The Unexpected Rise and Fall of ‘Top Boy’ — Is There a Series Spinoff in the Works?

Fascinating TV shows and their storylines come and go — it is just part of the process. Behind the scenes, there are a lot of moving parts that go into creating shows that last for multiple seasons on end, including production, budgets, and everything in between.

Like many good storylines — including Snowfall, which has a similar premise — Top Boy captivated viewers because of its compelling depiction of the gritty and complex world of drug trafficking and urban life in East London.

The main characters of the show are Dushane (Ashley Walters), a well-known drug dealer, and Ra'Nell (Malcolm Kamulete), an impressionable teen with a troubled background.

After the British TV show was canceled, fans had a lot of questions. Here's what we know about the show's cancelation, revival, and potential spinoff.

Naturally, because of the show's expressions of the complexities of human nature, its raw portrayal of the crime underworld, and the impact it can have on people involved in it, Top Boy received impressive ratings.

However, the British show's trajectory came to a full stop when Channel 4, Top Boy's original home, suddenly pulled the plug in 2013 and decided not to air more seasons.

In the years since then, Top Boy Executive Producer Ronan Bennett has spoken out about the situation.

He told The Independent: "I'm not bashing Channel 4 by any means, shows come and go, but when I was arguing with them and persuading them not to cancel the show, I said, 'Why would you do this?"

While Ronan never got the answers he was looking for, Top Boy did get another shot at success on the small screen.

As most fans know, Drake first got his start in entertainment from the acclaimed Canadian TV series Degrassi: The Next Generation.

Although he has since rebranded himself as a rapper, the Canadian is still heavily involved in film and production. He helped revive Top Boy, ultimately taking on a role as EP.

According to reports, when the show was canceled, Drake, an avid viewer, was equally as disappointed as other fans and wanted to help bring the show back.

That was what sparked the show's revival on Netflix in 2019. Because of Netflix's influence on pop culture, entertainment, and film, the show was able to be pushed in front of a bigger audience.

Drake's song "Behind Barz" was featured in the series, which brought in even more fans.

Netflix's reboot of Top Boy ran for five seasons. Netflix reportedly wanted to keep going into the sixth season, but showrunners had other ideas.

In a conversation with GQ, Ashley said that the decision to end after the fifth season was made in good faith.

"It may have gone on too long anyway," the Dushane actor said. “Not that it’s not been great and the seasons have all been great and everyone’s loved them and I’ve loved them.” But it wouldn’t have been right. I like to end on a high.”

In 2024, the show's creator Ronan told Deadline that there were talks about a spinoff that revamps Jaq's story. And he is hopeful about the outcome.

"We are talking to Netflix about a spin-off, which will be around Jaq," Ronan said. “You can write the script and, for whatever reason, they don’t get made. So you end up looking like a bit of a fool for mentioning it. But I have hopes that this will work.”