After 20 years in print as comics, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ series Criminal is officially making the leap to a new medium with a slick-looking drama series on Prime Video. For years now, the streamer has been a place where comic book adaptations have not only been born, but thrived. Prime Video’s take on The Boys not only brought the comic series to life but has delivered three different spinoffs (including the upcoming Vaught Rising), but it’s not alone, with the success of the animated Invincible giving Prime Video superhero success that can easily rival Marvel on Disney+ and DC on HBO Max.
Now, Prime Video’s first trailer for Criminal has arrived, revealing that the adaptation, more than two decades in the making, is finally arriving soon. In addition to the first look footage at the series, which includes major favorites like Sons of Anarchy‘s Charlie Hunnam, Andor‘s Adria Arjona, The Hobbit‘s Luke Evans, and Game of Thrones‘ Emilia Clarke, Prime Video’s Criminal has confirmed a really unique release strategy for the series when it premieres this January. Watch the footage for yourself below.
With eight episodes total, Criminal‘s release schedule will look a little different from what fans may be expecting. Prime Video will debut all four episodes of Criminal Part One, “Coward,” on Wednesday, January 13, 2027, which will be followed two weeks later by the four episodes of Criminal Part Two, “Lawless,” on January 27, 2027. Fans who have read Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ long-running comic and graphic novel series will know these names well, as they make up the first 10 issues of the series, originally published in 2006 and 2007.
Prime Video’s official description of the series will sound familiar to readers: “Criminal begins with the story of two friends, Leo Patterson (Charlie Hunnam) and Ricky Lawless (Gus Halper), one trying to fight his way out of the world of crime they were raised in, the other desperate to follow in the footsteps of his father, a legendary outlaw. And when Ricky’s older brother Tracy (Luke Evans) returns home from the Army, their tragic family history comes home with him. Drawn into their orbit are Greta (Adria Arjona), a sharp-tongued car thief from Leo’s past, and Mallory (Emilia Clarke), Ricky’s girlfriend, who fears what he’ll do to get by. Gunfights, heists, and tragic romance are the order of the day, but will anyone make it out alive?”
Getting Criminal onto the screen has been a long, long journey. Originally a feature film version of the comic was in the works back in the 2010s, with Brubaker penning the script, which never came to fruition after years of development. The TV series has had an equally long time getting made, with news of it coming together at Legendary back in 2019. When it arrives in January, it will be almost eight years.
Other stars that will appear in Criminal include Richard Jenkins, Kadeem Hardison, Gus Halper, John Hawkes, and Logan Browning, with guest stars including Michael Mando, Garrett Hedlund, Aliyah Camacho, Marvin Jones III, and Chris Diamantopoulos. On top of the murderer’s row of talent on screen, Criminal has impressive eyes behind the camera as well, with Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (Mississippi Grind, Captain Marvel) directing the first four episodes and Dee Rees (Mudbound) directing the other four.
