--- title: "Taboo" year: 2017 kind: "series" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/taboo" fi1m_score: 62 critics_score: 57 critics_reviews: 10 published: "2026-09-17T20:17:33.614302+00:00" updated: "2026-09-17T20:17:33.978538+00:00" region: "US" 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." --- # Taboo (2017) Created by Steven Knight, Chips Hardy, Tom Hardy · MPA TV-MA · Drama, Mystery **Fi1m score: 62** · Critics 57 from 10 reviews *In a sentence:* Tom Hardy can make a pause threatening, but eight episodes contain rather a lot of pauses > Tom Hardy holds this grimy period mystery together through sheer menace. The setting rewards attention, but thin characters and too much secrecy make *Taboo* a qualified choice for anyone drawn to slow, theatrical revenge stories. ## Synopsis In early-1800s London, James Keziah Delaney (Tom Hardy) schemes against powerful interests over a valuable piece of land. He pursues revenge, keeping his intentions difficult to read. Around him are Stuart Strange (Jonathan Pryce), Zilpha Geary (Oona Castilla Chaplin) and Brace (David Hayman). The opening establishes a dispute in which private motives meet imperial power, while questions about James Keziah Delaney accumulate. Suggestions of the mystical accompany his campaign, and the people dealing with him must contend with what they do not know about him. ## Review *Taboo* gives us an imposing central performance and a convincingly unpleasant period setting, then makes us wait too long for the people and the plot to develop. Created by Steven Knight, Chips Hardy and Tom Hardy, it follows James Keziah Delaney through a struggle over valuable land in early-1800s London. Revenge and imperial power give the series plenty to work with. Across eight episodes, however, the habit of concealing motives begins to feel like a way of postponing the story. Tom Hardy is the reason to persist. His James Keziah Delaney has a tightly contained aggression that makes stillness interesting, and the theatrical weight of the performance suits this murky revenge story. We felt a small thrill at the suggestion that he might lose his temper; he gives the slow exchanges a danger the plotting cannot always supply. Yet the series comes to depend on that threat so heavily that it starts to repeat itself. Jonathan Pryce gives Stuart Strange enough authority to suggest a drama that could afford to look away from its lead. But the writing credited to Steven Knight, Chips Hardy and Ben Hervey too often uses other characters to reinforce the same mystery. Zilpha Geary (Oona Castilla Chaplin) and Brace (David Hayman) need more room as people with concerns that matter in their own right. Concealing motives creates suspense for a while; it also makes it harder to care what anyone stands to lose. Directors Kristoffer Nyholm and Anders Engström establish the period setting with more conviction than the scripts establish the people. Sonja Klaus’s production design makes London’s mud and grime difficult to ignore, with a level of detail that rewards looking past the actors. Mark Patten’s cinematography favours deep shadows, so that looking closely becomes part of the experience. It is effective at sustaining unease, although the restricted light can make scenes feel alike when their emotional temperature is already much the same. The score by composer Max Richter is useful company in these stretches, sustaining unease when the drama itself has settled into another wait. It also contributes to a seriousness that the programme seldom relaxes. There is little variation in the pace: a scene can establish its threat and then carry on underlining it. We grew impatient with the repeated hints of secrets, because they delayed the answers without making the questions more interesting. As a revenge drama, *Taboo* is entitled to keep some of its central man’s plans to itself. The trouble comes when that secrecy spreads to the series’ treatment of empire and Africa, where ominous suggestion is a poor substitute for thinking clearly. The mystical elements add strangeness, but make an already vague history harder to grasp. A story about power needs a firmer sense of the people being used by it, especially when so much attention goes to the man doing the threatening. There is enough conviction here to keep the gloom from becoming merely tiresome, and the willingness to risk absurdity gives the programme some personality. The performance at its centre gives the slower passages something to watch. Eight episodes nevertheless ask for more patience than the writing consistently repays. Try it for Tom Hardy if slow, theatrical menace is enough to keep an evening occupied. *Fi1m score 62, published 17 September 2026.* ## What the critics say The consensus on Taboo is mixed, with praise clustering around Tom Hardy’s commanding, theatrical performance and the grime of its period setting. Most critics find something compelling in Hardy’s James Delaney, even when the story tests their patience. The detailed production design and Kristoffer Nyholm’s atmospheric direction also earn broad approval. For the more enthusiastic reviews, the strangeness and brooding intensity help make a slow revenge tale absorbing. The divide is over how much those strengths compensate for thin characterisation, prolonged secrecy and sluggish pacing. Reactions range widely: Digital Spy finds the series absorbing despite its excesses, while Variety sees heavy-handed gloom with too little substance. Its treatment of history divides critics too. Den of Geek praises an unflinching examination of racism, whereas Variety objects to the vague handling of race and Africa. The central reservation is that Taboo spends too long cultivating mystery without developing enough beneath it. ### Reviews we read (10) - **IndieWire**, Ben Travers (70/100, inferred): The series is a vicious and uber-masculine period drama centered on Tom Hardy's commanding, powder-keg performance as the enigmatic James Delaney. It highlights Hardy's magnetic presence and the show's intense, macho energy. