Sean Bean's New Crime Series Makes Him The Anti-Ned Stark

The gritty British crime drama This City is Ours cast Sean Bean in an interesting role, perfectly flipping one of his most iconic characters. Since his breakout role in Sharpe, Bean has had a long and prolific career, playing characters that have made a huge screen impact, like Goldeneye’s villainous Alec Trevelyan, and Boromir, one of The Lord of the Rings’ greatest heroes.

Since The Lord of the Rings, Bean’s best-known role has been Game of Thrones’ tragic Ned Stark, whose early death was unlikely to shock the actor’s fans, as he has become known for dying onscreen. Bean reflected, “maybe I should stop dying as much,” but his death in the underrated British crime show sparks the events, reversing his Game of Thrones role.

This City Is Ours Makes Sean Bean The Anti-Ned Stark

This City is Ours is about the fight for control within a criminal enterprise that dominates the cocaine trade in Liverpool. Sean Bean plays Ronnie Phelan, the patriarch, whose death sets the events of the show into motion. Ronnie’s death pits two main characters against each other: his trusted right-hand man, Michael Kavanagh, and his reckless son, Jamie.

At first glance, This City is Ours and Game of Thrones could not be any more different. Game of Thrones was a groundbreaking fantasy series that redefined the genre, while This City is Ours is very grounded, with the violence feeling much more real. However, the shows have a similar core theme, and that is a power struggle.

The best characters in Game of Thrones do not always have fair fates, and Ned Stark’s refusal to “play the game” has him killed. This City is Ours reverses this, with Ronnie playing the drug kingpin who is playing a dangerous game, supplying information to both sides and being murdered for it. His role in the events resembles that of a different Game of Thrones character.

Ronnie Phelan’s role in This City is Ours is the storyline’s equivalent to Robert Baratheon in Game of Thrones. The king’s death caused a power vacuum in Westeros, with many people rushing to gain control, and a major conflict between the Hand of the King and the king’s son, which echoes the conflict that This City is Ours has set up.

This City Is Ours Is One Of Sean Bean’s Best TV Shows In Years

The main characters in This City is Ours

Since Game of Thrones, Sean Bean has starred in some critically-acclaimed shows, most of which have been as gritty and brutal as This City is Ours. He gave a fantastic and multilayered performance as a guilt-ridden teacher in the hard-hitting prison drama, Time, a veteran with PTSD in the war drama, World on Fire, and a traumatized priest in Broken.

His best-known TV role since Game of Thrones is arguably that of Mr. Wilson, the antagonist in Snowpiercer, but his role in Robin Hood is also notable for flipping Ned Stark’s character. That said, This City is Ours is Sean Bean’s best TV show in years, with a 93% positive audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes and reviews that praised the acting from the entire cast.

This City is Ours is the perfect show to watch if you liked Gangs of London, as it shares a similar tone and stars actors who regularly appear in violent crime dramas. Both Jack McMullen (Jamie) and James Nelson-Joyce (Michael) were Bean’s co-stars in Time, and Hannah Onslow, who plays Michael’s partner, Diana, stars in the dark hospital drama, This Is Going to Hurt.

The show is getting a second season, which will escalate the war within the crime family. Nelson-Joyce teased what is coming next in an interview with Radio Times, saying that new cast member Shaun Evans (Endeavour) “brings a bit of villainy to the show.” With the drama set to grow, now is the perfect time to start watching This City is Ours.

Source: Radio Times