--- title: "Fightland" year: 2026 kind: "series" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/fightland" fi1m_id: "fightland" imdb_id: "tt24512262" tmdb_id: 8840 wikidata_id: "Q140390282" fi1m_score: 47 critics_score: 47 critics_reviews: 5 published: "2026-09-24T11:22:42.708762+00:00" updated: "2026-09-24T11:22:50.101967+00:00" region: "HR" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Fightland (2026) Created by Daniel Fajemisin-Duncan, Marlon Smith · Crime, Drama ## Identity Fightland - **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/fightland - **Type:** Series - **Fi1m ID:** fightland - **IMDb ID:** tt24512262 - **TMDB ID:** 8840 - **Wikidata ID:** Q140390282 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt24512262/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/8840, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q140390282 **Fi1m score: 47** · Critics 47 (early) from 5 reviews *In a sentence:* Fightland gives its gangsters plenty of time and its boxers surprisingly little boxing > *Fightland* has a promising boxing premise and worthwhile work from Howard Charles and Anita-Joy Uwajeh. But muddled motives and perfunctory fights leave its crime story struggling to justify an eight-episode commitment. ## Synopsis *Fightland* is a crime drama series with Howard Charles as Maduka ‘Duke’ Kilroy, Nicholas Pinnock as Kingsley Marshall and Deborah Ayorinde as Joy Marshall. Charles Babalola plays Ezekiel ‘Zeek’ Marshall, while Anita-Joy Uwajeh plays Cebella ‘Cece’ Marshall. The cast also includes Tahirah Sharif as Kim Harper, Tyler Conti as Justin ‘Jay’ Hall and Richard Pepple as Gary ‘Gazzer’ Kilroy. Created by Daniel Fajemisin-Duncan and Marlon Smith, the series has an eight-episode first season, with Otto Bathurst and Colm McCarthy credited as directors. ## Review *Fightland* has a promising boxing premise and too little interest in making the boxing count. Daniel Fajemisin-Duncan and Marlon Smith combine the sport with crime and soap-opera complications, giving their series several possible ways to hold our attention. The trouble is that the gangsters are insufficiently interesting to justify pushing the sporting story aside, and the characters’ motives are often unclear. There are performances worth noticing across this eight-episode first season, but they cannot make it an evening’s recommendation. Howard Charles provides a firm centre as Maduka ‘Duke’ Kilroy, with a presence that makes the lead worth following even when the drama around him is weak. He gives the series someone who can hold our attention without much assistance. The writing leaves his presence with too much of the work to do. His physical authority is useful to a programme this slow, though it cannot keep compensating for the uncertainty about why people act as they do. Anita-Joy Uwajeh is the stronger reason to persevere, giving Cebella ‘Cece’ Marshall some complexity in a drama that can otherwise feel blunt. She gives the part more than the required toughness, and the series needs that extra care. Nicholas Pinnock brings an unnerving edge to Kingsley Marshall and makes a more convincing impression than the routine gangster material. Those are substantial virtues, though neither performer can solve the wider problem of characters whose behaviour the writing has not made persuasive. The boxing is where the direction most needs to be precise, and where it disappoints. Otto Bathurst and Colm McCarthy give us fights with too little sense of tactics or the decisions that distinguish one contest from another. We find these bouts frustrating: without a clear sense of strategy, the punches become less interesting than they should be. A boxing drama needs to make us understand what a fighter is trying to do, how an opponent prevents it and why a change matters. The storytelling does gather some momentum as the boxing, criminal business and soap-opera plots become more closely entangled. That improvement keeps the series from being uniformly inert, and suggests the combination could have worked with firmer character writing. Yet having several things happen together does not resolve our uncertainty about the people making them happen. The creators supply complications more readily than persuasive reasons for them, so increased activity brings less suspense than it ought to. We are still waiting for the characters to become interesting enough to carry the plot. Against the demands of a boxing crime drama, this is a particular waste of a useful premise. The sport offers a straightforward way to make ambition, fear and dependence visible through what people do, provided the fights receive the attention they need. *Fightland* keeps reducing that advantage by giving so much attention to gangsters who cannot sustain the interest their screen time requires. Admirers of Howard Charles, Anita-Joy Uwajeh and Nicholas Pinnock will find reasons to be patient, but the performances remain more compelling than the surrounding story. We would leave this one to those coming for the cast. *Fi1m score 47, published 24 September 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is Fightland worth watching?