‘HOUSE OF GUINNESS’: A PERIOD DRAMA WITH REAL LIFE INSPIRATION
The newest limited period drama series to appear on Netflix, House of Guinness, takes inspiration from real life.
House of Guinness (2025) Netflix TV Review
The death of Sir Benjamin Guinness leads to upheaval in the streets. The man was thought to be evil, divisive and never a peacemaker which sends laborers to the streets to protest. On the day of his funeral these shouts echo throughout the street even as the family prepares to bury him. The management and employees of the brewery empire he’d built don’t plan to take this lying down and so a physical conflict between them brews. Led by Sean Rafferty (James Norton), the path to bury him begins.
Leaving behind his four children, it’s now their task to now carry on this legacy. It’s up to them to calm the brewing rebellion and keep their father’s business intact. Eldest Arthur (Anthony Boyle) leads the business as the eldest and then there is troublemaker Ben (Fionn O’Shea), the namesake of his father. Edward (Louis Partridge) wants them to appear united and as a happy family, which they often aren’t. Then there is their sister, Anne (Emily Fairn), married and yet opinionated, she takes her brothers in hand when need be while she struggles with her own troubled conscious.
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‘HOUSE OF GUINNESS’: A PERIOD DRAMA WITH REAL LIFE INSPIRATION. Review of #HouseofGuinness, the inspired by a true story drama from #Neflix. Share on X
Like almost anything I watch that is inspired by real people, I know nothing about the characters we meet in this eight-part series. What I do know is, these characters seem to present as unlikable (each one is, well, messed up) which isn’t something I like as a viewer. The opening says “this fiction” is inspired by true stories” so I am sure the creators take a good deal of liberty in telling this. The fact that House of Guinness is a costume drama and has a stellar cast, well these things make up for any complaints.
Speaking of the cast, the lineup is impressive. I don’t know most of them, but I like them in these roles. There is Antony Boyle, Fionn O’Shea, Emily Fairn, Louis Partridge (who we know from his roles in Netflix’s Enola Holmes titles) and James Norton from Grantchester. This reminds me of something like North & South as far as the look it has or even the more recent BritBox show The Hardacres. However, the “darker” aspects is where it ends. This does try to be edgy and as a result, it has lots of modernisms. From music to its filming, the show is very contemporary and even “manic” in how it approaches this story.
No matter what you compare this too, this is interesting. Even with the darker tones and atmosphere, there is still some prettiness which we like to see in our period dramas.
Stream, at publication, House of Guinness exclusively on Netflix
Photos: Alamy Stock Photos
Content: The rating is TVMA and it needs this. There is sex (innuendo/conversation) and some nudity (non graphic in the first episode), and the “darkness” tends to lend itself to promoting thematic elements. If this bothers you, one character likes the same sex (they meet). There is profanity including the F-word. Quite a lot of physical violence happens. Note; this covers episodes one – two.
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