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Limited Series – Pistol

Play trailer 1:30 Poster for Limited Series – Pistol May 2022 Biography Drama Music Play Trailer Watchlist
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64% Tomatometer 61 Reviews 62% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
Based on Jones' memoir "Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol", the limited series "Pistol" is the story of a band of spotty, noisy, working-class kids with "no future" who shook the boring, corrupt Establishment to its core, threatened to bring down the government and changed music and culture forever. The furious, raging storm at the center of this revolution is the band Sex Pistols -- and at the center of this series is Sex Pistols' founding member and guitarist, Steve Jones. Jones' hilarious, emotional and at times heartbreaking journey guides viewers through a kaleidoscopic telling of three of the most epic, chaotic and mucus-spattered years in the history of music.
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Pistol — Limited Series

Pistol — Limited Series

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Critics Consensus

Danny Boyle's frenzied direction brings plenty of energy to this punk biography, but the rote conventions of a band's rise and fall make Pistol something of a misfire.

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Critics Reviews

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Mark Kermode Kermode and Mayo's Take (YouTube) Jan 30, 2024
It is a fairy tale... but there are some very good performances in the fairy tale and the songs work well. Go to Full Review Andrew Male The Times (UK) Jul 8, 2022
Seemingly designed to annoy pedantic ex-punks, its retelling of the group’s snotty revolution is funny, brash, hyperbolic and loud. It is also sweetly romantic and, at times, desperately sad. Go to Full Review Dan Einav Financial Times Jun 10, 2022
3/5
Much like the band itself, the scripting and direction can occasionally fail to hit the right notes. But the performances by the cast of relative unknowns are largely pitch-perfect. Go to Full Review Ilan Preskovsky Channel24 (South Africa) Aug 29, 2023
4.5/5
Ironically, music biopics often suck at depicting the music itself, so it's doubly ironic that a biopic about a band who were never really about the music, gets the music so very right. Go to Full Review Peter Bell Vague Visages Jun 5, 2023
Pistol stays true to the chaotic nature of the Sex Pistols and manages to sprinkle in some of that Boyle pop energy. Go to Full Review Cidnya Silva But Why Tho? Jan 14, 2023
8/10
Pistol feels like the center of the punk movement it emulates. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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H M @RT86577457 6 days ago Only watched a few clips due to Thomas Brodie being in this. The acting and story sucked me in and now I've binged the whole thing. See more Jude D @RT91267999 Jul 27, 2026 I LOVE THOMAS BRODIE SANGSTER See more David O @RT41768133 Jan 2, 2025 Enjoyed the first three episodes, seen it before after that . Didn’t think the lead role guy who played Steve Jones was very well suited . Still worth a watch for music fans See more Andrew H @RT86472009 Oct 13, 2024 When I was 20ish the Sex Pistols came to be known in Canada. With shock and awe (and some fear) I watched and listened- what was this? The angst was unfamiliar, yet somehow it made sense when you thought about where it was coming from, the social fuel for Punk. It was like an angry Pride Day, everyday. I never fully understood that the songs - “Bodies” being a great example - might represent real events, and I thought they were random words from angry, frustrated guys of my age. Pistols pulled back the curtain, and it was fascinating to meet the people who led this surge - their stories, tragedies and fears. The show is an awesome snap shot of the times, and it was exciting to see the links with Chrissie Hynde, Siouxsie (of the Banshees), Mick Jones of the Clash and more. To me the acting performances here are impressive across the board. The story told with a platform built from the personal and private stories of the band members was unexpected, riveting and enamouring. If you lived this period this is a can’t miss show - easy 5 stars. See more K I @KLMNOPQ Sep 12, 2024 transcendent. captures the ugly and the beautiful, the energy and mythology of the times/fashion/music/politics. universal to all. best moment: the ultra slo mo pogoing to ambient music as the band starts to get momentum. poetic, not direct documentary. watched some episodes 3X (and I'm not even a huge pistols fan) See more Gareth v @geewah Jun 14, 2023 Entertaining enough but it does play it rather safe, unlike the band and it's music. See more Read all reviews
Pistol — Limited Series

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Craig Pearce

Creator

Toby Wallace

Steve Jones

Anson Boon

John Lydon

Louis Partridge

Sid Vicious

Jacob Slater

Paul "Cookie" Cook

Danny Boyle

Executive Producer

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired May 31, 2022 Track 1: The Cloak of Invisibility Desperate to escape the bleak future that society has decreed for him, Steve Jones convinces Malcolm McLaren to manage his band, The Swankers; but Steve discovers that his Cloak of Invisibility cannot shield him from the audience's gaze. Details Episode 2 Aired May 31, 2022 Track 2: Rotten As Steve grasps his final chance and attempts to learn guitar in five days, a fury named Johnny Rotten arrives on the scene and the Sex Pistols are born. Details Episode 3 Aired May 31, 2022 Track 3: Bodies As Steve and Chrissie Hynde begin to make more than just music, the Pistols begin to wreak anarchy in the U.K.; Johnny Rotten takes deeper inspiration from a grieving young woman. Details Episode 4 Aired May 31, 2022 Track 4: Pretty Vaaayc**t The idyllic success is soon obliterated when the band shocks the nation; the media frenzy causes egos to explode; Steve is emotionally blackmailed by Malcolm into replacing bassist Glen Matlock with glorious-looking, but musically inept, Sid Vicious. Details Episode 5 Aired May 31, 2022 Track 5: Nancy and Sid As Nancy and Sid's love ignites, Sid becomes increasingly lost to heroin and violence; a plan is hatched to get rid of Nancy, but on a riverboat stunt during the Queen's Jubilee to promote "God Save the Queen," chaos takes hold. Details Episode 6 Aired May 31, 2022 Track 6: Who Killed Bambi? Malcolm tries to ruin the Pistols by touring in the South, where they're reviled; Sid becomes lead singer; Steve desperately tries to hold the band together, but Nancy is found murdered in a New York City hotel room, and Sid is the main suspect. Details

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Pistol — Limited Series

Pistol: Limited Series Teaser - Vulva Revolution Pistol: Limited Series Teaser - Vulva Revolution 0:29 Now Playing Pistol: Limited Series Teaser - Most Dangerous Pistol: Limited Series Teaser - Most Dangerous 0:29 Now Playing Pistol: Limited Series Trailer Pistol: Limited Series Trailer 1:30 Now Playing Pistol: Limited Series Teaser - We're Awful Pistol: Limited Series Teaser - We're Awful 0:29 Now Playing View more videos
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Pistol — Limited Series

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Season Info

Director
Danny Boyle
Creator
Craig Pearce
Executive Producer
Danny Boyle, Paul Lee
Screenwriter
Craig Pearce
Network
Hulu
Rating
TV-MA
Genre
Biography, Drama, Music
Original Language
English
Release Date
May 31, 2022
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