{"id":481317,"date":"2026-06-03T17:44:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T17:44:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/481317\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T17:44:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T17:44:13","slug":"near-perfect-90s-set-crime-drama-branded-genuinely-excellent-continues-to-trend-on-netflix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/481317\/","title":{"rendered":"Near-perfect ’90s-set crime drama branded “genuinely excellent” continues to trend on Netflix"},"content":{"rendered":"

’90s-set crime drama Legends has continued to trend on Netflix<\/a> nearly a month after its release. The series focuses on a group of customs employees who are given false identities, known as Legends, to infiltrate the criminal underworld.<\/p>\n

Featuring a star-studded cast including Steve Coogan, Tom Burke, Hayley Squires and Aml Ameen, the series dropped on the streamer in early May.<\/p>\n

However, it’s proven enduringly popular, with the show occupying the number two spot in the Top 10 Series list, ahead of more recent additions such as The Four Seasons and The Boroughs.<\/p>\n

\"gerald<\/p>\n

Netflix<\/p>\n

Related: Best streaming services<\/a><\/p>\n

Legends comes from Neil Forsyth, who is also behind the BBC’s The Gold, and is set in a Britain facing a heroin epidemic as customs are given the “Herculean task of stopping the flow of heroin into Britain” as they “infiltrate the gangs responsible for bringing it in”, according to the creator<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show has attracted a near-perfect score of 97% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes<\/a> based on 31 reviews, with Pajiba<\/a> calling it a “genuinely excellent crime drama”.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s an extraordinary story that has been well served by this satisfying show. It could even be legendary,” wrote The Nightly (AU)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“Legends is tightly wound from the get-go, a true-crime drama that sets itself apart through its top-tier cast and thrills rooted in the grimy greys of drug-ravaged Britain,” Empire<\/a> wrote.<\/p>\n

\"steve<\/p>\n

Netflix<\/p>\n

Common Sense Media<\/a> further called it a “gritty, thrilling series” that has “complicated cons and haunted heroes”, while Inverse<\/a> suggested it was the “perfect weekend binge”.<\/p>\n

However, in a more mixed write-up, The Independent<\/a> said: “Legends feels unambitious. Yet, at the same time, all the components are solid. A good cast playing believable characters, dealing with a script that only occasionally tips into contrivance.”<\/p>\n

If you’ve caught up with Legends, why not check out our list of five more gripping and gritty series<\/a> you can watch right now.<\/p>\n

Legends is streaming now on Netflix.<\/p>\n

Visit our Streaming Guide<\/a> now to see at a glance where you can view ALL your favourite shows and movies.<\/p>\n

The new edition of Living Legends, a collector’s edition exploring the royal family, is here! Buy The Royals in newsagents or online<\/a>.
<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies<\/a>, TV<\/a> and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME<\/a> and Screen International<\/a>. \u00a0Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings<\/a> to Love Is Blind<\/a>, and is equally in his element crossing every ‘t’ and dotting every ‘i’ as a sub-editor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"’90s-set crime drama Legends has continued to trend on Netflix nearly a month after its release. The series…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":481318,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[131124,133535,1105,207272,1107,93,61,60,184510,1135,207271,282],"class_list":["post-481317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-collection-latest-news","tag-collection-netflix","tag-content-type-news","tag-contentid-000e1bde-53ea-43f5-99b7-25917ab6bc60","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-issyndicated-false","tag-locale-gb","tag-shorttitle-near-perfect-90s-crime-drama-continues-trending-on-netflix","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=481317"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481317\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/481318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=481317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=481317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=481317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}