Don't Miss 'A Thousand Blows' Twice

Hulu’s first season of A Thousand Blows was incredible when it debuted in early 2025, a tour de force historical series, co-starring Stephen Graham and Erin Doherty, best known for their other hit from the same year, Adolescence. Unfortunately, the timing (arriving just before the Netflix series broke big) meant it mostly slid under the radar, failing to capture the following of Peaky Blinders, a similarly set show from the same creator (Steven Knight). If you are only just hearing about it now that Season 2 dropped the same weekend Adolescence swept the Golden Globes, it’s worth your time to devour both seasons.

The 1880s-era drama takes us to London, mainly its hardscrabble East End, navigating the imagined lives of historical figures Hezekiah Moscow (Malachi Kirby), Mary Carr (Doherty), and Henry “Sugar” Goodson (Graham). With a split focus on Mary’s enterprises and Hezekiah’s boxing, both are equally riveting. Each season features a grand heist orchestrated by Mary: the first, a daring raid of the Queen’s silver; the second, a scheme to steal a Caravaggio painting.

This show’s standout character is Mary, “queen” of the Forty Elephants, a gang of female thieves. Proto-feminist Mary refuses to accept the subordinate position she’s been handed, declaring, “I am sick of everyone taking life lying down!” She’s ambitious, setting her sights on increasingly larger, riskier targets than the pickpocketing and smash-and-grab jobs that are her gang’s bread and butter. She wants to thrive, not just survive. A consummate plotter, she tells her crew that real money doesn’t come from the bottom of a man’s pocket; it’s time to target the upper crust.

Those who saw Doherty in her award-winning role in Adolescence know about her quiet power. But in the world of A Thousand Blows, she is loud – in presence, performance, and sometimes in wardrobe. Mary has a talent for blending when she needs to, or drawing all the attention in the room. Doherty’s dazzling portrayal mixes strength, charm, and vulnerability. It’s pure joy watching Mary take control as she looks convention in the face and spits on it.

After some world-class wallet liberation, the first high-stakes job where we see Mary and her Elephants in action is the robbery of a fancy department store. It’s a bold, quick affair with the ladies donning brass knuckles and smashing display cases for the valuables, then absconding in a get-away carriage. Mary’s leadership is tough but fair, and she values her crew. Her relationship to East End criminal kingpin Indigo Jeremy (Robert Glenister) and his Elephant Boys is a little vague – she seems to feel she’s independent, while Indigo disagrees. By the second season, Mary is aiming to get out from under his thumb and take the reins for herself.

Over on the men’s side, Hezekiah and his best friend Alec (Francis Lovehall) are the beating heart of the first season. With tragic backstories yet indomitable spirits, Hezekiah is earnest and curious, and Alec is upbeat and encouraging. They came to London from Jamaica, with Hezekiah promised a job as a lion tamer, which didn’t pan out. When racism sees them refused lodging all over London and they have no job prospects, they soon find themselves desperate for money and shelter. A foray into the East End’s bare-knuckle boxing matches puts them in conflict with Sugar, who runs fights from his pub with his brother Treacle (James Nelson-Joyce).

As Sugar, Graham is dangerous, hot-headed, and emotion-driven. He’s not above fighting dirty, but he becomes obsessed with Hezekiah’s clearly superior form and skill when Sugar has to cheat to win a match against him. Watching the two men square off in the ring is like seeing an angry bear challenge a cheetah: a lumbering powerhouse versus a swift and precise rival. Sugar vows to kill Hezekiah in a “fair” fight, prompting Mary to intervene – she’s decided she needs Hezekiah for her heist.

Delaying their rematch gives Mary the chance to bring Hezekiah into high society, where she cosplays under a false identity and has many connections. She gets him into the exclusive pugilist clubs, where gentlemen wear gloves and don’t beat each other to bloody pulps. At first dismissed as a “savage,” Hezekiah uses his opponents’ underestimation to win bout after bout, quickly gaining respect and notoriety.

Season 1 presents a spectacularly vivid slice of life for our three mains, exploring the different ways they navigate class and expectations. But it admittedly ends on a bleak note, with everyone in miserable straits. Happily, A Thousand Blows’ sophomore season is much more optimistic. It picks up its battered characters, dusts them off, and leaves everyone with a fighting chance – and some with shiny new beginnings.

Mary enters Season 2 with renewed resolve and a plan to get the band back together. When she steps out of a carriage and back onscreen, it’s a revelation. In a different genre, there would have been an applause track. She brings in an American associate to help with her plot: another real-life con artist, Sophie Lyons (Catherine McCormack). Sophie is highly successful and a skilled mesmerist, literally hypnotizing people and bending them to her will.

The second season also steps up its fashion game with Sophie’s arrival: the woman is stylish, and the costume designers ramp up Mary’s outfits correspondingly. Late in the season, Hezekiah is gifted with a fancy new suit, so it’s a sartorial success all around.

Creator Stephen Knight wants this to become his next franchise. The characters are certainly strong enough, and the stories are deeply engaging. With only six episodes per season, A Thousand Blows is an easy binge that could persist as a continuing saga with audience support. For those looking for their next costume drama, it’s worth checking out.

Both seasons of A Thousand Blows are available to stream on Hulu/Disney+ in the U.S. and on Disney+ internationally.