Best known for highly stylized action-comedy movies, English filmmaker Guy Ritchie hasn’t exactly stepped out of his comfort zone for a foray into television with “The Gentlemen,” a fairly entertaining eight-part hourlong action-comedy series debuting on Netflix this week.

It’s inspired by his similarly enjoyable 2019 film of the same name in which expensive-suit refinement meets drug-trade violence.

(This would seem to be similar to the move Ritchie made as a producer with 2000’s “Lock, Stock…,” a seven-part series coming two years after his feature directorial debut, “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.”)

Hey, sometimes it’s best to stick with what you know.

First, know that you need not have seen the big-screen ‘Gentlemen’ to sip, sophisticatedly, on its small-screen cousin. Although press materials for the series state it “is set in the world of ‘The Gentlemen’ film,” we get not so much as a quip about Mickey Pearson, the drug kingpin played by Matthew McConaughey in the film.

In this streaming offering, it is Ray Winstone’s Bobby Glass who oversees a cannabis empire built on high-yielding weed labs existing underneath English country estates. One such estate is Halstead Manor, home to the Horniman family.

In the series’ opening minutes, as the Duke of Halstead (Edward Fox) nears death, his problem-solving son Eddie (Theo James) is called home from duty with the British Army to be with the family. Father then instructs son to watch out for his brother, Freddy (Daniel Ings).

“He won’t survive without you.”

We soon get a sense of why that may be true when the now-deceased duke’s will is read, with older brother Freddy not receiving the windfall he anticipates, the estate instead being handed to Eddie. First suggesting there may have been some understandable Eddie-Freddy confusion, Freddy goes ballistic.

And so now we have an important dynamic: Freddy being the Fredo Corleone to Eddie’s Michael — at least if Fredo were prone to going on cocaine binges and racking up huge debts to dangerous men such as Tommy Dixon (Peter Serafinowicz), a member of powerful drug family.

As Eddie tries to plot a course of action that will free Freddy, he also gets close to Susie Glass (Kaya Scodelario), the daughter of the imprisoned Bobby and the runner of his business’ day-to-day activities.

Kaya Scodelario’s Susie Glass speaks with her father, Ray Winstone’s Bobby Glass, who’s spending time in a pretty comfortable prison, in a scene from “The Gentlemen.” (Courtesy of Netflix)

After learning of the deal his father had made with Glass, which helps to explain how the family has managed to maintain its quite comfy lifestyle, Eddie wants to end the partnership. However, he knows this cannot be done immediately, and he agrees to help Susie with various business-related matters for the time being. The measured-and-steady type, he shows a real affinity for this work, even if he’s hampered by his inexperience at the onset.

Susie, in turn, helps him with his Freddy trouble, which, predictably, goes from simmer to boil at the climax of the first episode. It isn’t easy to rattle her, but she may have a weakness in her pro-boxing brother, Jack (Henry Goodwin).

Among those who may look to exploit such a potential pain point is Stanley Johnson (Giancarlo Esposito), an American with an appreciation for the finer things who affords them with a meth-pedaling organization — a fun nod to Esposito’s great character from “Breaking Bad,” Gus Fring.

At least a tick stronger than its movie counterpart, “The Gentlemen,” is never stronger — or more stylized — than its first two episodes, which see Ritchie making his TV-directing debut. These are highly cinematic installments not matched by the series’ other directors Nima Nourizadeh, Eran Creevy and David Caffrey. (To be fair, your eyes tell you that none of them had the per-budget episode afforded to Ritchie.)

“The Gentlemen” may feel like a film in stretches, but, as written by Ritchie and six others, it certainly dances to the rhythms of a television show, with lower-stakes middle chapters leading toward a climax that brings together several plot threads.

It possesses many pleasant elements, such as colorful side characters including sincere, stoned-out-of-his-mind pot grower Jimmy Chang (Michael Vu) and Halstead Manor gamekeeper Geoff Seacombe (Vinnie Jones), to whom there’s more than initially appears. The inclusion of Jones is a nod to Ritchie’s past, the actor making his movie debut in “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and also appearing in the director’s second film, “Snatch.”

“The Gentlemen” almost certainly would have benefited from a ratcheting up of the sexual tension between Eddie and Susie, a bit more will-they-won’t-they energy. As it stands, their mutual attraction rarely rises above the level of a polite flirtation.

All the same, the talented actors are enjoyable together. James (“Divergent,” “The White Lotus”) is ideal in the lead role, fitting nicely into his character’s pricey menswear but also is believable when Eddie shows the aggression fueled by his inherent determination. And Scodelario (the “Maze Runner” movies) is pretty cool and confident herself as Susie, a strong woman operating in a world of violent men, er, gentlemen.

Kaya Scodelari and Theo James share a scene in “The Gentlemen.” (Courtesy of Netflix)

With episode titles such as “Tackie Tommy Woo Woo,” on-screen translations for certain chunks of dialogue and colorful language that’s oh-so-British, to go along with spurts of violence, “The Gentlemen” is pure Ritchie and will most delight his fans.

