BBC’s ‘riveting’ 8-part Irish-set crime drama is the perfect binge-watch for MobLand fans

Kin follows a Dublin-set crime family that MobLand and Peaky Blinders fans will love – and it’s available to watch on the BBC and Netflix

o you love gangster dramas like MobLand and Peaky Blinders? The BBC has your next must-watch ready and waiting for you – and it has a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Originally airing on RTÉ in 2021, Kin is an Irish-set crime drama that follows two feuding families in Dublin, led by rival leaders Frank Kinsella (Aidan Gillen) and Eamon Cunningham (Ciarán Hinds).

Co-created by Peter McKenna (The Last Kingdom, Red Rock) and Ciaran Donnelly (Camelot, Vikings), the two-season series became one of the most-watched shows in Ireland and is currently trending on BBC iPlayer, where viewers can binge both seasons in one go.

Keep reading for everything you need to know about Kin, including what viewers have said about the show.

What have viewers said about Kin?

The show proved a hit with viewers and critics alike, garnering a 100 per cent critics’ score and an 84 per cent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

In one review, a viewer wrote: “This show is hard-hitting and realistic. It’s built on really strong characters driving a great story, and the pacing is perfect – it honestly never slows down. The whole cast gives totally convincing, professional performances that pull you right in. Plus, the crew absolutely nailed it behind the camera, making the whole thing look and feel just as good as the acting.”

Charlie Cox and Ciarán Hinds in Kin© RTE
Charlie Cox and Ciarán Hinds in Kin

Meanwhile, another said: “A tense, riveting drama. Strong performances. Highly recommend,” while a third added: “Absolutely brilliant, one of the best shows I’ve seen up there with Peaky Blinders. The acting throughout is superb and the storyline is gripping. Season two is just as good –  hope there is a season 3!”

In February, Kin was confirmed to return for a third season on RTÉ in Spring 2027.

What is Kin about?

Told over two seasons, each consisting of eight episodes, the series centres around the lives of the Kinsellas, a fictional Dublin family embroiled in a gangland war.

The synopsis reads: “When a member of the Kinsella clan is killed, the family embark on a gangland war with an international cartel, a war that is impossible to win.

Kin is a must-watch crime drama© RTE
Aidan Gillen plays Frank Kinsella

“Out-numbered, out-financed and out-gunned, the Kinsellas find themselves holed up in their Dublin stronghold while their businesses fail, and family members and associates are picked off. But they have something the cartel does not: the unbreakable bonds of blood and family…”

Who stars in Kin?

Unsurprisingly, the Dublin-set show features a stellar cast of Irish actors, including Clare Dunne (Herself, The Last Duel), Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones, Love/Hate, The Wire), Ciarán Hinds (The Terror, Game of Thrones) and Sam Keeley (68 Whiskey, The Siege of Jadotville).

Charlie Cox is brilliant in Kin© RTE
Charlie Cox plays Michael Kinsella opposite Emmett J. Scanlan’s Jimmy Kinsella

They’re joined by Maria Doyle Kennedy (The Tudors, Outlander), Emmett Scanlan (Peaky Blinders, Kypton) and newcomer Yasmin Seky. British actor Charlie Cox (Daredevil, Stardust) also stars.

All eight episodes of Kin are available to watch on BBC iPlayer and Netflix.