--- title: "This City Is Ours: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/this-city-is-ours/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/tv/this-city-is-ours" critics_score: 62 critics_reviews: 8 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." --- # This City Is Ours (2025): what the critics said Critics' score 62 from 8 reviews: 6 positive, 0 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics respond warmly to This City Is Ours, with praise clustering around the performances and the attention paid to family, romance and the business of the cocaine trade. James Nelson-Joyce draws particular notice as Michael, whose emotional conflicts give the crime story weight. The favourable reviews find tension in shifting loyalties, but also value the space given to Michael and Diana’s relationship and to questions of masculinity beyond violence. The spread is wide, with two strongly negative assessments challenging precisely the depth that others admire. The Guardian finds little heart or reason to care about the characters, despite strong performances from Bean and Graham. The i Paper goes further, finding the script implausible and its attempts to emulate The Godfather derivative. Even among the favourable reviews, some early plotting attracts reservations; the disagreement centres on whether these familiar gangland ingredients produce convincing human drama. ## The Telegraph — Anita Singh Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 23 March 2025. The critic praises it as a superb steely gangland drama and tense crime thriller of betrayals and shifting loyalties, highlighting strong performances especially from Nelson-Joyce. They single out the family dynamics and business elements of the cocaine trade. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/this-city-is-ours-bbc-one-review/) ## The Times Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 23 March 2025. The critic notes the witty and authentic dialogue and refreshing modern take showing criminals enjoying their affluence. They single out the focus on family dynamics, romantic love and the human condition alongside the violence. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/this-city-is-ours-review-sean-beans-grit-graces-this-merseyside-mob-tale-rmnckm892) ## Radio Times — David Craig Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 24 March 2025. The series is a thrilling watch with fascinating characters and surprises, though the predictable early death of Sean Bean's character is a missed opportunity for impact. Praises the tense drama delivered in the remaining episodes and the standout performances. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/this-city-is-ours-sean-bean-death-comment/) ## The Independent — Phil Harrison Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 23 March 2025. The critic finds moral ambivalence elevates it above average crime drama, viewing modern masculinity through the lens of a cocaine empire. They single out the conflicted emotional openness of the central character Michael. [Read the review](https://independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/this-city-is-ours-review-bbc-b2718639.html) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 23 March 2025. The critic finds the series lacking emotional depth and heart despite strong performances from Bean and Graham, calling it generic and empty at its core. They single out the performances as tempering the emptiness but note no one to root for. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/mar/23/this-city-is-ours-review-there-is-zero-emotional-depth-to-sean-bean-new-gang-drama-bbc) ## The i Paper — Ed Power Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 23 March 2025. The critic finds the series derivative and embarrassing in its attempt to emulate The Godfather, with an implausible and turgid script that even Sean Bean's charisma can't save. The one thing singled out is Bean's reliable sinister performance. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/this-city-is-ours-review-godfather-embarrassing-3597471) ## Digital Spy — Janet A Leigh Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 24 March 2025. The critic finds the series more nuanced than a typical gangster drama, particularly in its exploration of masculinity through the protagonist's fertility struggles and relationship. It singles out the central relationship between Michael and Diana for praise as providing high stakes. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a64272165/this-city-is-ours-bbc-review/) ## NME — Ralph Jones Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 21 March 2025. The critic finds the Liverpool crime drama gripping due to its layered storylines beyond violence, particularly the personal struggles of characters like Michael and Diana, and praises the strong performances, especially James Nelson-Joyce as Michael. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/tv-reviews/this-city-is-ours-review-sean-bean-james-nelson-joyce-3847558) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/tv/this-city-is-ours.md