For the rest of us, it likely will prove to be as impactful as many, but not all, of his films — a flashy but ultimately flimsy distraction you’ve all but forgotten in a week or so.

‘The Gentlemen’

What: Eight-episode debut season of hourlong series.

Where: Netflix.

When: All episodes available March 7.

Rated: TV-MA.

Stars (of four): 2.5.

Nolan Roed’s foray into the United States Hockey League in the fall was an eye opener. The White Bear Lake senior played 16 games with the Tri City Storm, posting six goals and seven assists.

But don’t correlate statistical success with an easy transition.

“It’s the hardest hockey jump I’ve ever had to do in my career,” Roed said. “I’ve talked to a lot of other guys and they’re like, ‘High school to USHL is the hardest one.’”

He didn’t recognize it as the same game. It was far less about finesse and skill and far more about grit and toughness. If you couldn’t be physical, you couldn’t succeed.

“It’s a lot harder, it’s a lot more tight battles, you have to win every battle,” Roed said. “And, when you do score, it’s usually not a pretty goal.”

Which, frankly, suits Roed well. He’s not afraid to mix it up in a contest to see who can control the puck.

“He’s not like a flashy, toe drag (goal scorer).” Bears coach Chris Anderson said. “He just makes very sound plays, and he knows how to finish. And I think, at the end of the day, he plays a very hard game. He wins battles. He plays a very hard game in a sense that he’s not running into guys, but he wins battles, and that’s just something that’s really hard to coach.”

Or replicate. After his time with Tri City, Roed returned to White Bear Lake with the same physical mindset and translated it beautifully back to the high school game.

“People are looking for the pretty play, and I take pride in getting into the dirty areas to score goals,” Roed said. “A lot of guys in high school maybe still think it’s going to be a lot of skilled plays, but it’s really not. I think me playing a more pro-style game really helped me produce.”

The result has been a 33-goal, 24-assist season, and counting. Because Roed, a Mr. Hockey finalist and St. Cloud State commit, has the Bears back in the Class 2A state tournament for the first time since 2019. Fourth-seeded White Bear Lake will meet fifth-seeded Grand Rapids in the quarterfinal round at 8 p.m. Tuesday in St. Paul.

“I take a lot of pride (in getting the team back to state),” the center said. “One of the reasons for coming back (for my senior year), I feel like my career wasn’t filled, because I didn’t get to take the trip to the X. So being able to come back and do that with my buddies is something I’ve always dreamt of.”

White Bear Lake forward Nolan Roed skates to the bench during the third period of a high school hockey game against Hill-Murray at Aldrich Arena in Maplewood, Friday, March 1, 2024. White Bear Lake won 3-0. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)

He certainly led the charge. White Bear Lake graduated a strong senior class a year ago. Many of those players are now playing in the North American Hockey League or the USHL. The Bears also experienced a number of injuries during the season. For instance, junior forward Jack Stanius, the top winger on Roed’s line, missed much of the season before returning just in time for the sectional tournament.

Many of the players who logged significant ice time for the Bears this season, while talented, didn’t enter the winter with much varsity experience.

“So Nolan has kind of had to take on some more of a workload in that sense,” Anderson said.

Much of that workload, Roed said, came in the form of leadership. His line was shuffling every week as White Bear Lake tried different combinations to succeed while down critical pieces.

He was trying to aid different players in the transition to becoming pivotal varsity players.

“I think that really helped my leadership skills. Because guys maybe thought, ‘Dang, we lost Stanius, how are we going to do this?’ ” Roed said. “Just telling guys that everything is going to be fine, and you’ve just got to buy in. It doesn’t matter who’s on the ice, you’ve just got to play the right way.”

He was a shining example of that.

Anderson noted there are a number of A-level players with C-level work ethics, and vice versa. Roed, he said, is “the total package.”

“Nolan plays the game the right way, plays very hard, and he’s a great leader on and off the ice. He’s a good friend to a lot of guys,” Anderson said. “So he’s just been the type of hockey player that a coach wants and wants to be able to have on his team and leverage as a leader … just because of the way he plays. It’s hard to describe. He does things the right way. I don’t even need to talk to him very much. We just look at each other and he knows and I know.”

And when the rest of the Bears see the team’s best player grinding away in the tough areas, they’re likely to follow suit.

Roed’s increased goal total this season could perhaps be linked to just greater responsibility to score. But he feels it was a natural progression in his game.

Roed, whose brother, Lleyton, is currently Bemidji State’s top scorer as a sophomore, has always had physicality to his game and a stride to quickly create space and bust into open areas. But he believes he’s seeing the game better now than ever before. That was evident during White Bear Lake’s late-season road victory over Cretin-Derham Hall, during which the center tallied five points on four goals and an assist.

Two of those goals, he said, came on breakaways he created by reading the Raiders’ offense and anticipating a turnover. Anderson recalled the final score came on an empty-netter after Roed won a battle in the Bears’ end to obtain the puck.

