Kin is an Irish crime drama television series, co-created by Peter McKenna and Ciaran Donnelly, that was first broadcast on 9 September 2021 on RTàOne. The series revolves around a fictional Dublin family embroiled in gangland war, and stars Aidan Gillen and Ciarán Hinds as rival gang leaders Frank Kinsella and Eamon Cunningham. It became one of the most-watched series in Ireland. A second series followed in 2023. The series was acquired by the BBC in 2023 and Netflix in 2024.
The series was first announced in November 2020, with co-creator Peter McKenna set as showrunner and Diarmuid Goggins as director of the first four episodes. Tessa Hoffe was later announced as director of episodes five to eight.
Prior to the series' premiere, several news outlets stated the series was inspired by the Kinahan gang and the HutchâÂÂKinahan feud, and noted similarities to former RTE staple Love/Hate. A show "insider" stated that "This is not the Kinahans' story, but people can draw their own conclusions. Viewers will be able to make up their own mind about it."
Peter McKenna is the creator and main writer of the series.
Kin aired on RTÃÂ in 2021, with the second season following in 2023. The series quickly gained popularity in Ireland after premiering in 2021, as well as garnering praise from critics. Its ratings broke records on both linear and streaming platforms, attracting more than four million lifetime streams by October 2023. The second season averaged a 40% audience share, and its finale was the most-watched programme of the year outside of sport.
In February 2022, the series premiered in the United States and Canada on AMC+, with Sundance Now premiering the series in the UK.
A second series was announced on 10 February 2022, with production beginning in July. Season 2 began airing on 12 March 2023 on RTÃÂ One and RTÃÂ Player.
The series was acquired by the BBC and began showing on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on 18 November 2023. The broadcaster also acquired the second series, which was shown on BBC One from 14 February 2024, with the whole series available on BBC iPlayer.
All episodes of Season 1 started streaming on SBS on Demand in August 2023, Australian public broadcaster SBS Television's platform, before being broadcast on linear TV. Both series were shown by SBS.
Kin won an even larger international audience after becoming available on Netflix on 1 May 2024.
The series was put on hold after season 2, after BRON Studios went bankrupt. Discussions were being held about a possible third season, but there had been no announcements by April 2024. The London Standard reported on 20 February 2025 that a third season of Kin had been officially confirmed in October 2024, with filming due to start in Dublin in 2025. However, in May 2025, series star Charlie Cox denied the report of renewal, stating that "I don't believe that that is true. I'd love for that to be the case."
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating of season 1, with an average rating of 7.0/10, based on 11 critic reviews in October 2024.
Ed Power in The Irish Times called the show "RTÃÂâÂÂs best drama in years". Alex McLevy of The A.V. Club gave the series a Bâ and wrote: "It's simply an opportunity to watch some gifted actors do what they do, very well, with a story that glides along in entertaining but unoriginal manner."