Taboo is a BBC television drama series produced by Scott Free London and Hardy Son & Baker. It premiered on BBC One in the United Kingdom, on 7 January 2017 and on FX in the United States, on 10 January 2017. The eight-episode series was created by Steven Knight, Tom Hardy, and his father, Chips Hardy, based on a story written by Tom and Chips Hardy.

Upon the death of his father in 1814, adventurer and merchant James Delaney (Tom Hardy) returns to England after spending the prior twelve years in Africa. The story is set towards the end of the 1812 war between Great Britain and the United States (1812-1815).

"Taboo" refers to the protagonist's sexual relationship with his half-sister Zilpha Geary (they have the same father). Taboo further explores the dark side of 19th-century London, its political and business corruption involving the East India Company. The narrative arc closely references the development of geopolitical lines defining Canada and the United States. The story leverages the machinations and antics of real world spies (Committee of Secret Correspondence) and sympathizers of the United States in London during the early 1800s.

The protagonist's mystical and magical powers, learned during his time in Africa, add a supernatural tone to the story. Delaney can communicate with the dead, has numerous visions and the script deepens Hardy's character by accurately using numerous phrases from the Ghana Twi language used by the Akan people during numerous mystical flashback scenes.Delaney bears a striking tattoo on his neck depicting the Sankofa bird, a mystical symbol that recurrently surfaces as numerous carvings during his time in London. The imagery portrays a bird with its head turned backward, retrieving an egg from its back. This potent Asante mystic symbol serves as a powerful invocation of the recurring themes of taboos in Delaney's life—ranging from incest and mass murder to his various amoral acts. Essentially, the symbol conveys the profound message that "it is not taboo to fetch what is at risk of being left behind." Delaney is portrayed as a dangerous man; the story contains several horrific fights in which he kills with a knife in a dramatic manner, disemboweling numerous opponents.Kristoffer Nyholm and Anders Engström each directed four episodes of the first series. Max Richter composed the score. The series received favourable reviews, with critics praising Hardy's performance, visual presentation, and pacing.