“That game epitomizes who he is,” Anderson said. “He’s a special kid.”

Finalists

Jimmy Dodig, junior defenseman, Cretin-Derham Hall: Merrimack commit has 22 points from the blue line of the state-bound Raiders, who have allowed two goals or fewer in 21 of their 28 games to date.

Leo Gabriel, junior goalie, White Bear Lake: The Bears believe that, with Gabriel in the net, they have a shot against anyone in the state. “I think everybody in the state and on our team knows that,” Roed said.

Aiden Grossklaus, junior forward, Woodbury: Minnesota State Mankato commit potted 27 goals this season to go with 18 assists.

Harper Searles, senior forward, Centennial: Searles has 24 goals and a gaudy 41 assists. His 65 points pace the Cougars, who enter the Class 2A tournament as the No. 3 seed.

Zach Wooten, senior forward, Eastview: Maine commit had 18 goals and 32 assists while guiding the Lightning to the top seed in Class 2A, Section 3.

Related Articles

Wisconsin boys hockey: New Richmond falls 6-2 to St. Mary’s Springs in Div. 2 title game

Check out the 2024 Minnesota boys hockey state tournament brackets

Boys hockey: Stanius’ early goal, Gabriel’s 35 saves power White Bear Lake over Hill-Murray in section final

Boys hockey: No. 5-seeded Cretin-Derham Hall beats St. Thomas Academy for third straight section title

Harris’ overtime goal sends Mahtomedi back to state

The Minnesota Zoo is celebrating 10 years of the ZOOMS STEM Design Challenge this week and the more than 30,000 students it has impacted.

The ZOOMS STEM Design Challenge is a nationwide, year-long program that gives elementary, middle and high school students a chance to solve real problems encountered by zookeepers.

The program, which is sponsored by Flint Hills Resources, encourages students to address issues at the zoo using the concepts of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Flint Hills Resources, which operates the Pine Bend refinery in Rosemount, has been a partner of the Apple Valley zoo for more than 30 years.

This year’s competition gives students the opportunity to redesign the zoo’s bison and prairie dog exhibits, which can both be seen from the zoo’s new Treetop Trail.

American bison roam at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley on June 23, 2020. The Minnesota Zoo’s ZOOM STEM Design Challenge is celebrating 10 years the first week of March 2024. (Scott Takushi / Pioneer Press file)

The Treetop Trail, which opened last summer, is the world’s longest elevated pedestrian loop, stretching over a mile and bringing visitors up to 32 feet in the air with bird’s eye views of tigers, wild horses and more.

Since launching in Dakota County in 2014, the ZOOMS program has reached 33,000 students who have developed more than 10,000 projects, according to the zoo. Over the last decade, the program has spanned 434 schools across 12 states and two countries, with this year’s challenge reaching 68 schools.

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By JONATHAN J. COOPER (Associated Press)

PHOENIX (AP) — Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona announced Tuesday that she won’t run for a second term after her estrangement from the Democratic Party left her politically homeless and without a clear path to reelection.

Sinema’s announcement comes after Senate Republicans blocked a bipartisan bill to help secure the U.S.-Mexico border and deliver military aid to Ukraine and Israel, which Sinema spent months negotiating. She’d hoped it would be a signature achievement addressing one of Washington’s most intractable challenges, as well as a powerful endorsement for her increasingly lonely view that cross-party dealmaking remains possible.

But in the end, Sinema’s border-security ambitions, and her career in Congress, were swallowed by the partisanship that has paralyzed Congress.

“I love Arizona and I am so proud of what we’ve delivered,” she said in a video posted to social media. “Because I choose civility, understanding, listening, working together to get stuff done, I will leave the Senate at the end of this year.”

Sinema’s decision avoids a three-way contest in one of the most closely watched 2024 Senate races, a hard-to-forecast scenario that spawned fierce debate among political operatives about whether one major party would benefit in the quest for the Senate majority. Most analysts agreed Sinema had faced significant, likely insurmountable hurdles if she’d decided to run.

Sinema, the first openly bisexual person elected to the Senate, had raised money for a potential reelection campaign and significantly stepped up her public appearances in Arizona throughout 2023, though her activities slowed as her announcement neared. During her five years in office, she built a formidable campaign bank account pegged at $10.6 million on Dec. 31, 2023, but her quarterly fundraising was outpaced by Democrat Ruben Gallego and Republican Kari Lake.

Sinema was a Democrat for most of her political career but left the party late last year, saying she doesn’t fit into the two-party system. She had alienated many of her colleagues and her party’s base by blocking progressive priorities, often siding with business interests. In an era tribalistic party loyalty, she went out of her way to build relationships with Republicans.

When Sinema became an independent in late 2022, Democrats feared she would split the left-of-center vote and allow a Republican to win.

Republicans have a favorable map in the battle for control of the Senate. Democrats will be forced to defend 23 seats, including Sinema’s and two others held by independents who usually vote with Democrats, compared with just 10 seats for Republicans.