TV show, Taboo feels like a cinematic masterpiece that was treated with immense care. Everything from the set pieces to the grim atmosphere helps set it apart from other historical thrillers as it details the struggles of the working class and the corruption surrounding the East India Company.

Also starring Leo Bill, Jessie Buckley, Oona Chaplin, Stephen Graham, Jefferson Hall, David Hayman, Edward Hogg, and Mark Gatiss, Taboo premiered on January 10, 2017, on FX in the United States, and was immediately met with high praise from fans and critics. The series is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a 76% rating, and its Popcornmeter score sits even higher at 91%. Called “gloriously offensive” by some, and “one of the best series of the last 20 years” by others, Taboo can currently be streamed on Peacock, or for free on Tubi. The official synopsis reads:

“Adventurer James Keziah Delaney (Hardy), long believed to be dead, returns home to London from Africa in 1814 in order to inherit his late father’s shipping empire. All is not what it seems, however, as Delaney encounters numerous enemies intent on making his life back in the United Kingdom very difficult. Focused on building a shipping empire to rival the imperious East India Company, Delaney’s other wish to seek vengeance for his father’s death means conspiracy, betrayal and bloodshed are also in the cards. As he works to accomplish that, Delaney must also navigate increasingly complex territories in order to avoid his own death sentence.”

When Does ‘Taboo’ Season 2 Come Out?

Tom Hardy in Taboo

Finishing its first-season run in February 2017, Taboo was renewed for Season 2 the following month after its successful debut. Unfortunately for fans, both Hardy and Knight suddenly became two of the most in-demand people in the industry shortly thereafter, meaning Taboo Season 2 had to be put on the back burner. As such, we still don’t know when it will make its long-awaited return, but there is a silver lining.

According to both Hardy and Knight, things are slowly moving forward with Taboo Season 2, and it’s now a matter of “when,” not “if” filming will begin. The scripts have been written, and it’s a question of “just finding the space,” Knight told Radio Times earlier this month, adding: “I’d love to, I get asked about it – especially in the States, actually – I get asked about it a lot.”

As we await to see what the future holds for Taboo and when Season 2 will finally get underway, be sure to check out all eight episodes of Season 1 streaming now on Peacock and Tubi.