SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW
Netflix series The Gentlemen is simultaneously a crime thriller that follows the descent of a its hero Eddie from decent, honorable man to crime lord who enjoys murder, and -- whether intentionally or not -- a satire of Regency romances.
The series is set in present-day England. When the first episode opens, Eddie is a captain in the British army, serving time in Afghanistan, fully in charge of a situation, competently and calmly keeping fights from erupting at a checkpoint. He receives news that his father is failing and returns to England and his father's deathbed.
His father is a duke, and Eddie is his second son. His older brother, Freddy (yes, they rhyme, it's weird and annoying and played for laughs) is a ne'er-do-well drug addict. Upon the death of the duke, the will is read and everything, including the dukedom, has been left to Eddie. (Is this possible? I doubt it but there's some legal mumbo jumbo by a lawyer that makes it all right.)
Eddie is soon approached by a mysterious woman, Susie, who informs him that his father had been using the ducal estate to grow pot for her organization, and making a great deal of money at it.
The series follows Eddie's attempts to extricate his family from the drug trade, until GIANT SPOILER GO BACK
he realizes that he was born to be a drug lord, and embraces it.
What could this possibly have to do with Regency romances?
For one thing, every character is a stock Regency romance character.
Eddie is the unexpected heir. He comes home from a war (as many Regency romance heroes come home from the Napoleonic wars) a solder to his bones. He speaks like a Regency romance duke -- slowly, and with gravitas. He acts like a Regency romance duke -- he is the smartest person in the room, he sees all angles of every situation, he will not be rushed, he takes control, and when he is not in control he makes a good plan to take control. The camera shoots him in heroic stances.
Freddy is the hapless family member the duke would give his very soul to protect.
Susie is the worthy woman. There is no romance between her and Eddie, but their chemistry is off the charts. She has been running her father's drug empire for years, without recognition from him. She is smart and ambitious but held back because of her gender. Eddie sees, respects, and embraces her competence.
Susie's brother Jack is the boxer who the next book in the series should be about, and who Susie will do anything to protect.
Eddie's mother Sabrina is the duchess who mostly stays in the background but actually knows everything that is going on, is quietly smarter than everyone else, and saves the day in a pinch.
The groundskeeper Geoffrey is the quirky, loyal servant. He rescues wounded wild animals and keeps them in his house.
Eddie's younger sister Charly -- well, she's not a well-developed character, but will certainly feature as the heroine in a future installment.
And the plot is an absolutely standard Regency romance plot, except for a few excess murders. Eddie is an impoverished noble who must figure out how to make his estate profitable, for the sake of his family and his servants and his ancestors. He tries various schemes to do this, and is forced to team up with a woman who has more access to money. There are some misunderstandings and double crosses, but eventually Eddie figures out how to make theirs a true partnership. And they both live happily ever after (with shared hobbies that include cold-blooded murder).
I will add that this is a great and fun show whether or not the Regency romance echoes call to you.
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