Tom Hardy & Ridley Scott's Historical Action Thriller Taboo Returns As Streaming Hit

Published Nov 11, 2026, 12:09 PM EST

Grant Hermanns is a TV News Editor, Interview Host and Reviewer for ScreenRant, having joined the team in early 2021. He got his start in the industry with Moviepilot, followed by working at ComingSoon.net. When not indulging in his love of film/TV, Grant is making his way through his gaming backlog and exploring the world of Dungeons & Dragons with friends.

Tom Hardy is gradually taking over streaming with an underrated thriller.

After leading the charge on Sony's Venom franchise for their interconnected Spider-Man Universe, Hardy has been busy the past two years with the Guy Ritchie-produced crime drama MobLand, which is about to wrap up its season 2 run. Now, as Hardy gears up to begin production on season 3 of the hit Paramount+ series, one of Hardy's forgotten TV ventures is finding new life as a streaming hit.

Co-created by Steven Knight, Tom Hardy and his father Chips, Taboo was led by the Oscar nominee as adventurer and businessman James Delaney who, after being believed to be dead, returns to 19th century England to inherit the Nootka Sound trading outpost from his deceased father. As he uses the wealth he's amassed during his 12 years in Africa, Delaney becomes embroiled in a heated battle for the territory from the political and industry corruption of the East India Trading Company and Great Britain.

With an ensemble cast also including Leo Bill, Jesie Buckley, Oona Chaplin, Stephen Graham and Jonathan Pryce, among others, Taboo scored largely positive reviews from critics, with particular praise directed toward Hardy's performance and the dark period setting. FX was swift to give the historical thriller a season 2 renewal, which has since lingered in development limbo, and audiences are clearly still keen to dive into more of Delaney's story.

Hardy & Scott's Taboo Is Stirring Up Thrills On Apple TV

Now, nearly a decade after its first season came to a close on FX, Taboo is climbing its way back up streaming charts. Per FlixPatrol, Hardy's crime series, which was also executive produced by Ridley Scott, is finding success on Apple's VOD store in Australia and Canada, sitting in the No. 6 position on the former and No. 12 on the latter as of the time of writing.

Interestingly, this isn't the only time this year that Hardy's Taboo has found itself enjoying a streaming resurgence overseas. Going as far back as January 2026, the historical crime drama has made recurring appearances in Apple's VOD store, generally ranking in the Top 10 for a couple of weeks at a time before dipping back down. Its highest placement thus far has been on November 5, when it secured the No. 3 position on the streamer. In the U.S., the series is available to stream for free across multiple platforms, including The Roku Channel, Peacock, Pluto TV and Tubi, among others.

Will The Show Ever Return For Season 2?

When it made its way to the screen, there was a lot of anticipation riding on Taboo's premiere. Beyond it coming in the midst of Hardy's rise to mainstream stardom thanks to the likes of The Dark Knight Rises and Mad Max: Fury Road, the series notably marked a reunion between him and Knight after their work on Peaky Blinders, which garnered widespread acclaim.

Shortly after its premiere, Knight indicated that he was viewing Taboo as at least a three-season series, which FX took to initially move forward with as early as March 2017. However, the years since have seen these efforts move much slower, as Knight had six scripts ready in late 2021, only to indicate the following year that they still hadn't landed on a production start due to Hardy's busy schedule.

Though Hardy's schedule has remained plenty busy with Paramount+'s MobLand the past few years, that he's no longer attached to multiple blockbuster franchises the way he was in season 1, Taboo could very well have a smoother path to returning in the near future. Plus, with Knight's unique brand of crime drama still proving plenty popular with Netflix's House of Guinness entering season 2 and Disney+ and Hulu's A Thousand Blows, FX is sure to still be plenty invested in making it happen at some point.

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  James Keziah Delaney

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  David Hayman

  Brace

In the wake of his father's death in 1814, British businessman James Delaney returns to England, having spent the past twelve years in Africa. With little to his name, he sets about trying to reclaim his inheritance, against the gritty backdrop of 19th century London.