“Ganglands” puts a family at the center of a war between drug dealers, and that choice makes the whole thing work. Mehdi is an experienced robber who knows every trick in the business. Liana is an apprentice thief who learns on the job. They meet during a robbery gone wrong, steal eight kilograms of cocaine, and suddenly find themselves caught between two gangs fighting for control of the streets.
The show follows them through two seasons, twelve episodes, and a war that never lets up. It is a French action crime drama, created by Julien Leclercq and Hamid Hlioua, and it premiered on Netflix in September 2021 with six episodes. The second season arrived in February 2023 with another six.
Trailer, via Netflix.
Mehdi and Liana, the Core Pair
Sami Bouajila plays Mehdi, a man who has spent years perfecting his craft. Tracy Gotoas plays Liana, a young woman still learning the ropes. Their partnership is the engine of the series. They start as strangers who share a crime, and end up protecting each other through every twist of the plot.
Their bond grows from shared danger into something deeper. They fight for their lives and for the people around them, and that fight carries the whole story forward.
Shaïnez and the Robbery That Started It All
The trouble begins with a simple mistake. Mehdi’s teenage niece, Shaïnez, and her girlfriend, Liana, break into a top dealer’s courier and walk away with eight kilograms of cocaine. That theft sets off a chain reaction. The dealers want the drugs back. Mehdi wants his niece protected. The situation spirals fast, and the two women become pawns in a larger game they never asked to play.
The theft is the spark. Everything else burns from there.
The War Between the Dealers
Belgium is the setting, and the conflict moves between Brussels and Antwerp. Two groups of dealers are locked in a struggle for control, and Mehdi’s crew gets pulled into it. The violence is constant. People die. Loyalties shift. The show keeps the pressure on, episode after episode.
There is no safe ground here. Every street, every ally, becomes a battlefield.
The Cast and Their Roles
The supporting cast fills out the world around Mehdi and Liana. Salim Kéchiouche plays Saber, a member of the crew. Samuel Jouy plays Tony, another figure in the story. Aron Kto plays Nahel. Lola Le Lann plays Kelly. Each brings their own weight to the ensemble, giving the show a full picture of a world built on crime.
The cast works together as a unit, and the chemistry holds the story together when the pace slows.
What Works Well
The show excels at building tension. Every episode adds to the stakes, and the audience stays glued to the screen. The writing keeps the plot moving without wasting a beat. The performances are strong across the board, with Bouajila and Gotoas carrying the emotional core of the story.
The direction keeps the action clear and the pacing tight. Nothing drags, and nothing feels wasted.
Where It Falls Short
The show is not perfect. Some of the supporting characters feel thin, especially outside the main crew. The scale of the war can also feel overwhelming at times, making individual scenes harder to follow. The show relies heavily on its central pairing, and some episodes lean on Mehdi and Liana at the expense of the wider conflict.
These are small complaints against a show that mostly delivers.
Comparing It to the Film
“Ganglands” shares its title with Leclercq’s 2015 film “Braqueurs.” The two works share a lead actor in Sami Bouajila, but that is where the similarity ends. The film and the series share no characters or storylines. The series stands on its own, with its own cast, its own plot, and its own ending.
It is a curious coincidence, but it does not affect how the show plays on its own terms.
The Final Season and Its Payoff
The second season brings the war between the dealers to its peak. The crew faces the consequences of their actions, and the show does not offer easy answers. People survive, people do not survive, and the series ends on a note that leaves the door open for more.
The show’s final stretch keeps the tension high.
Key Facts
- Title: Ganglands (French: Braqueurs)
- Creator: Julien Leclercq, Hamid Hlioua
- Network: Netflix
- Seasons: 2, totalling 12 episodes
- First aired: 24 September 2021
- Last aired: 17 February 2023
- Genres: Crime, Action & Adventure
The Verdict
“Ganglands” is a solid crime series with a strong central performance. Sami Bouajila gives Mehdi a presence that anchors every scene he appears in. Tracy Gotoas matches him step for step as Liana. Together they carry a story that could have been routine into something tense and involving.
The show’s weakness is its supporting cast. Some characters feel like names rather than people, and the scale of the war occasionally buries the human drama beneath it. Still, the core pairing and the writing keep the show engaging from start to finish.
“Ganglands” is a show worth watching for anyone interested in crime dramas with a strong emotional center.
- The central pairing between Mehdi and Liana drives the entire series
- The war between the dealers provides a steady engine of conflict
- The show’s title shares a name with Leclercq’s earlier film, but the two works are unrelated
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