House of Guinness is a lavish historical drama series created by Steven Knight, released on Netflix in September 2025. The show is set in the late nineteenth century and explores both the grandeur and the fragility of an empire built on brewing. It opens in Dublin in 1868, immediately following the death of Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness, the patriarch whose success enabled the Guinness brewery’s dominance and international reach. With his passing, the fate of his vast legacy falls into the hands of his four adult children, each bearing personal secrets, ambitions, and resentments.
The eldest son, Arthur Guinness (played by Anthony Boyle), returns to Dublin after years in London and seeks both political power and control of the brewery. Edward (Louis Partridge) is more business minded, yet burdened with doubts and a volatile temperament. Anne (Emily Fairn), the only daughter, is relegated to a lesser share in the inheritance but tries to carve out a meaningful purpose. Finally, Benjamin the youngest (Fionn O’Shea) struggles with addiction and desires approval. Meanwhile, Sean Rafferty (James Norton), the foreman and security head of the brewery, acts as both enforcer and secret confidant, navigating loyalty and power.
As the siblings contend with their inheritance, the series juxtaposes private dramas with public pressures. The political backdrop of Irish nationalism, social unrest, and the lingering trauma of famine underscore their struggles. The show does not shy away from depicting violence, moral compromise, and the danger that threatens both the family and the brewery. Love affairs, betrayals, and secret alliances complicate the siblings’ relationships and test their loyalty to each other.
Visually, House of Guinness is ambitious. Though set in Dublin, much of the filming occurred in England and Wales for architectural authenticity—Liverpool and Manchester stood in for nineteenth‑century Dublin, and Penrhyn Castle in Wales doubled as the Guinness family castle. The production design invests heavily in evoking industrial brewery spaces, grand mansions, and the gritty streets where unrest bubbles. The musical choices, editing style, and occasional anachronistic flourishes lend the show a modern sensibility layered over its period setting.
In its climactic final episode, tensions reach a tipping point. Arthur embarks on a public campaign, but a Fenian revolutionary seeks his assassination. At the same time, the romantic entanglements intensify: Lady Olivia (Arthur’s spouse) and Rafferty arrange a clandestine continuation of their relationship despite pressure to sever ties. The ending leaves the siblings reeling and sets the stage for further conflict in the brewing dynasty.
Overall, House of Guinness weaves together a compelling tapestry of power, family loyalty, ambition, and betrayal. It offers plenty of spectacle, but also emotional weight—showing how legacy and wealth are never free of human cost. The show has been praised for its visual ambition, its engrossing plotting, and the
