Season two of U.K. crime drama Gangs of London starts on AMC Plus November 17, when two episodes debut. The show details the international gang wars going on in modern-day London, and the battle for power when a gang boss is murdered.

A year after the death of Finn Wallace, who was played by Colm Meaney, the surviving Wallaces are scattered, the Dumanis are estranged, and ex-cop Elliott Finch, played by Sope Dirisu, is forced to work for the Investors. As the Investors look down on a city descending into mayhem, they decide to bring in reinforcements to restore control.

“Old favorites and new players fight back against the new order, forcing sworn enemies to work together and family members to betray each other,” said AMC Plus.

Paapa Essiedu, Lucian Msamati, Michelle Fairley and Orli Shuka are in the cast with Dirisu.

The series is international — there is the Albanian mafia, Pakistani drug dealers, Kurdish freedom fighters, a Georgian gangster and other dodgy global factions.

Gangs of London is created by Gareth Evans and partner Matt Flannery. Lead director for season two is Corin Hardy. We spoke with Hardy about season two, and season one. He called the reaction to the first season “fantastic.”

“It was really reaffirming and satisfying to get a perfect response for what we put out there,” Hardy said.

Alternately violent and elegant, the show was inspired by the Gangs of London video game, which Hardy likened to Grand Theft Auto. 

Hardy wore a t-shirt bearing the words “Don’t let them tell you that there are no monsters,” a Nick Cave line. Asked what’s at stake in season two, he replied, “what’s not at stake, that is the question. Everything is at stake.”

There’s an investigation into who killed Finn Wallace. There’s a fallout between the Wallaces and the Dumanis. The Georgian gangster is trying to get the gangs in line, without much luck. Hardy spoke of “new world order in London.”

Finch has been hired as an assassin. “He’s shed his responsibilities and his morals as a cop to work for the Investors on the wrong side,” said Hardy. “He’s been brought to London to aid in this spiraling situation, which brings the families back to London. And all hell breaks loose.”

Asked about his favorite scene in the new season, Hardy mentioned one in episode seven, set in a karaoke bar. He spoke of “the inventive nature of weaponry” —essentially using what is available to do some damage, such as, say, a mic stand.

Hardy spoke of a “musical journey” in the karaoke bar, with the likes of Dua Lipa, Britney Spears, Poison and The Outfield providing the soundtrack.

The show runs on Sky Atlantic in the U.K. Evans, Flannery and Hardy executive produce with Thomas Benski, Jane Featherstone, Tom Butterworth and Helen Gregory.

When AMC got on board for season two, Dan McDermott, AMC president of original programming and co-president of AMC Studios, called the series “a cinematic thrill ride that set screens ablaze with a stellar cast, elevated drama and epic storylines.”

Hardy said the new season looks into the challenge of having both family and power, and how the gangster life makes it exceedingly difficult to have both. He spoke of the London depicted in the show as a melting pot, and “the most corrupt city in the world.”

“It’s a look at what goes on behind those doors you don’t normally get to see behind,” added Hardy. ■

 AMC’s The Walking Dead: The World Beyond will usher in several new series, movies and specials debuting in the first few days of October.

The Walking Dead: The World Beyond debuts Oct. 4 and takes place several years after the zombie apocalypse that set the stage for the original The Walking Dead series, and follows the exploits of four young adults who have grown up in the midst of the world’s collapse. 

Also debuting on Oct. 4 is Showtime’s series The Good Lord Bird, based on the novel by James McBride.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting the week of Sept. 28 to Oct. 4 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

Sept. 30 -- The Boys in the Band (movie) -- Netflix

Sept. 30 -- The Glorias (drama) -- Prime Video

Sept. 30 -- South Park: The Pandemic Special (animated special) -- Comedy Central

Oct. 1 -- Code 404 (comedy) -- Peacock

Oct. 1 -- Gangs of London (drama) -- AMC Plus

Oct. 2 -- Dick Johnson is Dead (documentary) -- Netflix

Oct. 2 -- Kingdom of Silence (documentary) -- Showtime

Oct. 2 -- Monsterland (drama/horror) -- Hulu

Oct. 4 -- The Comedy Store (documentary) -- Showtime

AMC Thursday released the official trailer for its drama series Gangs of London, which premieres on the AMC Plus premium service.

The 10-episode series follows follows a turbulent power struggle between international gangs after the head of London's most powerful crime family is assassinated, according to AMC. 

Gangs of London stars Joe Cole (Peaky Blinders), Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù (Humans), Colm Meaney (Star Trek), Lucian Msamati (His Dark Materials) and Michelle Fairley (Game of Thrones).

AMC has already greenlit a second season of the series, which is produced by Pulse Films in association with Sister for Sky Studios.

AMC has greenlit a second season of its new drama series Soulmates prior to the show’s Oct. 5 premiere, AMC Networks’ Entertainment Group president of original programming Dan McDermott announced Friday during the network’s virtual TCA summer tour presentation.

The anthology series follows the personal ramifications of a test that unequivocally tells you who your soulmate is. The series is executive produced by Will Bridges (Black Mirror) and Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso).

“We were immediately drawn to the unique premise of Soulmates as it explores love and relationships from several touchpoints in a way that naturally feeds the zeitgeist, prompting conversations around human connection, relationships and happiness,” McDermott said in a statement. “These are stories and themes that resonate and feel almost timely given today’s climate in which so many of us feel disconnected or are coping with shifting relationship dynamics.”

In other AMC news, the network said it will debut its The Walking Dead spinoff The Walking Dead: World Beyond on Oct. 4. The network will also debut the sixth season of Fear the Walking Dead on Oct. 11.

AMC Networks’ streaming service AMC+ will premiere two series on Oct. 1 -- The Salisbury Poisonings and Gangs of London. Both drama series will eventually air on AMC in early 2021, according to the network. 

AMC and Sky have picked up a second season of Gangs of London. Season one ran this year in the U.K. and will debut on AMC in the fall. There are 10 episodes. 

Pulse Films and Sister produce the show, and AMC will co-produce season two. 

The show dives into “the hidden heart of the capital,” according to AMC. It tells the story of a city torn apart by the power struggles of the international gangs that control it, and the power vacuum that ensues when a crime boss is assassinated. Joe Cole, Sope Dirisu, Colm Meaney and Lucian Msamati are in the cast. Meaney plays Finn, who was the most powerful criminal in London until he’s assassinated. 

“Gangs of London is a cinematic thrill ride that set screens ablaze with a stellar cast, elevated drama and epic storylines, and we couldn’t be more excited to raise the pulse of our audiences with this explosive crime series,” said Dan McDermott, president of original programming for AMC and co-president of AMC Studios. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to partner with Sky Studios, Pulse Films and Sister to continue to push the boundaries on a bold new season of the series.”

Gareth Evans and Matt Flannery created the show. 

“Not only is Gangs of London Sky’s most binged premiere box-set this year, it’s the biggest original drama launch on Sky Atlantic of the past five years. It’s dark, dangerous and we are thrilled it is coming back for a second series,” said Zai Bennett, Sky UK’s managing director of content.