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/taboo-review-tom-hardy-fx-tv-show-1201765065/) - **The AV Club**, Esther Zuckerman (C+): Taboo struggles with thinly drawn characters and an over-reliance on teasing secrets rather than developing them, making the limited series feel frustrating despite its intriguing premise. The visuals and historical elements stand out as strengths under director Kristoffer Nyholm. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/taboo-is-too-enthralled-by-its-own-secrets-1798190086) - **Vulture**, Matt Zoller Seitz (60/100, inferred): Taboo is a vivid but pokey miniseries whose hypnotic atmosphere and weirdness make it more enjoyable to ponder than to watch. It singles out the fanatically detailed production design and Tom Hardy's intense, theatrical lead performance for praise. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2017/01/taboo-is-more-fun-to-think-about-than-to-watch.html) - **The Hollywood Reporter** (50/100, inferred): The review notes that the dark, brooding series has enough intrigue to sustain interest thanks largely to Hardy, while observing it is not particularly action-oriented or sexy in its early episodes. It highlights the mixed results of the mystical elements and Hardy's compelling presence as strengths amid slower pacing. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/dailyedition/2017-01-05/961379/) - **The Guardian**, Lucy Mangan (30/100, inferred): The BBC’s new historical drama is seductive and atmospheric, if completely baffling. Tom Hardy brings extra swagger to Regency London as the menacing James Delaney, though the plot and dialogue can feel portentous and stiflingly male. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/jan/16/taboo-review-tom-hardy-swagger-regency-london) - **Variety**, Sonia Saraiya (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the series ponderous and heavy-handed, wasting its talented cast on excessive chiaroscuro, angst, and self-important grit without substance or a unifying vision. It singles out the thin material, vague handling of race and Africa, and over-the-top brooding as major flaws despite strong production values. [Read](https://variety.com/2017/tv/reviews/review-taboo-tom-hardy-fx-1201949054/) - **Collider**, Allison Keene (★★★★): The series is a strange, slow-burning revenge tale set in gritty early-1800s London, where Tom Hardy’s James Delaney schemes against powerful forces over a valuable piece of land. It features strong performances, atmospheric direction by Kristoffer Nyholm for the first half, and a polished BBC-style production that balances weirdness with restraint. [Read](https://collider.com/taboo-review-tom-hardy/) - **Digital Spy**, Morgan Jeffery (80/100, inferred): Taboo is an utterly ridiculous but totally absorbing grimy revenge thriller that serves as a bold, no-holds-barred antidote to glitzy primetime fare. It singles out Tom Hardy's supremely theatrical and watchable performance as the standout element that sets the tone. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a818388/taboo-tv-show-review-episode-1-tom-hardy-bbc-one-fx/) - **Den of Geek**, Louisa Mellor (75/100, inferred): Taboo is a grimy, intriguing new BBC period drama featuring Tom Hardy as a mythic amalgam of 19th-century literary leads in a tale of revenge and empire. It praises the script's unflinching look at the era's racism and the director's capture of mud and insalubriousness. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/taboo-episode-1-review-shovels-and-keys-2/) - **The Ringer**, Rob Harvilla (45/100, inferred): The critic finds Taboo a slog that takes too long to build momentum, intimidating viewers into reverence it may not deserve. They single out the sumptuous grime and atmosphere helmed by director Kristoffer Nyholm for praise, while noting the restraint in depicting violence. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2017/01/10/tv/fx-taboo-review-tom-hardy-c81c6b0e3395) ## Details - **Created by:** Steven Knight, Chips Hardy, Tom Hardy - **Creator:** Steven Knight, Chips Hardy, Tom Hardy - **Director:** Kristoffer Nyholm, Anders Engström - **Writer:** Steven Knight, Chips Hardy, Ben Hervey - **Cinematography:** Mark Patten - **Music:** Max Richter - **Production design:** Sonja Klaus - **Costume design:** Joanna Eatwell - **Producer:** Tim Bricknell - **Cast:** Tom Hardy as James Keziah Delaney; David Hayman as Brace; Jonathan Pryce as Stuart Strange; Oona Castilla Chaplin as Zilpha Geary; Richard Dixon as Pettifer; Leo Bill as Wilton; Edward Hogg as Michael 'Godders' Godfrey; Franka Potente as Helga - **Certificate (MPA):** TV-MA - **Release (the US):** 7 January 2017 - **Genres:** Drama, Mystery - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1fiijqrKuc ## Where to watch in the US - Peacock: streaming, hd - The Roku Channel: free, hd - Peacock: free, hd - Amazon Prime Video: free - Amazon Prime Video: add-on - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy, hd - Apple TV: buy, hd *Checked 2026-09-17.* Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, DE, ES, FR, GB, IE, MX, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *The North Water* (2021): A period drama where isolation and physical menace make every encounter uneasy - *The Proposition* (2005): A harsh frontier revenge story with more direct moral stakes - *Dead Man* (1995), Fi1m 84: A stranger’s journey through violence, with room for strangeness and dry humour — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/dead-man-walking.md) - *Aguirre, the Wrath of God* (1972), Fi1m 91: Imperial ambition turns feverish, with a lead performance that makes obsession frightening — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/aguirre-the-wrath-of-god.md) - *Le Samouraï* (1967): For another taciturn protagonist whose stillness keeps us watching the smallest movements --- © 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/taboo