Top Boy

It must have been over 6 months since I last wrote a Movie or TvShow review. You can imagine that my watchlist is now packed with a bunch of stuff that will be up for a review. From that same list comes the TvShow I selected for this review.

Title: Top Boy.

Theme: Crime, Action, Family.

Season: 5

Country: British

Duration: 2011 - 2023

Top Boy as a show is raw, realistic, and a really exciting show to dig into. It also helps if you are a big fan of the British Mandem slangs. I know I vibe with that and that's particularly the reason I even decided to start watching this.

This Deserves More Attention.

Just for the record, I only heard about this show recently. Prior to that, I never got a sniff of anything that has to do with it. That's either because I'm not well informed about TvShows or the show is insanely underrated. I sure know my TvShows. So, the latter gotta be the answer.

With that said, this show deserves a shitload of attention. Everything you want in a raw street-life crime story is fully highlighted in this TvShow. However, don't just jump in for the sake of watching a TvShow. If your heart isn't built for the chaos, I strongly suggest you sit this out.

Yeah!

Your favorite characters will get smoked and you will surely crash out.
Kids will get used, deceived, and even smoked up.
A bunch of tough and emotional social issues were highlighted without sugarcoating anything.

About The Show;

TOP BOY is majorly centered around two drug dealers, Dushane and Sully. We started off by watching their struggle to survive in the shit hole of Summerhouse estate and the decisions they had to make as they try to move up the ladder.

They both started off as friends and built several ties on their journey. However, there were several distasteful moments of betrayal as the story evolved and it didn't take long for viewers to realize that a series of tragedies are lined up on this show.

In reality, we all know that there's rarely a happy ending for anyone that gets into the shit show of the criminal underworld.

Having someone like Sully who strikes impulsively whenever he senses betrayal was a really smart move by the writer. Characters like him made it possible for this show to mirror the reality of being involved with crimes.

The Side Characters Are Lit Too.

This is where the killing-off of characters get tough for viewers. Each season of the show, we get a bunch of new and exciting characters. A lot of those characters could easily get a spinoff show of their own and I will dig it.

Real talk!

Jamie, Jacq, Ra'Nell, Stefan, Modie, Gem, Jermaine, etc. Those are just a few of the side characters who I would happily clock in to watch in a TOP BOY spin-off show.

Each Season Got Better;

Since I just watched this recently, I had the pleasure of watching the entire 5 seasons at my own pace without waiting for years for a new release. It was very easy to notice how each season got better and a lot more money was spent cinematically.

I did a little digging and realized that the show got backing from Netflix and Drake from 2019. The impact of that backing was significant in the revival and expansion of the show in latter seasons.

The above trailer will give you a graphic snippet about what to expect in this show. Check it out and enjoy.

Thanks For Not Missing Any Full-stop or Comma. _{Trailer is taken from YouTube.
All attached pictures are taken from IMBD}

[Image source](https://otakukart.com/top-boy-season-4-release-date-revealed-dushane-is-unrivaled-and-making-more-money-than-ever/)

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I am a big sucker for crime and drama television, especially when it is a true life story. It feels like a dive into reality; people's reality. I have not had the luxury of seeing my favorite TV shows for a while. Work has not given me that luxury, and it seems more and more pointless to retain my Netflix account. Still, I managed to make out time to see the whole of season one of Top Boy, and Wow. I had earlier watched a movie on it a few months ago, and even reviewed, so when I saw a series, I was much interested.

ABOUT

The show is about two friends who run a drug empire on the streets of London. They rise up to the top and then fell off bad. One of them went to jail, while the other disappeared to Jamaica with nothing. Eventually, the one in prison was released and the other came back to London from Jamaica because he was owing a drug lord. Then up again they rose, resurrecting the drug empire, but this time another young man stood in there way.

It is a series so I don't think I can give too much spoilers, lol. The show aired in local Tv some time ago, but was halted for some reason. Drake was a big fan of the show, so he bought rights for the show to continue. I have seen season one on Netflix, and I can't wait to get into the second. There is always lessons to take from these type of shows, its why I enjoy them. One of the episodes was titled "we all got family". That is a hard hitting truth, because it reminds you that whatever you get into, could also affect your family. In the show, it was typical for the "shooters" (drug sellers) to try to get back at each other, and the family of their enemy was an easy target. That really made me wonder, Is there a gain in a life of crime? It felt like an endless rollercoaster. Back and forth, never ending fight. One time, one of the lads said, "We have always gone to war, and we have always won, but what if it is our time to lose"?

STREAM OR SKIP

With all the high praises I have been giving the show, it is an easy stream. The drama, is explosive, the emotional turbulence is one to leave you glued to your screen. In a time where Netflix is full of crap, this show is a beacon of light. I know that is a lot of praise, but trust me, it checks every box for its genre. The acting, the drama, the story, everything was stellar. The show also pointed out some underlying political issues in a subtle way, brilliant. A real action packed thriller. I would rate this a nine out of ten. For sure this type of thing is subjective, but generally speaking, I do believe this was a well done TV show.

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Well, thank you for reading. Do check it out, and if you have, tell me what you think. Cheers

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