Featured Image Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty Images / Netflix
Topics: UK News, Drake, TV and Film, Channel 4
Emily Brown
The trailer for the final season of Top Boy is finally here, and fans actually have Drake himself to thank for bringing the series and its new episodes to Netflix.
If you've been a fan of Top Boy since its beginning more than a decade ago, you'll know that the east London-set drama wasn't always available on the streaming service.
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The show's first season arrived on Channel 4 in 2011, followed by the second season two years later.
After that, though, it was decided that the stories of Dushane, Sully and all the other characters fans had become invested in would be no more.
The show was cancelled, and remained that way until 2017, when Netflix delighted fans by ordering a brand new season of Top Boy to air on the streaming service.
The show picked up right where it left off, with the same actors back to finish what they started, and it was all thanks to Drake.
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In an interview with BAFTA Television's The Sessions, Top Boy creator Ronan Bennet explained that he'd heard Drake was 'interested' in bringing back the show, but he didn't realise at the time quite how much weight the Canadian star carried.
"When I heard that Drake was interested I didn’t pay it a lot of mind, partly because I didn’t know who he was," Bennet admitted.
He continued: "It wasn’t until I met him a bit later that it became clear he was serious and we really had a chance of going forward.
"I realised maybe it turns out he’s quite big. We met him in London, myself and my colleagues, he was great."
Cindy Holland, Vice President, Original Content for Netflix, also acknowledged Drake's efforts to bolster the show when the third season was announced in 2017.
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“We couldn’t be more excited for Netflix members around the world and a new generation of fans to discover the authentic, raw and real world of Top Boy,” she said at the time.
“Drake came to us several months ago with a passion to help bring this series back to life, and we’re thrilled to support the original creative team to do just that.”
The rapper became an executive producer of the show when it was picked up in 2017, and told The Hollywood Reporter that he was drawn in to Top Boy due to its 'human element'.
“I started just looking them up. Like, who are these people? Are these actors I should know? Are they just famous over there? I remember I hit Future, and I was just like, ‘This show is incredible'," he said.
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Drake's decision to get involved obviously worked out well for everyone hoping for new episodes of Top Boy, and thanks to him, the show is now preparing for its final season.
Now, if we could just get Drake to encourage a few new seasons of Mindhunter...