Taboo

In Taboo follows James Keziah Delaney as he returns to London from Africa with a cache of fourteen stolen diamonds and a burning need for revenge. The action unfolds in 1814, amid a city stuffed with traders, diplomats, and shadowy power brokers. Delaney aims to reclaim his father's name and reshape the edges of the empire to suit his plans. He moves with quiet certainty, forging uneasy alliances and breaking rules in equal measure. The city is a character in its own right, a foggy brutal landscape where ships, docks, and Parliament mix with informers and copyists. The story thrives on a tense mood, a brutal moral landscape, and a protagonist who tests loyalty and rivals with calculating wit.

Released in 2017, Taboo was created by Steven Knight with Tom Hardy and Chips Hardy. It offers an original story that blends brutal period detail with a contemporary, shadowy mood shaped by Hardy's influence. The result feels tense and cinematic.

Taboo carved a niche with its moody, rain soaked London and a villain who feels more like a force than a trope. The look blends grim industrial textures with stark lighting and unexpected camera angles that hint at the level of risk Delaney is willing to take. Hardy's star power and the show's audacious tone left a mark on premium TV, influencing later dark period dramas and pushing audiences to rethink how historical storytelling can feel dangerous.

Reception emphasized its bold atmosphere and Hardy's performance, with a rating near 7.9 reflecting solid viewer interest. The show explores revenge and loyalty against imperial ambition, revealing how personal vendettas intersect with larger political games and moral ambiguity, a mix critics generally admired.