Kin is an Irish crime drama television series, co-created by Peter McKenna and Ciaran Donnelly, that was first broadcast on 9 September 2021 on RTÉ One. The series revolves around a fictional Dublin family embroiled in gangland war, and stars Aidan Gillen and Ciarán Hinds as rival gang leaders Frank Kinsella and Eamon Cunningham. It became one of the most-watched series in Ireland. A second series followed in 2023, with a third series confirmed in February 2025. The series was acquired by the BBC in 2023 and Netflix in 2024.
Background
The series was first announced in November 2020, with co-creator Peter McKenna set as showrunner and Diarmuid Goggins as director of the first four episodes.[1] Tessa Hoffe was later announced as director of episodes five to eight.[2]
Prior to the series' premiere, several news outlets stated the series was inspired by the Kinahan gang and the Hutch–Kinahan feud, and noted similarities to former RTE staple Love/Hate. A show "insider" stated that "This is not the Kinahans' story, but people can draw their own conclusions. Viewers will be able to make up their own mind about it."[3][4]
Cast
Main
- Charlie Cox as Michael ‘The Magician’ Kinsella, brother of Jimmy
- Clare Dunne as Amanda Kinsella, wife of Jimmy
- Aidan Gillen as Frank Kinsella
- Emmett J. Scanlan as Jimmy Kinsella
- Maria Doyle Kennedy as Bridget 'Birdy' Goggins, sister of Frank
- Sam Keeley as Eric 'Viking' Kinsella, son of Frank
- Yasmin Seky as Nikita Murphy, partner of Eric
- Ciarán Hinds as Eamon Cunningham (series 1)
- Francis Magee as Brendan Kinsella (series 2, guest series 1), father of Michael and Jimmy, brother of Frank and Birdy
- Danielle Galligan as Molly (series 2, guest series 1)
Supporting
- Hannah Adeogun as Anna Areoye
- Mark Mckenna Jr as Anthony Kinsella
- Keith McErlean as Con Doyle
- Ryan Lincoln as Isaac 'Kem' Kemela
- Ben Carolan as Glen Wright
- Shane Quigley Murphy as Dean Fearon
- Neill Fleming as Dotser Reid
- Thomas Kane-Byrne as Francis 'Fudge' Flynn
- Cian Fitzsimons as Jamie Kinsella
- Fiona Bell as Angela Cunningham
- Lloyd Cooney as Caolán Moore
- Stephen Jones as Noel Lawlor
- Denise McCormack as Jenny Lawlor
- Öykü Karayel as Nuray Batuk (series 2)
- Kenan Ece as Hamza (series 2)
Episodes
Series overview
| Series | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 8 | 12 September 2021 | 31 October 2021 | |
| 2 | 8 | 19 March 2023 | 7 May 2023 | |
Series 1 (2021)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [5] | Ireland viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Episode 1" | Diarmuid Goggins | Peter McKenna[6] | 12 September 2021 | N/A | |
|
A feud between local gang leaders Frank Kinsella and Eamon Cunningham is intensified when Frank's son Eric tries to take out one of Eamon's dealers, Caolan Moore, over a petty feud. | |||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Episode 2" | Diarmuid Goggins | Peter McKenna | 19 September 2021 | N/A | |
|
Reeling from the death in the family, the Kinsellas argue about whether or not they should retaliate, going against Frank who just struck a deal with Cunningham. | |||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Episode 3" | Diarmuid Goggins | Peter McKenna | 26 September 2021 | N/A | |
|
The day of the funeral arrives, and the Kinsellas decide to strike back at those who were ultimately responsible for the murder, but not everything goes to plan. | |||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Episode 4" | Diarmuid Goggins | Peter McKenna | 3 October 2021 | N/A | |
| 5 | 5 | "Episode 5" | Tessa Hoffe | Peter McKenna | 10 October 2021 | N/A | |
| 6 | 6 | "Episode 6" | Tessa Hoffe | Peter McKenna | 17 October 2021 | N/A | |
| 7 | 7 | "Episode 7" | Tessa Hoffe | Peter McKenna | 24 October 2021 | N/A | |
| 8 | 8 | "Episode 8" | Tessa Hoffe | Peter McKenna | 31 October 2021 | N/A | |
|
Amanda’s plan to take down Eamon comes into fruition. | |||||||
Series 2 (2023)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [5] | Ireland viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | "Episode 1" | Felix Thompson | Peter McKenna | 19 March 2023 | N/A |
| 10 | 2 | "Episode 2" | Felix Thompson | Peter McKenna | 26 March 2023 | N/A |
| 11 | 3 | "Episode 3" | Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor | Peter McKenna | 2 April 2023 | N/A |
| 12 | 4 | "Episode 4" | Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor | Peter McKenna | 9 April 2023 | N/A |
| 13 | 5 | "Episode 5" | Kate Dolan | Peter McKenna | 16 April 2023 | N/A |
| 14 | 6 | "Episode 6" | Kate Dolan | Peter McKenna | 22 April 2023 | N/A |
| 15 | 7 | "Episode 7" | Felix Thompson | Peter McKenna | 30 April 2023 | N/A |
| 16 | 8 | "Episode 8" | Felix Thompson | Peter McKenna | 7 May 2023 | N/A |
