A Thousand Blows

Hezekiah and Alec, two friends from Jamaica, finds themselves thrust into the criminal underbelly of London's East End. Here they meet Mary Carr, Queen of an all-female criminal gang known as the Forty Elephants, and run afoul of Sugar Goodson, criminal kingpin and notorious boxer.

A Thousand Blows is a British period crime drama created by Steven Knight for Disney+. Two friends from Jamaica, Hezekiah and Alec, find themselves thrust into the criminal underworld of Victorian London's East End, where they run afoul of Sugar Goodson, a feared kingpin and notorious boxer, and meet Mary Carr, queen of the all-female Forty Elephants gang. Their struggle is a scramble for survival, loyalty and a foothold in a city ruled by ambition and violence, with each episode built from turf rivalries, bare-knuckle fights and shifting alliances between the women and men who run the streets. The two-season run spans twelve hour-long episodes that unfold as one continuous story with a gritty, brooding texture: smoky taverns, rain-slicked cobbles and a heavy atmosphere of dread. Fans of Peaky Blinders, Taboo and Gangs of London will find resonance in its grimy period style, its clan politics and its unflinching violence.

Audience reception is positive overall at 7.3/10, though the second season was rated markedly lower than the first.

• Peaky Blindersshared gritty british period crime tone, clan-based criminal power struggles, and East End underworld setting
• Tabooshared dark Georgian-era London underworld atmosphere and ambitious criminal rivalries
• Gangs of Londonshared brutal London gang warfare and crime-family power politics

Created by

Steven Knight

Release Date

2025-02-21

Episode runtime

54 min

Rating

7.3 / 10 (121)

What is A Thousand Blows about?

Two Jamaican friends are drawn into the brutal criminal underworld of Victorian London's East End, where a female gang queen and a boxing kingpin hold the power.

What is A Thousand Blows like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of A Thousand Blows as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as dense.

Is A Thousand Blows violent?

Yes. Ember rates the violence in A Thousand Blows as brutal.

What did critics think of A Thousand Blows?

Audience reception is positive overall at 7.3/10, though the second season was rated markedly lower than the first.

Which shows are like A Thousand Blows?

Shows with a similar feel include Peaky Blinders, Taboo, and Gangs of London.

How long is A Thousand Blows?

A Thousand Blows: 2 seasons, 12 episodes.

Is A Thousand Blows still running?

No, A Thousand Blows has ended.

Where can I watch A Thousand Blows?

In United States, A Thousand Blows streams on Disney Plus, Hulu.