** *Fightland* is difficult to recommend beyond admirers of its cast; we score it 47 out of 100. Howard Charles and Anita-Joy Uwajeh give worthwhile performances, but unclear motives and perfunctory boxing leave the crime drama struggling to sustain eight episodes. **Where can I watch Fightland in Croatia?** *Fightland* is not on any streaming or rental service in Croatia at the moment. It is available in 3 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How violent or frightening is Fightland, and is it suitable for children?** *Fightland* carries a US TV-MA certificate, marking it as intended for mature audiences rather than children; no UK certificate is supplied. The boxing includes punches and Nicholas Pinnock brings an unnerving edge, but we cannot give a precise account of gore, language or other adult content from those details alone. **How does Fightland compare to A Prophet?** *Fightland* is the weaker choice beside [*A Prophet*](https://film.one/film/a-prophet), which we recommend for its more convincing account of criminal advancement through watchfulness, calculation and difficult compromises. *Fightland* mixes boxing, crime and soap-opera complications without making motives persuasive; *A Prophet* offers a gripping, brutal prison drama attentive to how power works, though its plotting can become too tidy. **What should I watch after Fightland?** After *Fightland*, try [*A Prophet*](https://film.one/film/a-prophet) (2009, Fi1m 86): For criminal advancement made convincing through watchfulness, calculation and difficult compromises. Then [*Giri/Haji*](https://film.one/tv/giri-haji) (2019, Fi1m 84): For a crime series that gives family obligations room to hurt. ### Reviews we read (5) - **Variety**, Aramide Tinubu (80/100, inferred): The critic finds the crime drama entertaining and engaging, though it breaks little new ground. She especially praises Anita-Joy Uwajeh’s layered, fierce performance and Nicholas Pinnock’s chilling work. [Read](https://variety.com/2026/tv/reviews/fightland-review-starz-50-cent-1236819899/) - **The AV Club**, Joshua Rivera (C+): Rivera finds Fightland a slow, barely compelling contender with solid fundamentals and potential to improve in future seasons. He praises how its interwoven boxing, crime, and soap-opera plots build momentum, though he criticizes the cast’s lack of charisma. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/fightland-starz-50-cent-curtis-jackson) - **IndieWire**, Ben Travers (D+): Travers finds the series blunt, dull, and emotionally incoherent, arguing that its promised next round never arrives. He faults its boxing scenes for lacking the strategy and craft of the sport, while noting Howard Charles is a serviceable lead. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/fightland-review-50-cent-starz-boxing-drama-1235207415/) - **The Guardian**, Jack Seale (25/100, inferred): Seale finds the series a muddled, underpowered crime drama that becomes a long slog. He praises Howard Charles’s formidable presence, while faulting the unclear motivations and perfunctory fight scenes. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/aug/27/fightland-review-50-cent-boxing-drama-sky-atlantic-now) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Daniel Fienberg (25/100, inferred): The critic finds the series bland and forgettable, lacking the grit and impact to distinguish it from other crime dramas. He singles out the boxing premise as the most intriguing element, but says it is largely pushed aside for flatly written gangsters. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/fightland-review-50-cent-starz-1236659544/) ## Details - **Created by:** Daniel Fajemisin-Duncan, Marlon Smith - **Creator:** Daniel Fajemisin-Duncan, Marlon Smith - **Director:** Otto Bathurst, Colm McCarthy - **Cast:** Howard Charles as Maduka 'Duke' Kilroy; Nicholas Pinnock as Kingsley Marshall; Deborah Ayorinde as Joy Marshall; Charles Babalola as Ezekiel 'Zeek' Marshall; Anita-Joy Uwajeh as Cebella 'Cece' Marshall; Tahirah Sharif as Kim Harper; Tyler Conti as Justin 'Jay' Hall; Richard Pepple as Gary 'Gazzer' Kilroy - **Release (Croatia):** 31 July 2026 - **Genres:** Crime, Drama - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L1jj4ALxCE ## Where to watch in Croatia Not streaming, renting or buying in Croatia at the last check. Also available in: AU, CA, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Fat City* (1972): For boxing lives observed with patience, without promising anyone an escape. - *The Boxer* (1997): For a fighter whose return brings old loyalties and political pressures. - *A Prophet* (2009), Fi1m 86: For criminal advancement made convincing through watchfulness, calculation and difficult compromises. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-prophet.md) - *Giri/Haji* (2019), Fi1m 84: For a crime series that gives family obligations room to hurt. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/giri-haji.md) - *Small, Slow but Steady* (2022): For boxing treated as daily work, with close attention to its rhythms. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/fightland