Charlie Hunnam’s Criminal Adaptation Must End His Unwanted 11-Year Streak

Monster: The Ed Gein Story has undoubtedly been Charlie Hunnam‘s biggest project in the past few years, but its divisive reception makes it more important than ever for the actor to end his underwhelming 11-year TV streak. After leading Sons of Anarchy for all seven seasons, it looked like the show’s massive success would do wonders for his profile.

Not only was the criminal drama a huge success, but Hunnam was a standout as Jax, making it no surprise that some huge opportunities fell his way. He landed one of his biggest roles, Pacific Rim, shortly before the biker series concluded, while The Gentlemen became arguably the best movie of Charlie Hunnam’s career thanks to his exceptional performance.

While he has adapted well to the big screen and flexed his versatility, things haven’t been so easy for his televised projects following Sons of Anarchy. Monster: The Ed Gein Story‘s disappointing reviews continued a worrying Rotten Tomatoes trend for the Brit that puts even more pressure on his upcoming Prime Video series to perform.

Charlie Hunnam’s Only TV Shows After Sons Of Anarchy Have “Rotten” Scores On Rotten Tomatoes

Sons of Anarchy Charlie Hunnam as Jax Teller looking worried

Although the sample size may be small, Charlie Hunnam’s televised career has faced difficulties following the end of Sons of Anarchy. With hits like Queer as Folk and Green Street to his name, it was almost inevitable that Hunnam’s Sons of Anarchy would become a must-watch crime thriller, as Jax’s brutal, unforgiving journey remains the actor’s most recognizable part all these years later.

Playing this complicated protagonist year after year seemed like the perfect preparation for a hot streak on TV, yet Hunnam stayed away from the small screen for almost a decade after SOA‘s final episode. Unfortunately, his long-awaited return left audiences and critics split, with 2022’s Shantaram earning polarizing reviews.

While audiences tended to favor the Apple TV+ series on Rotten Tomatoes, as evidenced by the 86% rating, it only boasted a 57% Tomatometer score. Now, Monster: The Ed Gein Story has followed suit with a dismal 20% critic score, and even viewers are pretty unconvinced by the Netflix production based on the 53% Popcornmeter rating.

Unfortunately, this means Hunnam hasn’t had an undisputed success on TV in over a decade, at least as far as Rotten Tomatoes is concerned. However, given how good Sons of Anarchy was, there is hope for the actor’s next project, especially since he is returning to that gritty crime genre that worked so well for him.

Charlie Hunnam’s Criminal Series Now Has More Pressure To Reclaim His Rotten Tomatoes Success

A man with a bloodied face raises his fists in anger against a blue background in the Criminal comics

Despite the lukewarm reception to Monster season 3, Charlie Hunnam has a swift chance at redemption through Prime Video’s Criminal. Based on the comic series of the same name, Criminal looks set to faithfully adapt its source material, which unsurprisingly explores the criminal underworld and the often-brutal lives of these outlaws.

Each volume follows different characters, although familiar faces do reappear throughout the series, given that the story expands across two generations. While a lot of the plot centers around professional thieves, there are also drug lords and hitmen involved, helping create a truly captivating world that should be perfect for a TV adaptation.

Criminal is yet to receive a release date, but filming for the project supposedly wrapped at some point in 2024, meaning it should arrive in the near future.

Given how much potential this live-action version has, Criminal could make up for Charlie Hunnam’s missed opportunities on TV, as there is no doubt he has the skills and experience to carry such a gritty universe. With names like Emilia Clarke, Adira Arjona, and Michael Mando also on board, the sky really is the limit for this exciting release.

Still, it is now imperative from Hunnam’s point of view that the series meets expectations and really delivers on all fronts following back-to-back rotten shows. If Criminal were to fall into that category, it would definitely hurt the Sons of Anarchy star’s reputation to a degree, which would be a shame given his past success.

Before gaining his fame as Jax Teller, Queer as Folk and Undeclared proved that Hunnam was a major draw capable of some big performances, hence why it is so important to see him return to that acclaim on TV through Prime Video’s upcoming thriller.

Prime Video’s Successful Crime Drama TV Show Streak Bodes Well For Charlie Hunnam’s Criminal

Raymond (Charlie Hunnam) pointing a gun and smiling in The Gentlemen.

The jury may still be out on Criminal‘s chances of success, but alongside a stellar cast and strong source material, Prime Video’s track record also bodes well for the exciting new project. Considering how saturated the genre is, it is natural to have some reservations about how well another crime drama can do, given the almost unlimited amount of competition.

Thankfully, Amazon’s streaming service should ease these concerns since they have a history of getting these kinds of shows right. The likes of Goliath and Bosch are perfect Prime Video crime dramas from start to finish, while some of the platform’s ongoing shows like Reacher and Ballard further prove how trustworthy these productions tend to be.

As a result, it’s hard to imagine Criminal falling widely short of the mark unless something goes drastically wrong. Therefore, with a point to prove after Shantaram and Monster‘s underwhelming reception, Charlie Hunnam can hopefully end his 11-year TV streak with this comic book adaptation while adding another major hit to Prime Video’s library.