Back in 2019, Netflix\u2019s Top Boy<\/a> was a soft reboot par excellence \u2013 reviving a series that Channel 4 had dropped rather unceremoniously six years prior, it recaptured much of what had made the original so great while also broadening the show\u2019s focus to have events play out on a larger, more international tapestry. It\u2019s no slight then to say that the latest batch of episodes, which land on the streaming platform on 18th March, provides more of the same.<\/p>\n Though it\u2019s been almost three years since the relaunch, the spectre of events from the previous season looms large over this new outing, with a myriad of storylines picking straight back up from where they left off and little concession given to anyone with a short memory who hasn\u2019t swotted up.<\/p>\n For those for whom a recap might prove useful: young upstart Jamie (Micheal Ward), who once looked set to overthrow drug kingpin Dushane (Ashley Walters), is now working for his nemesis under duress, though it\u2019s clear from the off he\u2019s not looking for this to be a permanent arrangement, while Dushane\u2019s old partner Sully (Kane Robinson) is looking to keep a low profile and escape the sins of his past, but efforts to make amends soon backfire and drag him back into the chaos.<\/p>\n More so than ever before, this season of Top Boy takes place on a global landscape, at points resembling one of Netflix<\/a>\u2018s Narcos offshoots as much as it does the original Channel 4 series. But with the previous season having laid the groundwork for this shift with its scenes set in Jamaica, the location-hopping doesn\u2019t feel as jarring as it once might have \u2013 instead, it feels like an organic expansion of the original, building out from the street-level criminality ongoing in East London to explore higher up the supply chain. As Dushane\u2019s ambitions grow, so naturally does the scope of the series.<\/p> It also helps that the core of what Top Boy is about hasn\u2019t really changed \u2013 series creator\/writer Ronan Bennett continues to spin an epic crime saga that weaves in and out of smaller, more personal stories, juggling a sizeable ensemble cast to deliver effective emotional beats for characters old and new. The new episodes touch on themes ranging from homophobia to gentrification, but all in a way that deftly spins out from the main narrative.<\/p>\n This new season also continues to play to the show\u2019s strengths as a generational tale: from the original show\u2019s Ra\u2019Nell to the reboot\u2019s Stefan (Araloyin Oshunremi), Top Boy has always found pathos, pain and humour in how it depicts its youngest characters and the way in which operating in this world impacts them. It\u2019s another detail that could\u2019ve been lost in any reboot but has happily remained a through-line across both versions of the show.<\/p>\n The other constant besides Bennett\u2019s skilful handling of his themes, his setting(s) and his characters has been the quality of performances on show. Walters remains charismatic as ever as Dushane, even as the character appears increasingly willing to sacrifice everything that once mattered to him to reach the top, while perhaps the show\u2019s secret weapon and certainly its most underrated performer is Robinson, whose portrayal of a broken Sully is nothing short of magnificent \u2013 in every scene, you can see, even feel, the pain behind his eyes.<\/p>\n Jasmine Jobson, who was nominated for a BAFTA in 2020 for her breakthrough role as Jaq, is no less impressive in her second outing as the character and benefits from getting to explore aspects of the character only briefly glimpsed in the previous season, as does Simbiatu Ajikawo \u2013 better known by her stage name Little Simz \u2013 as a figure from Shelley\u2019s past returns bearing a grudge.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Erin Kellyman \u2013 worlds away from her role as a super-powered terrorist in Marvel\u2019s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier<\/a> \u2013 is a perfect fit as Pebbles, a new character who brings big trouble to Sully\u2019s door, and though his character is on the backfoot for much of the season, Micheal Ward solidifies his rising star status with another magnetic turn as Jamie.<\/p>\n With its dense plotting and large cast of characters, Top Boy might occasionally threaten to topple but, like Dushane, it always ends up back on top \u2013 it\u2019s a show now unapologetically made for its loyal fanbase and they\u2019ll find much to enjoy in this latest chapter, which succeeds in building on 2019\u2019s launch to deliver the show\u2019s most blockbuster season yet, without sacrificing the heart and the grit which made the series sing when it first premiered more than a decade ago.<\/p>\n Top Boy debuts new episodes on Netflix on Friday, 18th March \u2013 check out our guide to the best series on Netflix<\/a>, or find something to watch with our TV Guide<\/a>. Visit our Drama<\/a> hub for more news, interviews and features.<\/strong><\/p>\n The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now \u2013\u00a0subscribe now<\/a>\u00a0to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, l<\/strong>isten to the\u00a0Radio Times podcast<\/a> with Jane Garvey.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/body><\/html>\n By Morgan Jeffery Published: Tuesday, 08 March 2022 at 12:00 am 4.0 out of 5 star rating Back in 2019, Netflix\u2019s Top Boy was a soft reboot par excellence \u2013 reviving a series that Channel 4 had dropped rather unceremoniously six years prior, it recaptured much of what had made the original so great while […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":11855,"template":"","categories":[1,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/03\/top-boy-season-4-review-on-storming-form-in-most-ambitious-season-yet.jpg",620,413,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/03\/top-boy-season-4-review-on-storming-form-in-most-ambitious-season-yet-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/03\/top-boy-season-4-review-on-storming-form-in-most-ambitious-season-yet-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/03\/top-boy-season-4-review-on-storming-form-in-most-ambitious-season-yet.jpg",620,413,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/03\/top-boy-season-4-review-on-storming-form-in-most-ambitious-season-yet.jpg",620,413,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/03\/top-boy-season-4-review-on-storming-form-in-most-ambitious-season-yet.jpg",620,413,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/03\/top-boy-season-4-review-on-storming-form-in-most-ambitious-season-yet.jpg",620,413,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Morgan Jeffery Published: Tuesday, 08 March 2022 at 12:00 am 4.0 out of 5 star rating Back in 2019, Netflix\u2019s Top Boy was a soft reboot par excellence \u2013 reviving a series that Channel 4 had dropped rather unceremoniously six years prior, it recaptured much of what had made the original so great while…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/11854"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\""Kane\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/03\/top-boy-fb28666.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"top-boy\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"