Netflix spy thriller Black Doves has been a hit with most viewers since it dropped before Christmas. But there’s a gangland drama on ITVX some say is much “better”, although it’s “not for the faint-hearted”
TV
Emilia Randall Freelance journalist
13:54, 08 Jan 2025
Love/Hate was first released back in 2010(Image: (C) COPYRIGHT ITV PLC (ITV GLOBAL ENTERTAINMENT LTD))
If you’re battling with an adrenaline shadow after finishing Netflix show Black Doves and want to find your next series after Keira Knightly’s stellar spy performance, a “dark, intense” gangland drama could be next on your hit list.
Although the series won a flurry of awards, people seem to have forgotten about this “incredible” crime series. Viewers are hailing the programme as superior to Black Doves, as it clinches a 100% popcorn rating on Rotten Tomatoes with one X user saying “every episode is gripping.”
One fan said on X: “Black Doves is rubbish. Day of the Jackal is good. Have you watched Love/Hate, it was made before Kin, every episode is gripping”
Misfits star Robert Sheehan plays the lead, Darren Treacy, who returns to Dublin from Spain after dodging the police for gun possession, is forced to join the city’s criminal underworld. Sheehan is joined by a stacked cast including Game Of Thrones’ Aidan Gillan who plays John Boy Power and Hollyoaks’ Susan Loughnane.
Keira Knightley stars in Netflix show Black Doves, but there could be a “better” drama to binge(Image: Ludovic Robert/Netflix)READ MORE: Gavin and Stacey predicted high-profile sex scandal with brutal Nessa joke 15 years agoREAD MORE: Premier League star found out he was royalty by strange twist of fate – now he’s a prince
Darren is awaiting his brother Robbie outside prison when on his release Robbie is shot. The drive-by shooting plunges Darren into a web of cataclysmic events that cement him a life of crime that one viewer said is “not for the faint hearted.” We follow him as he grapples with the rise and fall of tensions with his drug gang among the drug gang, and attempts to keep his family safe.
One viewer said on Rotten Tomatoes that the series is a “dark, intense portrayal of the Dublin underworld” with”superb acting” and a “fast paced, gritty” plot that’s “not for the faint hearted.”
They added that the show, first released in 2010, “says it like it is” and “shows that with all the Hollywood glitz and glamour, blockbuster films and series there is still bleak, streetwise, cold reality of life that can sometimes easily surpass” us. “End of your seat stuff that pulls no punches, absolute brilliant series,” they said, adding they were “sad when it ended.”
Love/Hate gives a stark portrayal of Dublin’s underbelly(Image: Channel 5 )
Another viewer took to X to urge people to watch the underrated series, with another fan saying he “started watching Irish crime drama Love/Hate.” He said: “I was on the fence until the ‘wedding scene’ but now I’m all in after seeing the mural to Hughie. Just incredible.”
Created by Stuart Carolan the series gained critical success scooping up a multitude of awards for each series at the Irish Film& Television Awards The first series saw Stuart Carolan win Best Writer for TV. The second series also topped the TV nominations with seven awards including Best Drama, Best Director for David Caffre, Aidan Gillen, Tom Vaughan-Lawlon, Denise McCormack, Charlie Murphy and Susan Loughnane all also won awards for their acting in the series.
Originally broadcast on RTÉ in 2010, the series is now available to watch for free in the UK on ITVX, ITV’s streaming service.
- All five series are now available to watch on ITVX.