‘Exceptionally good’ Netflix crime thriller is a must-watch for Breaking Bad fans
Netflix viewers looking for another tense crime drama after Breaking Bad may want to give Legends a try. Set in 1990s Britain and inspired by a real, previously little-known investigation, the six-part thriller follows ordinary customs officers as they take on one of the most dangerous assignments of their careers: infiltrating major drug gangs from the inside.
Created and written by Neil Forsyth, the series arrived on Netflix on May 7, 2026. It stars Tom Burke, Steve Coogan, Tom Hughes, Aml Ameen and Hayley Squires, and has already attracted strong reviews from both critics and viewers.
A dangerous undercover mission
The story takes place in the early 1990s, when Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise was struggling to stop illegal drugs from entering Britain.
With drug deaths rising and conventional efforts failing to contain the problem, the government turned to an unusual solution. A small group of customs officers were recruited for a highly confidential operation and given entirely new identities.
Their mission was to infiltrate some of Britain’s most notorious criminal organisations and gather information from within.
The catch was that these recruits were not experienced spies or highly trained undercover agents. They were ordinary customs employees being asked to operate in an environment where a single mistake could expose their identities and put their lives at risk. Netflix describes the story as being inspired by an untold true story.
That premise gives Legends much of its tension. The characters have to learn how to operate among criminals while keeping their real identities hidden, often with limited resources and little room for error.
A cast led by Tom Burke and Steve Coogan
Tom Burke leads the cast as Guy, while Steve Coogan plays Don. Hayley Squires appears as Kate, Tom Hughes plays Carter and Aml Ameen portrays Bailey. The wider ensemble includes Jasmine Blackborow, Douglas Hodge, Johnny Harris, Alex Jennings, Con O’Neill and Gerald Kyd as Mylonas.
The characters are given different personal reasons for taking part in the operation, adding another layer to the story beyond the central investigation.
For one character, the motivation is particularly personal: she is a Northern woman who has witnessed the damage caused by drugs in her own community.
Those individual motivations help give the undercover team a stronger sense of purpose while also creating different perspectives on the mission.
The pressure of staying undercover
The operation quickly becomes more complicated than simply gathering evidence.
The customs officers find themselves operating far outside their normal experience, surrounded by people who have every reason to distrust outsiders. Maintaining a believable cover becomes as important as the investigation itself.
Netflix’s episode descriptions show the operation escalating across the six episodes. Guy’s cover comes under pressure, while the team in Liverpool follows leads connected to a suspicious bakery. Later, a volatile alliance places Guy in the middle of a high-risk smuggling deal, while tensions and paranoia begin to spread through both criminal organisations.
By the final episode, betrayal, distrust and ambition threaten to derail the entire operation as the team attempts to prevent an unprecedented heroin shipment from reaching Britain.
That progression gives the series a steadily tightening sense of danger rather than relying solely on individual action sequences.
Viewers have praised its realism and performances
The response from viewers has been particularly positive.
One Rotten Tomatoes audience review described the series as exceptionally good and praised the way the script quickly establishes its intrigue without rushing through the details viewers need to understand the story.
Another viewer highlighted the period atmosphere, praising the characters as well as the music, clothing and overall style for evoking the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The performances have also drawn attention. One viewer singled out Gerald Kyd’s portrayal of Mylonas, describing the performance as outstanding and the series as highly watchable and binge-worthy.
The critical response has been similarly strong. Rotten Tomatoes currently lists the first season at 97% from 34 critic reviews, alongside an 84% audience score from more than 250 ratings.
Six episodes make it easy to binge
Legends consists of six episodes, released on Netflix on May 7, 2026.
The episodes range from 48 minutes to 1 hour and 14 minutes, giving viewers a compact season that can be watched over a weekend.
The series also comes from Neil Forsyth, the creator of The Gold and Guilt. Brady Hood directed the first four episodes, while Julian Holmes directed the final two.
For anyone drawn to crime stories involving undercover operations, organised drug trafficking and characters forced to live double lives, Legends offers a distinctly British take on the genre.
Season 2 is on the way
There is also more to come. A second series was confirmed in August 2026, although an official release date has not yet been announced. Filming is scheduled to begin in 2027.
For now, all six episodes of Legends are available to stream exclusively on Netflix.