Release and reception
Kin aired on RTÉ in 2021, with the second season following in 2023.[7] The series quickly gained popularity in Ireland after premiering in 2021, as well as garnering praise from critics. Its ratings over broke records on both linear and streaming platforms, attracting more than four million lifetime streams by October 2023. The second season averaged a 40% audience share, and its finale was the most-watched programme of the year outside of sport.[8]
In February 2022, the series premiered in the United States and Canada on AMC+,[9] with Sundance Now premiering the series in the UK. A second series was announced on 10 February 2022, with production beginning in July.[10][11]
The series was acquired by the BBC and began showing on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on 18 November 2023.[12] The broadcaster also acquired the second series, which was shown on BBC One from 14 February 2024, with the whole series available on BBC iPlayer.[13]
All episodes of Season 1 started streaming on SBS on Demand in August 2023, Australian public broadcaster SBS Television's platform, before being broadcast on linear TV.[14] Both series were shown by SBS.[15]
Kin won an even larger international audience after becoming available on Netflix on 1 May 2024.[7]
The series was put on hold after season 2, after BRON Studios went bankrupt. Discussions were being held about a possible third season, but there had been no announcements by April 2024.[7] The Standard reported on 20 February 2025 that a third season of Kin had been officially confirmed in October 2024, with filming due to start in Dublin in 2025.[16]
Critical reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating of season 1, with an average rating of 7.0/10, based on 11 critic reviews in October 2024.[17]
Ed Power in The Irish Times called the show "RTÉ’s best drama in years".[18] Alex McLevy of The A.V. Club gave the series a B− and wrote: "It's simply an opportunity to watch some gifted actors do what they do, very well, with a story that glides along in entertaining but unoriginal manner."[19]
References
- ^ White, Peter (5 November 2020). "Aidan Gillen, Charlie Cox & Clare Dunne To Star In Irish TV Drama 'Kin' From Bron Studios, Headline Pictures & NENT Studios For RTÉ". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 6 November 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
- ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (18 February 2021). "AMC+ Acquires Trio Of Crime Dramas; AllBlk Greenlights Kaye Singleton's Biblical Drama Series 'Covenant'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
- ^ Brent, Harry. "RTÉ airing new drama inspired by 'notorious' Irish gangsters". The Irish Post.
- ^ Gallagher, Jim (10 January 2021). "RTE hoping new drama inspired by Kinahan mob will be as successful as Love/Hate". Irish Mirror.
- ^ a b "Kin – Listings". Next Episode. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- ^ RTÉ (20 August 2021). "A Dublin crime family goes to war in new drama Kin". RTÉ. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- ^ a b c McIntyre, Sarah (12 April 2024). "RTÉ crime drama KIN to reach bigger audience on Netflix". RTE.ie. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
- ^ "Kin to screen on BBC One following Irish success". RTE.ie. 27 October 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
- ^ "New Irish drama Kin set for global release". RTÉ.ie. 22 February 2021.
- ^ "'Kin': Charlie Cox's Crime Drama Renewed for Season 2 at AMC+". Collider. 10 February 2022.
- ^ Ravindran, Manori (8 July 2022). "Irish Crime Drama 'Kin,' From BRON Studios, Starts Production on Season 2 (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
- ^ "BBC acquires star studded Irish crime drama Kin". BBC Media Centre. BBC. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ "BBC to air second series of Kin". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "How to watch Kin season 1 in Australia". Flicks.com.au. 15 August 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
- ^ "Love, loyalty and monsters: crime drama 'Kin' returns". SBS What's On. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
- ^ Gregory, Elizabeth (20 February 2025). "Who is in the cast of Kin, the Irish crime drama starring Clare Dunne?". The Standard. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
- ^ "Kin: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
- ^ Power, Ed (3 October 2021). "Kin is slowly turning into RTÉ's best drama in years". The Irish Times. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
- ^ Alex McLevy (30 August 2021). "Daredevil himself, Charlie Cox, leads a stellar cast in by-the-numbers crime drama Kin". The A.V. Club.