Alongside him, Tom Burke (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, The Souvenir) plays Guy, a working-class customs officer who is looking for meaning in his life before Don recruits him.
Hayley Squires (The Night Manager) plays fellow stubborn customs officer Kate, who infiltrates a drug gang in Liverpool, Tom Hughes is the ruthless Carter and Aml Ameen plays another operative called Bailey.
Meanwhile, Jasmine Blackborow (The Gentlemen) and Douglas Hodge round out the cast as Erin and Blake, while Johnny Harris (A Gentleman in Moscow) is Eddie.
Set during an era when Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government was facing mounting political pressure over the illegal drugs being trafficked in Britain, an unconventional solution was implemented.
Legend: Key details
Release date
Legends is available to watch on Netflix from May 7
Cast
Steve Coogan, Tom Burke, Hayley Squires, Aml Ameen, Jasmine Blackborow, Charlotte Ritchie, Douglas Hodge, Tom Hughes, Johnny Harris, Gerald Kyd
Creator
Legends is written and created by Neil Forsyth, who is known for his work on the BBC and Paramount+ series The Gold and Guilt.
How many episodes?
Six
Plot
Based on a true, largely unknown 1990s undercover investigation, with the character of Guy based on former undercover customs officer Guy Stanton.
A group of ordinary individuals, who risked everything, undertook a mission to fight the war on drugs after being selected to go undercover.
While on their mission, they were tasked with penetrating some of Britain’s most dangerous trafficking networks and dismantling them from within despite not being professionally trained operatives.
Drawing on the real-life experience of Guy Stanton, who was played by Burke in this series, the show is based on the book The Betrayer, which he wrote alongside Peter Walsh.
Professional critics adored the series, and it currently has 92% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Rebecca Nicholson wrote in her five-star review for the Financial Times that the series was ‘outstanding TV, elegant and composed,’ adding ‘it does not let its grip loosen for a second.’
Jessica Toomer from Collider was similarly enthralled, noting: ‘It might be the most watchable crime drama Netflix puts out this year.’
It’s not just critics who adore the show either. Audience members have been sharing their thoughts, including Tim J, who wrote: ‘You don’t get any better than this. Compulsive and totally immersive.’
While Jeffrey V wrote: ‘Excellent storyline, pacing and acting… very bingeable, which I did, I watched the whole season in one day… take my advice and watch it. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.’
Writing on X, one user called @whatonnetflix described the series as ‘a raw look at the heavy psychological toll of living a double life, anchored by an absolute MVP performance from Tom Burke’.
The account continued: ‘If you’re a fan of gritty British crime dramas or Breaking Bad, this is your next binge.’
Another user called Mo also said: ‘As someone who may have at one point had a tangential relationship to the Liverpool drug trade, Netflix’s latest is genuinely fantastic.
‘Regardless of your feelings on drugs, we can all appreciate a well-crafted story.’
Legends is available to stream on Netflix.
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