Criminal: Prime Video Reveals trailer for Crime Thriller Starring Charlie Hunnam and Emilia Clarke

Prime Video has unveiled the first teaser trailer for Criminal, a new crime thriller series based on the acclaimed, multi-award-winning graphic novels by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips.

Bringing together an impressive ensemble cast led by Charlie Hunnam, Emilia Clarke, Adria Arjona and Luke Evans, the upcoming series promises a gripping mix of family secrets, criminal underworlds, dangerous heists and tragic relationships.

Rather than following a single storyline, Criminal explores an interconnected universe of crime stories, with its first two instalments adapting separate graphic novel arcs.

The eight-episode launch will be split into two parts, with all four episodes of Criminal: Part One – Coward arriving on Prime Video on January 13, 2027. The story will continue with Criminal: Part Two – Lawless, which premieres on January 27, 2027.

The series will be available exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

What is Criminal about?

At the heart of Criminal are two childhood friends whose very different ambitions threaten to pull them deeper into a dangerous world.

Leo Patterson (Charlie Hunnam) is desperate to escape the criminal environment in which he was raised, while his best friend Ricky Lawless (Gus Halper) is determined to follow in the footsteps of his father, a legendary outlaw.

However, their attempts to navigate life outside the law become increasingly complicated when Ricky’s older brother, Tracy (Luke Evans), returns home after serving in the Army.

His arrival brings decades of painful family history back into the open, threatening to expose secrets that those around him would rather keep buried.

Also drawn into their lives are Greta (Adria Arjona), a sharp-tongued car thief with a history with Leo, and Mallory (Emilia Clarke), Ricky’s girlfriend, who is increasingly concerned about the lengths he will go to survive.

With armed confrontations, daring robberies and complicated romances ahead, the characters must confront the consequences of their choices.

But in a world where loyalty can be deadly and the past is never truly forgotten, will any of them manage to escape alive?

Criminal: Part One – Coward release date and story

The first four episodes, titled Coward, introduce viewers to Leo Patterson and his best friend Ricky Lawless.

Family secrets that have remained buried for decades begin to emerge as the two criminals find themselves haunted by a murder from their childhood.

When a heist goes disastrously wrong, they are forced to confront the past they have spent years trying to outrun.

As old wounds reopen and their lives become increasingly dangerous, the pair discover that some mistakes can never truly be left behind.

Criminal: Part Two – Lawless release date and story

The second instalment shifts its focus towards Tracy Lawless, Ricky’s older brother.

Twenty years earlier, Tracy chose military service over a prison sentence and never looked back. But when Ricky becomes involved with increasingly dangerous people, Tracy is forced to return to the criminal world he once escaped.

As he attempts to protect his younger brother, Tracy must confront his family’s troubled history and discover what it really means to carry the Lawless name.

The four-episode story promises another intense chapter in Criminal’s interconnected world.

Criminal cast: Who stars in the Prime Video series?

Criminal boasts a high-profile cast featuring several familiar faces from film and television.

Charlie Hunnam leads the series as Leo Patterson, alongside Adria Arjona as Greta, Luke Evans as Tracy Lawless and Emilia Clarke as Mallory.

Gus Halper plays Ricky Lawless, while the main cast also includes Richard Jenkins, Kadeem Hardison, John Hawkes and Logan Browning.

The recurring and guest cast features Michael Mando, Garrett Hedlund, Patrick J. Adams, Pat Healy, Taylor Selé, Aliyah Camacho, Marvin Jones III, Michael Xavier, Dominic Burgess, Chris Diamantopoulos, Lawrence Kao, Katie Stevens, John Pyper-Ferguson, Robert Lee Hart, Aina Brei’yon and Kyle Davis.

Who created Criminal?

The series is based on the bestselling graphic novels created by writer Ed Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips.

The original Criminal comics have received multiple Eisner Awards and are widely recognised for their interconnected crime stories, complex characters and distinctive approach to the crime genre.

Brubaker is also among the series’ executive producers, working alongside Sean Phillips, Philipp A. Barnett, Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, Jordan Harper, Sarah Carbiener, Dee Rees and Halley Gross.

Cortney Norris and Minhal Baig serve as co-executive producers.

Criminal is produced by Amazon MGM Studios, Basement Gang, Inc., Big Indie Pictures, Inc., Gowanus Projections, Inc. and Legendary Television Productions, Inc.

When and where can you watch Criminal?

Criminal will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories.

The release schedule is as follows:

January 13, 2027: Criminal: Part One – Coward (four episodes).
January 27, 2027: Criminal: Part Two – Lawless (four episodes).

With an acclaimed graphic novel series behind it, a star-studded cast and two interconnected crime stories, Criminal is shaping up to be an intriguing addition to Prime Video’s original drama line-up.

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