'This City Is Ours' Lands Season 2, Still Has No U.S. Premiere

Entertainment is a political business. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something. Every TV series and movie released into the world is a product of not just someone's imagination (and a whole lot of hard work from artists), but is a testament to the social mores and beliefs of its era. From thousands of hours of historical dramas starring only white actors giving viewers a biased picture of the past, to series like Mr. Bates vs the Post Office, which sparked a government investigation, the real world has a massive effect on what we watch. Nowhere is that more prevalent right now than the sudden spate of U.K. shows, like This City Is Ours, failing to get American distribution.

Recently renewed for a second season, This City Is Ours's first season stars Sean Bean (Game of Thrones), a massive draw on both sides of the pond. The man who is famous for being killed off early and often in his roles should have no problem getting a show scooped up by an American streaming service, especially in a star-studded series that features multiple actors Americans know and love, set in a gangland version of Liverpool. U.S. viewers love organized crime shows! From great stuff like Peaky Blinders to far lesser fare like MobLand, viewers tune in in droves. So what is preventing a series that includes multiple stars from recent U.K. hits from crossing the pond?

(The ensemble includes James Nelson-Joyce and Darci Shaw from A Thousand Blows, Saoirse-Monica Jackson from Derry Girls, etc.)