KIN: The Dublin Crime Saga Returning for Season 3

Viewers who discovered KIN expecting a quick crime-drama watch have found themselves with 16 episodes of gangland violence, family betrayal and shifting loyalties — and the Irish series is finally returning for a third season.

First broadcast on RTÉ One in 2021, KIN follows the Kinsella family, a fictional Dublin crime dynasty drawn into a violent war with an international cartel. The series went on to become a major success in Ireland before reaching wider audiences through the BBC and Netflix.

Now, after a long period of uncertainty, the Kinsellas are officially coming back. RTÉ has confirmed that Season 3 is in production and is scheduled to air in 2027.

A Family Caught in a Gangland War

Created by Peter McKenna and co-created by Ciarán Donnelly, KIN centres on a family whose criminal operation is threatened after one of its members is killed.

The Kinsellas quickly find themselves outnumbered, out-financed and outgunned as they confront a powerful international cartel. Their businesses begin to collapse, while family members and associates are targeted one by one.

What keeps the family together is also what makes the series so compelling: their loyalty to one another.

The story constantly moves between the criminal conflict and the tensions inside the Kinsella household, where personal relationships can become just as dangerous as the enemies outside it.

A Cast Packed With Familiar Faces

Aidan Gillen plays Frank Kinsella, while Ciarán Hinds portrays rival crime boss Eamon Cunningham.

Charlie Cox stars as Michael Kinsella, with Clare Dunne as Amanda and Emmett J. Scanlan as Jimmy. The ensemble also includes Maria Doyle Kennedy as Birdy, Sam Keeley as Viking and Yasmin Seky as Nikita.

The performances are a major part of the show’s appeal, particularly as the balance of power between the characters changes throughout the two existing seasons.

KIN was filmed in Dublin, giving its gangland story a distinctly Irish setting rather than attempting to recreate the familiar world of British period crime dramas.

Why It Has Been Compared With Peaky Blinders

The comparison with Peaky Blinders is easy to understand.

Both dramas revolve around criminal families, internal loyalties and violent struggles for control. But their worlds are very different.

While Peaky Blinders is rooted in historical Birmingham, KIN tells its story in contemporary Dublin, focusing on a modern Irish crime family whose ambitions bring it into conflict with increasingly powerful rivals.

That modern setting gives KIN its own identity, while its emphasis on family, loyalty and escalating violence makes it an obvious choice for viewers drawn to character-driven gangster dramas.

16 Episodes of Increasing Pressure

The first two seasons comprise 16 episodes in total, giving viewers a substantial story to work through before the third chapter arrives. RTÉ’s programme-sales listing describes KIN as a 16 x 60-minute drama.

By the end of Season 2, the balance within the family has changed dramatically. Amanda Kinsella has taken control of the family operation, leaving the story poised for another major shift.

That cliffhanger helped fuel continued speculation about whether the series would return.

The wait became longer than expected after Canadian co-producer BRON Studios went bankrupt in 2023, putting the future of KIN on hold.

Season 3 Is Finally Happening

The uncertainty is now over.

RTÉ confirmed in 2026 that a third season is in production, with Charlie Cox returning as Michael, Clare Dunne as Amanda, Emmett J. Scanlan as Jimmy, Maria Doyle Kennedy as Birdy and Sam Keeley as Viking.

Yasmin Seky, Mark McKenna Jr., Jack Meade and Öykü Karayel are also returning, while Alex Deegan and Diyar Bozkurt join the cast.

The new season will follow the Kinsellas as they attempt to consolidate their power. But the greatest threat may no longer come from outside the family.

According to RTÉ’s synopsis, old betrayals and growing rivalries will turn inward, putting the family empire itself under threat.

The third season is scheduled to air in 2027, with production handled by Metropolitan Pictures and House of Juno.

A Crime Saga That Refuses to Stay Quiet

The return of KIN gives the series a chance to continue a story that was left hanging after its second season.

For new viewers, the timing also offers an opportunity to watch the first two seasons before the Kinsellas return — all 16 existing episodes tracing the family’s rise, its violent conflicts and the increasingly complicated loyalties holding it together.

With its Dublin setting, heavyweight Irish cast and focus on a family fighting to protect its criminal empire, KIN has established a distinct place among modern Irish crime dramas.

And when Season 3 arrives in 2027, the biggest danger may come from the people the Kinsellas have been trying to protect all along.