Rapid Insights: ‘MobLand’ Blends Prestige Talent With Classic Gangland Tropes

Does this new crime drama appeal to the typical Paramount+ audience? 
Largely yes. With a viewership that skews heavily to men (68%) and those aged 30+ (72%), MobLand hits the same sweet-spot audience quadrant as the bulk of the streamer’s most popular recent dramas, including Tulsa King, Mayor of Kingstown, Landman, Lawmen: Bass Reeves, 1923, The Offer, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (all 60-71% men, 72-78% 30+). (A major exception is the just-released Happy Face, which pulls in 60% women.)

What’s the show’s big draw? 
Its mafia trappings. MobLand’s deep focus on the high-stakes and very dangerous criminal underworld inhabited by its characters is acting as an irresistible pull for viewers curious to see Guy Ritchie’s version of The Godfather. Criminal Masterminds (130) Conrad and Maeve Harrigan, the power couple leading the family syndicate (Criminal Organization, 160) that dominates the London gun and drugs scene (Committing a Crime, 138), set the stage for a gripping saga of life-or-death loyalty and ruthless retribution.

What about Tom Hardy’s character? 
He gooses the ratings. Fixer Harry Da Souza is actually MobLand’s protagonist, with the events largely unfolding around his role as the Harrigans’ extremely effective problem solver. Though not related by blood, he is the family’s prized Protector & Guardian (128), for whom brutal Action & Violence (128) comes easy when taking care of business. Though prone to taking Vengeance (119) when friend or foe crosses the line, his role when the show opens is actually one of peacemaker (Tranquility, 118), working to quell the flames of war as enmity builds with rival clan the Stevensons. Da Souza leans right into the show’s top crime-related ratings drivers while adding a few of his own.

How does the show’s online situation look? 
Incredible. After the early March trailer drop spiked social buzz to the very top of our meter (at 160), the pilot’s premiere repeated the performance, and the series has sustained that “outstanding” level of online activity ever since. Viewers are responding to the High Stakes (112) and Scary Situations (112) that are built into the life of a successful mafia family.

What will help push the show into a second season? 
Its focus on a Multigenerational Family (111). In addition to Conrad and Maeve, MobLand’s central clan includes several Harrigan children and grandchildren, all of whom exhibit varying levels of suitability for the violent and ruthless family business (Crime Family, 133). The Harrigans’ interfamilial dynamics, as well as their tumultuous reign over London’s criminal underworld (British Culture, 123), drive the story engine that will keep viewers coming back for future seasons.