My track record with television is spotty at best. I have a real problem trying to keep up with TV shows, which is part of the reason why I’ve never watched really popular series like Game of Thrones - because at this point there are just far too many episodes for me to catch up on. Shows like Sherlock which only release a thimbleful of episodes every 2 - 3 years are perfect for the attention span-challenged like me… but more on that tomorrow.

Most recently I did manage to finish the first (and thus far only) season of Westworld on time, so in the interest of keeping up my streak I watched the pilot of BBC’s new series Taboo tonight shortly after its premiere. It stars - among others - Tom Hardy, Oona Chaplin, and the always delightful Jonathan Pryce.

Honestly, I’m liking what I’ve seen so far. I had been feeling some trepidation as some of the reviews I’d read a few days ago had been less than stellar, and I sat through five episodes of ITV’s Victoria last year solely for Jenna Coleman before deciding I couldn’t handle murdering my brain any further, but this proved not to be your average period drama.

Its aesthetic definitely owes more to Sweeney Todd rather than Jane Austen novels, as much of the pilot takes place in the seedy backalleys and backrooms of London circa 1814. Prostitutes pop up frequently, including one played by Franka Potente who I was really happy to see acting in things (English-language things, rather) again. I personally can’t stand the traditional ‘corset-ripping’ soap operas that one normally thinks of when talking about British period dramas, so I was quite pleased upon realizing that Taboo leans towards the natural and gritty aesthetic of, say, The Revenant.

I should add that I fucking hate using the word gritty to describe film or television, as it’s used so often on reddit to the point that it’s lost all serious intent, but I honestly couldn’t think of a better adjective to describe what goes on in this show. Hardy plays your standard mysterious man with a mysterious past, here named James Delaney, who reappears in London for his father’s funeral to the surprise of many as Delaney was presumed dead several years ago. As the episode unfolds, we learn that Delaney was left a substantial piece of land in what is now British Columbia, which is highly prized by the East India Company because (due to the War of 1812 and the impending border creation at the 49th parallel) it stands to be the UK’s best chance at opening a direct trade route with China from North America.

The story, or the breadcrumbs of a story that have been laid out so far, are probably the most intriguing thing so far for me about this show. Hardy does a competent job but he does seem to be partially reprising his character from The Revenant, in crazy mumbling voice if not in personality. He also has the thankless job of having to say some seriously meme-worthy lines, as when he tells Potente’s earnest hooker character that if she “brings him 12 men, [she will] get 12 pairs of testicles back” in a semi-threatening tone. Jonathan Pryce, as an official with the East India Company who is after the land that Delaney has inherited, is far more fun to watch - he pours three cups of tea in his very first scene and they all end up being for him and not for any of the half-dozen men sitting at the same table. Now that’s a fucking character moment. Oona Chaplin rounds out the primary cast as Delaney’s half-sister, whose husband is also after that piece of land in Canada. I knew her primarily from The Hour and she does alright here but time will tell if she proves to be a key player in this show.

I’ll be watching next week to see if the show delivers on any of the tantalizing tidbits it laid down in the pilot. For now it seems poised to be an edgier period drama than most with a decidedly unBritish focus - and that alone should prove for some decent television.