After an eight-year wait, whispers have finally become reality: Taboo is back.
Premiering this week on BBC and FX, Taboo: Season 2 marks the long-anticipated return of Tom Hardy as the brooding, enigmatic James Delaney — a man as feared as he is mysterious. Created by Steven Knight, Tom Hardy, and his father Chips Hardy, the series dives even deeper into the fog-drenched world of 19th-century political corruption, betrayal, and occult power.
And the result? A masterclass in atmosphere, performance, and unapologetic storytelling.
Season 1 ended with Delaney and his ragtag band escaping British shores, sailing toward the mysterious land of Nootka Sound with a gunpowder-soaked vengeance. Season 2 picks up in 1816, with Delaney arriving in the wild, lawless American frontier — but don’t expect Western tropes. Instead, the show plunges into a world ruled by secret societies, Indigenous alliances, and the rising influence of the East India Company’s American competitors.
As Delaney begins to build his “league of the damned,” he becomes both a hunted man and a political player, navigating the brutal underworld of early 19th-century Boston, Washington D.C., and the shores of British Columbia. And yes — the violence, intrigue, and madness are all intact.
Tom Hardy’s performance remains the beating heart of Taboo. He growls, broods, whispers, and erupts with a terrifying physicality, reminding us why this is one of his most iconic roles. His James Delaney is still a walking paradox: a savage philosopher, a criminal with a conscience, and a man haunted by visions, sins, and family secrets.
This season explores more of Delaney’s past — particularly his time in Africa and his deeper connection to tribal mysticism — while building his future as something resembling a kingpin or warlord. In many ways, he is becoming what the British Empire fears most: a man they cannot control.
With an increased budget and an expanded international cast, Season 2 feels more cinematic. The production design is immaculate — from grimy Boston docks to candlelit war councils in underground taverns. The atmosphere remains signature Taboo: muddy, muted, and intoxicatingly grim.
New faces include Rebecca Ferguson as a ruthless American intelligence officer with her own agenda, and Michael Greyeyes as a powerful Indigenous leader who may either align with or destroy Delaney’s cause. Meanwhile, familiar characters like Lorna Bow (Jessie Buckley) and Atticus (Stephen Graham) continue to grow, adding emotional depth to Delaney’s bloody rise.
Critics and fans alike are already praising the new season. Empire Magazine calls it “an operatic fever dream of vengeance and power,” while The Guardian hails it as “a rare sequel that deepens and darkens everything that came before.”
With whispers of a third and final season already in the works, Taboo: Season 2 isn’t just a return — it’s a reckoning.
