Netflix's 8-Part Crime Thriller With 100% RT Score Is One Of The Best On Any Streaming Platform

3 hours ago 11

Published Jun 14, 2026, 8:31 PM EDT

Memory Ngulube joined Screen Rant in April 2024 as part of the Movies and TV team. Since then, she has written for the Perennials and Streaming team, covering a wide range of topics from new releases to old movies and TV shows. Memory is currently a Classic TV writer.

Before joining Screen Rant, Memory was a freelance copywriter who specialized in email marketing and social media management. While she enjoyed her job, her true passion was always movies and TV.

When she isn’t writing for Screen Rant, Memory can be found reading, baking (which is one of her passions), or watching her favorite K-drama.

Netflix’s critically acclaimed eight-part crime thriller, boasting a rare and coveted 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, is one of the best TV shows from the genre on any streaming platform. The streamer has been building one of the most intriguing libraries with a wide selection of crime dramas, many of which sidestep the genre's overly formulaic storytelling. Netflix is also leading the charge in international crime dramas, with TV shows like Dept. Q, The Bridge, The Sinner, and Lupin becoming firm fan favorites.

Following Kenzo Mori (Takehiro Hira), a Japanese detective sent to London to investigate a crime with ties to the Yakuza, Netflix and the BBC's Giri/Haji is one of the streamer's best crime dramas. The series, set in both Tokyo and Japan, does something that very few crime dramas do. It balances Japan's culture with London’s ruthless business in a way that works, with neither ever overshadowing the other.

The series also features some of the boldest storytelling in any crime drama. It seamlessly shifts between live-action and animation, but rather than being off-putting, it adds new depth to a story that would have been much more boring without it. Giri/Haji is brutally violent, as expected of any show that’s about the Yakuza. Even so, it takes the time to linger in its quiet moments and lets emotions breathe, particularly when exploring the complicated relationship between Kenzo and his missing brother, Yuto (Yôsuke Kubozuka).

Giri/Haji currently holds a Certified Fresh 100% Rotten Tomatoes critics' score (based on 24 reviews) and an 88% audience score.

Granted, the Netflix crime thriller is quite dark, but it also revels in its humor, which is often sharp and witty. Giri/Haji is, more than anything, a story about family and everything that comes with being in a messy one. Kenzo’s journey to London is as much about duty as it is about his personal desire to find a brother he thought was long gone.

To say that the performances in the show are extraordinary is an understatement. Will Sharpe's charismatic and award-winning performance as Rodney Yamaguchi makes audiences care about him from the moment he appears on-screen, and Takehiro Hira perfectly captures Kenzo’s weariness, a great complement to Kelly Macdonald's (Line of Duty) fresh detective constable.

Does Giri/Haji Have A Second Season?

Following the critical acclaim of Giri/Haji season 1, it seemed like the series would return for a sophomore installment. While the end of Giri/Haji season 1 did, in many ways, feel complete, the show had more to give. The Netflix crime drama could have run for a long time, with each new season potentially exploring other international crimes. Unfortunately, Giri/Haji was cut short by Netflix and the BBC.

While Giri/Haji was hailed as one of the best TV shows of 2019, it didn’t amass a particularly massive viewership, even with its cult following. According to a joint decision from Netflix and the BBC, the series was put on the chopping block to make room for new dramas, an announcement that was met with outrage from fans (via RadioTimes). Giri/Haji didn’t have the best marketing, and few knew of its existence; as a result, the show's relatively small following wasn't enough to justify its cross-continent price tag.

To this day, it's a shame that Giri/Haji was canceled, especially because of the reason the networks gave for why it couldn’t continue. The show’s creator and writer, Joe Barton, had already devised plans for the sophomore installment of the series, which would have focused on fan favorite characters like Taki (Aoi Okuyama) and Sharpe's Rodney. The cancellation of Giri/Haji points to a much bigger problem in today’s streaming landscape.

As audiences cry out for quality, original stories, shows like Giri/Haji are still too easily discarded, raising questions about the future of entertainment. How can viewers trust networks and streamers when truly great shows aren’t given a chance to shine? Barton didn’t indicate if he would be shopping for a new home for his BAFTA-winning series, so all viewers have is the first season of the show. Thankfully, Giri/Haji functions as a standalone crime drama, one that can be enjoyed even without a second season.