Is Taboo the first great TV show of 2017?

Considerable buzz surrounded the promotional material of Taboo – a 19th century-based drama set in Britain – largely because Hollywood heavyweight Tom Hardy was fronting it, and also because it seemed an intriguing, more daring venture for the BBC to get behind.

When its pilot aired (on Saturday 7 December) the reaction, online at least, appeared rapturous.

What feels aesthetically and intrinsically very much like a BBC drama, Taboo possesses that faint whiff of Game of Thrones by its slovenly, periodic locales (despite it being set in a vaguely recognisible London) and gritty, almost savagery demeanour.

Hardy’s James Delaney appears out of the blue for the burial of his father – much to everyone’s amazement, not least his sister, Zilpha (Oona Chaplin), who seems oddly at ease by his shocking return. James’s presence generates a haunting and somewhat ghostly atmosphere mainly due to the consensus that he was long dead.

From the opening moments where we witness a drenched and dishevelled James bury a bag of what we presume is treasures of great value, we are given a prevalent sense of unease about his character. Who is he? What is he? And, more importantly, what does he want?

Seemingly convinced his father’s death was via sinister methods, the opening episode does a successful job of setting up a dark, mysterious, and unnerving protagonist and story to move forward with. With Hardy’s rough-and-ready appearance a reason for some audiences to tune in, the persona of James Delaney is well portrayed; shrouded in eerie intrigue, with a hint that supernatural forces may be at play in some capacity.

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Yet throughout the duration of the pilot we’re never rushed or stuffed with spoon-feeding. Instead we are left to simmer alongside James who is just as suspicious and antagonised as we are. Gradually we begin to learn about his time in Africa and the unsavoury rumours that are circulating in regards to his conduct there. Suffice to say the townspeople are weary of him, as Hardy offers up a very brooding and engaging performance that’s reminiscent of past roles such as in 2015’s The Revenant or even as (potentially) unhinged as his real-life portrayal in Bronson.

The Brit is undeniably an ideal choice to tell this tale of vengeance and dark family secrets, in what fittingly looks to be a slow-burning, intense affair over the course of eight episodes. Imagine, if you will, a sort of blend between Penny Dreadful, the formerly mentioned Game of Thrones, and a dash of quintessential British periodic drama, and you’ll be closer to an idea of what to expect. Granted, we’ve not seen any huge or shocking plot twists, but the information it does reveal is just enough to whet our appetites in the hope that things start to unravel over the coming instalments.

I, for one, am sufficiently hooked by the style, substance, and overall quality of the show – the real test will be whether it’ll be able to sustain the same levels of intensity and storytelling throughout its duration. 2017 may only be a week or more old, but we’ve quite possibly stumbled upon one of the television highlights of the year.

Taboo is on BBC One every Saturday.

Did you watch Taboo? Share your thoughts on the first episode in the comments…

Mike is a freelance TV, film, music and entertainment writer, with an unhealthy obsession for Game of Thrones. He’s written for Shortlist, MTV, GamesRadar+, Total Film, GoThinkBig, Loaded, and regularly scribbles for Yahoo Movies, BBC Radio 1, BuzzFeed, VODzilla, and Metro.