If you like “Peaky Blinders” and are in the sad in-between stage of finishing the series and waiting for new episodes to be released, you need to watch “The House of Guinness.”

Both shows are written by Steven Knight, which is why “The House of Guinness” is stylistically reminiscent of “Peaky Blinders.” However, the show also gives an air of “Bridgerton” with the high social status of the family and the many affairs of its members, prearranged and not. 

My favorite aspect of the show is the accuracy of the accents. Most, if not all of the actors are either English or Irish. 

As someone who has been to Ireland twice, has worn a Claddagh ring (correctly) since middle school and both of whose cats are named after Ireland–in fact, my cat, Ashford, is named after Ashford Castle, which is a setting in the show as the family owned the castle–I can say “The House of Guinness” hit all the marks. 

Based on a true story, “The House of Guinness” tells the story of the four Guinness children– Arthur, Edward, Ben and Anne–inheriting the billion dollar (converted to today’s value) family business. 

Every family has problems, but the Guinness’ public persona and the riches amplify their problems in an entertaining train-wreck way; you see the errors of their ways, but you can’t look away.

You need to know world history before watching the series. Without it, the series, especially the first episode, can be confusing. 

The Guinness family is Protestant in a society where Catholicism is the dominant religion. There’s also political duress, as the Irish Republican Brotherhood (Fenians) seek independence from England. The series also addresses the Famine, contrasting the family’s riches with the death and starvation in the town of Cloonboon (close to Ashford Castle). 

I’m hoping The House of Guinness team will announce a second season soon, because they left us on a major clif hanging and I can’t get enough of this messy, blunt family drama.