Tom Hardy’s Peaky Blinders successor has finally arrived on a free platform, and the actor himself has confirmed the long-delayed season 2 is happening after years of false starts.
Taboo, the 2016 series created by Hardy alongside Steven Knight and Hardy’s father, Chips Hardy, is now streaming entirely free in the United States on Pluto TV and Tubi. The show follows James Keziah Delaney, a fictional English adventurer who returns to London after spending a decade in West Africa, bringing shamanistic rituals and a fearless attitude back with him.
The news comes as Hardy’s MobLand returns for its second season, with his portrayal of Harry Da Souza currently capturing attention across the globe. It’s the perfect moment to revisit a role that critics consider even better than that one.
The Show That Got Away
Taboo premiered on the BBC and FX in January 2017, a year after its creators announced it. The series drew a decent audience and respectable reviews, and was quickly renewed for a second season.
But the follow-up never materialized. A second batch of eight episodes was commissioned as far back as March 2017, and yet the show has remained stuck in development hell for nearly nine years.
Knight has since moved on to other projects, including:
- Netflix’s House of Guinness
- Hulu’s A Thousand Blows
- Wrapping up Tommy Shelby’s Peaky Blinders saga
Hardy has also been busy, experiencing what he described as “the busiest decade of his screen career so far.”
Hardy’s Confirmation
The breakthrough came in September. In an interview with Pop Drop on September 18, Hardy confirmed outright that Taboo season 2 “is happening.”
“That is happening, yeah,” he said. “I keep saying that, as well, but I want to go back to it. That’s something that I’m very passionate about, so we’re scribbling away. Because it’s been so long since we did it, there’s a kind of pressure to do something epic with it when it comes back.”
The confirmation follows earlier hints. In January 2026, Knight suggested that Taboo season 2 is something he still wants to pursue, and that he and Hardy have already agreed on the season’s basic premise.
What To Watch Now
For anyone who hasn’t caught up, the first season is the place to start. It’s free to stream on both Pluto TV and Tubi, and it’s eminently bingeable.
The show’s central figure is a morally ambiguous adventurer who doesn’t suffer fools and strikes fear into hardened criminals with his African rituals. His story sheds light on a side of colonialism rarely shown on screen, while also delivering a brilliantly realized historical dramatization of Regency London’s dark side.
The series is described as must-binge television for admirers of Hardy’s acting and Knight’s unique take on British history.
Why This Matters
The free-streaming offer is significant on its own. Most American fans of TV crime and period drama likely weren’t aware that one of Hardy’s best TV performances is available entirely free of charge.
But the season 2 confirmation adds weight. After years of delays and false starts, the show’s creators have finally committed to finishing what they started.
The wait has been long, but the signs are encouraging. Hardy’s passion for the project is evident in his Pop Drop remarks, and the pressure to deliver something epic suggests the show won’t be rushed.
For fans of Hardy’s work, the path forward is clear. Watch the first season on Pluto TV or Tubi, and prepare for the second.
See the video the story is built around at Screen Rant.
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