Netflix has thrown its hat into the ring of prestige family dramas with the release of House of Guinness, a sweeping period piece set against the backdrop of 19th-century Ireland and New York. Premiering globally on September 25, 2025, this eight-episode series brings to life the legendary Guinness brewery dynasty, and early reviews suggest it might just be the streaming giant’s answer to HBO’s Succession.
Created by Steven Knight—famed for his work on Peaky Blinders—House of Guinness wastes no time plunging viewers into the chaos that follows the death of Sir Benjamin Guinness, the formidable patriarch who built the family’s brewing empire. The story centers on his four adult children: Arthur, Edward, Anne, and Ben, each grappling with the burdens and temptations of sudden power. The stakes are clear from the outset: maintain the family’s dominance or risk losing everything their father built.
“It’s the extraordinary story of a family who happens to be the inheritors of the biggest brewery in the world,” Knight told Netflix, as reported by Radio Times. “They’re young and are given the task of taking on this incredibly successful brand. The first priority is: Don’t screw it up. And the second priority is to make Guinness even bigger.”
The cast is a veritable showcase of rising UK talent. Anthony Boyle takes on the role of Arthur Guinness, a character described by The Guardian as selfish, politically ambitious, and living with the ever-present threat of exposure due to his homosexuality—a dangerous secret in conservative Victorian society. Louis Partridge portrays Edward, whose pragmatism masks a deep-seated idealism, while Emily Fairn’s Anne brings both intelligence and emotional depth, despite being overlooked by her family and, at times, the drama itself. Fionn O’Shea rounds out the siblings as Ben, the brother who has surrendered to vice and self-doubt.
James Norton’s Sean Rafferty, the ruthless manager of the Guinness factory, emerges as a scene-stealer. According to The Guardian, Rafferty is introduced “exhorting [workers] to crush an anti-Guinness street protest then leading the way himself, gleefully swinging a hunk of hard factory iron.” His violent, scheming presence adds a layer of menace to the already volatile family dynamic, making the show’s power struggles all the more gripping.
While the story unfolds in Dublin and New York, the production team made the bold choice to film across Northern England, including Liverpool and Manchester. As ELLE Magazine explains, these locations were selected for their period-appropriate Victorian architecture, which more authentically evokes 1860s Dublin than the modern city itself. This attention to historical detail, paired with minimal digital manipulation, gives the series an immersive, tactile feel that’s hard to fake.
One of the show’s most distinctive features is its soundtrack—a raucous blend of Irish punk and rock classics. Each episode boasts a curated list of tracks from artists like Fontaines D.C., Kneecap, Lankum, and Thin Lizzy, infusing the period drama with a contemporary energy. Nerdspin lauds the soundtrack as “full of Irish punk classics,” noting how it, along with the “young, attractive cast, and a flair for dramatic cinematography,” sets House of Guinness apart from more staid historical fare.
Critics have largely responded with enthusiasm. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series debuted with an 86% rating based on seven reviews. Collider called it a “breath of fresh air,” praising the “terrific cast” and the show’s ability to balance historical gravitas with modern sensibilities. Still, not everyone is convinced it hits the heights of Knight’s previous work. MundoCine offered a tempered endorsement, writing, “he falls a good step short of the excellence we’ve come to expect from him.” Film Stories was even less impressed, quipping that the drama “might be frothy, but it lacks the smoothness of a proper pint.” Yet with only one negative review so far, the consensus seems to be that House of Guinness is a worthy addition to Netflix’s growing roster of UK originals.
Comparisons to Succession are inevitable—and not just because both shows revolve around sibling rivalry and the perils of inheriting an empire. As The Guardian notes, “This isn’t Peaky Blinders, the Irish prequel. It’s 19th-century Dublin’s answer to Succession.” The show explores how privilege and tragedy can intertwine, making even the pampered lives of the wealthy a source of deep fascination and, at times, genuine empathy. The Guinness siblings are drawn as complex individuals, each with flaws and delusions that threaten to bring down the house their father built.
The show also doesn’t shy away from the broader social and historical context. Set less than two decades after the devastating potato famine, House of Guinness weaves Ireland’s yearning for freedom and the simmering tensions of the era into its narrative tapestry. This lends the series a richness that goes beyond family drama, offering a window into a nation on the brink of transformation.
The supporting cast is just as impressive, with James Norton, Niamh McCormack, Seamus O’Hara, Michael McElhatton, Dervla Kirwan, Michael Colgan, Danielle Galligan, David Wilmot, Jessica Reynolds, Hilda Fay, Ann Skelly, Elizabeth Dulau, and Jack Gleeson all making notable appearances. Each brings depth and nuance to a sprawling ensemble that never feels unwieldy.
All eight episodes are now available to stream worldwide, and with its mix of historical intrigue, modern music, and unflinching drama, House of Guinness is poised to become one of Netflix’s most talked-about original series this year. Whether it will inspire the same fervor—and imitators—as Peaky Blinders or Succession remains to be seen, but for now, it’s clear that Steven Knight has delivered another compelling saga of ambition, family, and the high price of legacy.
As viewers dive into the world of the Guinness dynasty, they’ll find a drama that’s as intoxicating as the drink that made the family famous—complex, bold, and impossible to ignore.
