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Published Jan 31, 2026, 11:00 PM EST
Dhruv is a Lead Writer in Screen Rant's New TV division. He has been consistently contributing to the website for over two years and has written thousands of articles covering streaming trends, movie/TV analysis, and pop culture breakdowns.
Before Screen Rant, he was a Senior Writer for The Cinemaholic, covering everything from anime to television, from reality TV to movies.
After high school, he was on his way to become a Civil Engineer. However, he soon realized that writing was his true calling. As a result, he took a leap and never looked back.
Prime Video's upcoming crime thriller will not only serve as the perfect Sons of Anarchy replacement for Charlie Hunnam but also potentially become one of the biggest shows on the streaming service.
After Sons of Anarchy ended its run, Charlie Hunnam did not star in TV shows for quite some time before finally playing the lead in Apple TV's Shantaram. Netflix's recent hit, Monster: The Ed Gein Story, became his second show after Sons of Anarchy's conclusion. Soon Hunnam will also be seen in one of Prime Video's most anticipated crime thrillers, which is based on an acclaimed comic book series.
The crime thriller series in question is expected to premiere in 2026 and has the potential to give Hunnam his biggest TV hit since Sons of Anarchy.
Charlie Hunnam Is One Of The Leads In Prime Video’s Adaptation Of Criminal Comics
Prime Video is adapting Ed Brubaker's highly acclaimed Criminal comics. For the show's season 1, Charlie Hunnam has been cast to play the protagonist, Leo Patterson. Although Leo operates in the criminal world like Sons of Anarchy's Jax Teller, he is a subversion of Teller's tough guy persona. In the original comics, Leo is often referred to as a "coward" by other crooks because of how safe he plays during his heists.
His "flight" instinct during grave situations and ability to find a way to ensure his survival when things go downhill are mocked. However, his nature reflects something far deeper about his tainted relationship with his criminal father, who was his complete opposite.
Considering Charlie Hunnam's acting range in shows and movies like Monster, Sons of Anarchy, The Gentlemen, and The Last City of Z, he seems like the perfect casting choice for the show.
What Is Criminal About?
Prime Video's Criminal is expected to adapt two arcs, "Coward" and "Lawless" from the original comic book. While "Coward" shows how Leo Patterson finds himself in a heist gone wrong and struggles to deal with the aftermath while trying to survive the dangerous fallout of his own choices, “Lawless” shifts the focus to Tracy Lawless as he returns home seeking answers and revenge.
If the show's season 1 performs well, Prime Video's Criminal could expand into a bigger universe like the original comics and gradually walk viewers through the many interconnected stories of thieves, enforcers, and fugitives who inhabit the same morally skewed world.
Why Criminal Can Be Prime Video’s Next Big Crime Thriller
Apart from Charlie Hunnam, Criminal also stars Gus Halper, Emilia Clarke, Taylor Sele, John Hawkes, and Luke Evans, among others. The show's stellar cast alone promises that it will do justice to Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ gritty crime world from the comics. Interestingly, the original comics' author, Ed Brubaker, is also the show's co-showrunner, which promises it will stay faithful to the source material.
Since the original Criminal comics are incredibly compelling and have long been regarded as some of the finest modern noir stories in the medium, the series already has a strong foundation to become one of Prime Video’s most gripping crime dramas. Hopefully, it will not disappoint.
Criminal
Network Prime Video
Showrunner Ed Brubaker, Jordan Harper
Writers Ed Brubaker
English (US) ·