We’ve found your next binge-watch from the creators of Netflix’s Black Doves-Emily Bashforth-Entertainment – Metro

If you love Black Doves, we’ve got the next binge-watch for you (Picture: BBC/Sister Pictures)

If you’re a fan of Black Doves, we have another epic TV series for you to sink your teeth into.

Starring Keira Knightley, Ben Whishaw, and Sarah Lancashire, spy thriller Black Doves has soared up the Netflix charts following its release on December 5.

Created by Joe Barton, the series follows Helen (Knightley) as she embarks on a passionate affair with a man who has no idea about her double life.

The six-part first series has had TV fanatics on the edges of their sofas, meaning confirmation of a second season will be music to the ears of millions.

But if you desperately need something to fill the void while you wait for more, Giri/Haji could be just what you need.

Also created and written by Barton, the British crime drama premiered on BBC Two in 2019 before its international release the following year.

Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw have had us gripped in Black Doves (Picture: Netflix)

The series is set in both London and Tokyo and tells the story of a detective named Kenzo Mori, scouring the English capital’s underworld to find his allegedly deceased brother named Yuto.

Yuto was accused of killing the nephew of a gang member, so when Kenzo begins investigating murky waters, the dangers of London’s criminal underworld come to light.

The title of the series translates to Duty/Shame, and it includes dialogue in English and Japanese.

Its name reflects how all characters are duty-bound in some way, whether it is through family connections, work, or their own morals.

So, when their actions go against those duties, deep feelings of shame are created. Not one character has a sparkling moral compass in Giri/Haji, as they all veer off the straight and narrow.

The action-packed series shows what lengths a person will go to for a loved one, even if that means going in the opposite direction to the one they know they should.

Giri/Haji first aired in 2019 (Picture: BBC/Sister Pictures)

As for the cast, it’s an international ensemble comprising Takehiro Hira, Will Sharpe, and Aoi Okuyama, who end up intertwined with Kenzo’s work to solve the case.

Line of Duty’s Kelly Macdonald also stars, along with Charlie Creed-Miles, who has appeared in films such as Let Him Have It, London Kills Me, Essex Boys, and King Arthur.

Unfortunately, Giri/Haji was cancelled by BBC Two and Netflix in 2020, but its fanbase has remained loyal.

Across social media, viewers have repeatedly heaped praise on the show, which has been given a new lease of life once more following Black Doves’ release.

HESherman wrote on X: ‘Just finished my rewatch of Netflix’s GIRI/HAJI, a superb limited series that succeeds as a Japanese cop pursues his yakuza brother in London thriller, but transcends genre with intricate plot, profound emotion & care, and often breathtaking style. Even better than I remembered.’

Dancinginshado also hailed it as ‘one of my most favourite shows in the past few years.’

It features a star-studded ensemble cast with dialogue in both English and Japanese (Picture: BBC/Sister Pictures)

Giri/Haji has even been declared ‘better’ than Black Doves by some (Picture: BBC/Sister Pictures)

User euanrellie went one step further, writing: ‘Giri/Haji is a masterpiece, far better than Black Doves, which is pretty damned good.’

In 2021, English actress and comedian Kathy Burke made herself known to be a celebrity fan of the series.

She tweeted: ‘Very late to the party but finished Giri/Haji last night. Don’t usually like gangsters and guns stuff but was completely captivated. Beautifully made, very funny and at times really surprising. Gutted there’s no second series. Criminal.’

Watch Giri/Haji on Netflix.

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