The world of Top Boy is officially expanding, with Netflix announcing two new spin-off series centred on Barry Keoghan’s Jonny McGee and Jasmine Jobson’s Jaq. The two projects were unveiled during Netflix’s Spotlight session at the Edinburgh TV Festival, nearly three years after Top Boy came to an end. Jonny Boy will be a five-part prequel bringing Keoghan back as the ruthless Irish gangster introduced in the final season, while Jaq will continue the story of Jobson’s BAFTA-winning character beyond Summerhouse. Both series are due to begin filming in 2027.
What Is Jonny Boy About?
Jonny Boy will explore the origins of Jonny McGee before the events seen in Top Boy. Keoghan’s character arrived during the final season as part of an Irish crime family and quickly became one of its most memorable new additions, despite only appearing for a relatively short part of the series.
Original Top Boy creator Ronan Bennett will write the five-episode prequel, with Ali Abbasi directing. Keoghan will also executive produce alongside Abbasi and Des Byrne through Wolfcub Productions.
Speaking about the series, Keoghan and Byrne said: “Wolfcub Productions is proud to bring Jonny McGee, the character introduced in Top Boy’s third and final season, to the screen in JONNY BOY. We pitched our vision and idea to Netflix and the Executive Producers and they were so supportive in wanting to bring our passion project forward, exploring Jonny McGee’s origin story through a new bold lens.”
What Is Jaq About?
The second spin-off, currently working under the title Jaq, will bring Jasmine Jobson back as Jacqueline, one of the most important characters from the later seasons of Top Boy. The six-part series will follow Jaq’s story beyond Summerhouse and is created and written by Ryan Calais Cameron.
When viewers last saw Jaq, she had survived an incredibly difficult final stretch after stealing drugs from Sully in an attempt to stop them reaching the streets, before eventually trying to return them. Her final scenes saw her at home with girlfriend Becks, telling her that everything was going to be okay, leaving plenty of room for Netflix to continue her story. Jobson’s performance as Jaq earned her the BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress, and she will also serve as an executive producer on the new series alongside Cameron.
Who Is Returning Behind the Scenes?
Ronan Bennett will executive produce both Jonny Boy and Jaq through Easter Partisan Films, with Charles Steel and Alasdair Flind executive producing for Cowboy Films and Adel “Future” Nur for DreamCrew Entertainment. Maverick Carter and Jamal Henderson of SpringHill Studios are also among the executive producers. Drake will continue his involvement with the Top Boy universe as an executive producer. His support was instrumental in bringing the show back after the original Top Boy: Summerhouse run ended, eventually leading to Netflix’s revival in 2019.
When Will Jonny Boy and Jaq Be Released on Netflix?
Netflix has not announced release dates for either Jonny Boy or Jaq yet. Both series are expected to begin filming in 2027, meaning viewers will have a little longer to wait before returning to the Top Boy universe.
For CultureCues, getting not one but two new Top Boy series is a very welcome surprise. Jasmine Jobson was exceptional as Jaq, so seeing where her story goes after that finale feels like the natural continuation we hoped the series might eventually get. Barry Keoghan also made a huge impression as Jonny in a relatively short amount of screen time, and giving him a full origin story opens up a completely different side of the Top Boy world. We thought the final season really did feel final, so knowing we are heading back to this universe in two very different ways is exciting.
Jonny Boy and Jaq will both begin filming in 2027, with release dates to be announced by Netflix.
CultureCues Editorial is the house byline for short-form entertainment news, trailer updates, release announcements and industry coverage. All CultureCues content is overseen by founder and editor Nikki Murray.