WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for House of Guinness season 1!
Mike Flanagan took the final bow of his Netflix horror series tenure with The Fall of the House of Usher, and a new show from the hit streamer helps carry on the successes of the 2023 hit. After crafting some of Netflix’s greatest horror TV shows of all time with The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass, among others, The Fall of the House of Usher proved another critical and viewership success for Flanagan.
After such incredible feats accomplished with The Fall of the House of Usher, which adapts Edgar Allan Poe’s eponymous tale alongside some of his other iconic short stories, Mike Flanagan left Netflix and forged a first-look deal with Amazon. As such, Netflix has had to find similar shows and stories to replace Mike Flanagan’s horror masterpieces as the streamer enters a new era without him.
Now, it seems that replacement may be coming in the shape of Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, albeit in the historical drama sector rather than horror. After Peaky Blinders ended in 2022, Knight is back with another hit historical drama on Netflix, which bears some thematic and plot foundations reminiscent of The Fall of the House of Usher.
House Of Guinness’ Family Succession Themes Are Similar To The Fall Of The House Of Usher
Netflix’s popular new drama House of Guinness bears some similarities to the premise of The Fall of the House of Usher that fans of Mike Flanagan’s popular series can enjoy. Though a historical drama rather than supernatural horror, House of Guinness hits some of the same important themes and dilemmas posed in The Fall of the House of Usher.
Both TV shows are acclaimed dramas with their core story being based around a family’s empire, the responsibilities and expectations of the children inheriting their father’s power, riches, and sins. Additionally, the two Netflix shows contend with whether the new generation will be able to redeem the evils of their predecessor or be destined to repeat them.
Though House of Guinness largely focuses on real-life people in the Guinness family from the late-1860s, the series is so liberal with its depiction of historical events and figures that it’s far more fiction than fact. As such, the tragedies and familial dramas that House of Guinness is able to play with reflect the dramatic lengths of The Fall of the House of Usher even more.
Still, the family crises for House of Guinness’ Guinness family and The Fall of the House of Usher’s Usher family are surrounded by real, complex societal and political conflicts. House of Guinness uses the Fenians’ fight for Irish independence as its main political backdrop to exacerbate the family’s internal conflicts, while The Fall of the House of Usher integrates the opioid crisis as a vehicle to explore the family’s issues with exploitation, greed, and power.
However, while House of Guinness season 1’s ending has a relatively more optimistic conclusion for the Guinnesses as Anne leans more into philanthropic efforts and Edward integrates more social reform at the brewery, the siblings still face more large-scale tragedy amid an assassination plot against Arthur. Meanwhile, The Fall of the House of Usher ends with the devastation of the Usher family, paying for their father’s sins without hope for redemption.
House Of Guinness Is Closer To The Fall Of The House Of Usher’s Original Story Setting
Unlike House of Guinness’ true story inspirations, The Fall of the House of Usher is inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s same-named 1840 short story, as well as some of his other contemporary tales. However, while House of Guinness stays authentic to the real historical timeline, The Fall of the House of Usher’s adaptation is modernized.
With House of Guinness taking place in 1869, its setting is closer to how the characters from The Fall of the House of Usher would have actually looked in Poe’s original story. Flanagan’s TV shows largely remain in modern-day settings, but it’s interesting to imagine what his version of The Fall of the House of Usher would look like if he had maintained the story’s mid-1800s background, and how that may have impacted its political themes.
