Netflix viewers have been seizing the opportunity to head undercover by binge-watching Legends, the latest six-part crime drama to land on the streamer.

Starring Tom Burke (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Strike) and Steve Coogan (Philomena, The Reckoning), the series charts the true story of a group of British Customs officers tasked with infiltrating the country’s most notorious drug gangs and taking them down from the inside.

Gerald Kyd as Mylonas, Tom Burke as Guy

© Courtesy of Netflix
Gerald Kyd as Mylonas, Tom Burke as Guy

Garnering comparisons to modern crime shows like Mayor of Kingstown and Narcos, Legends comes from creator Neil Forsyth (The Gold, Guilt) and has already climbed to become the most-watched series in the UK and the sixth most-watched show worldwide on the streamer.

Keep scrolling to find out what viewers and critics are saying about the new show…

What have viewers said about Legends?

The series has already earned an 86 per cent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, with many admitting they’ve watched the entire series in one day.

“Legends is engrossing and entertaining from beginning to end. Don’t miss it,” said one person, while another penned: “This is absolutely superb, BAFTA-worthy viewing.”

Tom Burke as Guy, Jasmine Blackborow as Erin, Steve Coogan as Don, Aml Ameen as Bailey, Hayley Squires as Kate, in Legends© Courtesy of Netflix
Tom Burke as Guy, Jasmine Blackborow as Erin, Steve Coogan as Don, Aml Ameen as Bailey, Hayley Squires as Kate, in Legends

Meanwhile, another wrote: “Excellent storyline, pacing and acting… very bingeable, which I did, I watched the whole season in one day… take my advice and watch it. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.”

A fourth added: “Amazing storyline. Perfect casting. Locations brilliant. Soundtrack excellent. Best thing on Netflix for ages.”

What have critics said about Legends?

The show has also proven a hit with critics and is currently sitting at a 92 per cent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.

In its five-star review, the Financial Times wrote: “This is outstanding TV, elegant and composed, and it does not let its grip loosen for a second.”

Aml Ameen as Bailey, Hayley Squires as Kate in Legends© Courtesy of Netflix
Aml Ameen as Bailey, Hayley Squires as Kate in Legends

Meanwhile, The Times penned: This is glossy, big-budget drama filled with adrenaline – and a mighty fine early Nineties soundtrack – but it’s not without moments of comic relief, giving it a British feel that will undoubtedly please fans of Forsyth’s previous work on the BBC,” while Collider added: “It might be the most watchable crime drama Netflix puts out this year.”

What is Legends about?

The series is inspired by a remarkable criminal investigation that took place in the 1990s, which was depicted in The Betrayer: How An Undercover Unit Infiltrated the Global Drug Trade by Guy Stanton and Peter Walsh.

Tom Hughes as Declan Carter in Legends© Courtesy of Netflix
Tom Hughes as Declan Carter in Legends

Told over six gripping episodes, the story follows Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise, an ordinary group of front-line customs officers whose job descriptions take a dramatic turn when they are tasked with infiltrating a ruthless drugs gang.

The synopsis continues: “But these were not trained spies. They were normal men and women, plucked from ordinary lives around the UK, put through a basic training regime, and tasked with building new identities in the criminal underworld. These identities were called legends.”