Animal Kingdom

:

Season 1
  • Network: TNT
  • Series Premiere Date: Jun 14, 2016
Season #: 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
User Score
6.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 68 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 47 out of 68
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 68
  3. Negative: 11 out of 68
Watch Now

Where To Watch

Stream On
Buy on
Stream On

Review this tv show

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling

User Reviews

view
per page
  1. flowercglez
    Jan 9, 2017
    10
    So many dynamics to this show. I expected a cheap imitation of Sons of Anarchy, but I'm pleasantly surprised. I am eagerly awaiting season 2, I want to see the already complex characters evolve.
  2. Lisa24
    Jun 15, 2016
    10
    Great drama. Reminds me a lot of Sons of Anarchy. Ellen Barkin plays a strong, manipulative mother who leads her sons into a life of crime. You know it has to be a great show if critic Maureen Ryan doesn't like it!
  3. Bitash
    Aug 10, 2016
    9
    You have to give the show chance to Sunnen wasn't interested better as time is pretty entertaining.... In the beginning you could come across as they're trying to hard not to believe but as it went on the characteristic better. Pretty entertaining
  4. Me_Llama_Ello
    Aug 1, 2016
    9
    What a show! The acting is superb, the plot and the writing are strong, the whole show is great. Shawn Hatosy, who plays the oldest son, and Ellen Barkin, who plays the matriarch, are amazing.
  5. temq
    Aug 15, 2016
    10
    The show is great! The cast, the plot, the cinematography and the soundtrack are perfectly blended.
    And Ellen Barkin did a great job! Looking forward to seeing season two!
  6. zepol730
    Jul 9, 2016
    0
    I have loved and watched TNT shows for years. Animal Kingdom has changed my mind on the quality of your shows. The show is a poor excuse for glorifying violence and making murderers heros which in the state of the
    nation is in is irresponsible and just makes gang and mafia killers the next new celebirty. The mother and sons
    relationship on the show is pure incest which is also insulting    I have loved and watched TNT shows for years. Animal Kingdom has changed my mind on the quality of your shows. The show is a poor excuse for glorifying violence and making murderers heros which in the state of the
    nation is in is irresponsible and just makes gang and mafia killers the next new celebirty. The mother and sons
    relationship on the show is pure incest which is also insulting and revolting. Ellen Barkin may be a "fierch for of nature" but she is a slutty woman who has more than just a 'he is blood baby' relationship with her sons which makes me vomit. Cut your loses and dump the show. It is one of the very few garbage shows that TNT has ever come up with.    … Expand
  7. CubsRedux1908
    Jul 16, 2016
    0
    Seriously? Just watched the Pilot on demand. Following the episode executive producer John Wells said "They are people you would be afraid to come across, and yet you would love to hang out with them." In what circles does Mr. Wells circulate that he knows ANYONE who would love to hang out with a family of psychopaths? I thought from the trailer I might find the show character-driven andSeriously? Just watched the Pilot on demand. Following the episode executive producer John Wells said "They are people you would be afraid to come across, and yet you would love to hang out with them." In what circles does Mr. Wells circulate that he knows ANYONE who would love to hang out with a family of psychopaths? I thought from the trailer I might find the show character-driven and intriguing. But when every single protagonist is as morally bankrupt as this bunch, I can only hope they do the world a favor, steal a bus and have Grandma drive them all off the nearest cliff.… Expand
  8. BrooksFan
    Aug 3, 2016
    2
    When I saw a new show featuring the likes of Ellen Barkin and Scott Speedman, I immediately added it to my series playlist on my trusty DVR. I let the first few episodes tape so I could binge watch it a little. I always hoped Speedman would get a chance at another strong television show, and I have had a crush on Ellen Barkin since I saw her in "Switch" and of course, "Sea of Love".When I saw a new show featuring the likes of Ellen Barkin and Scott Speedman, I immediately added it to my series playlist on my trusty DVR. I let the first few episodes tape so I could binge watch it a little. I always hoped Speedman would get a chance at another strong television show, and I have had a crush on Ellen Barkin since I saw her in "Switch" and of course, "Sea of Love". Unfortunately, the show is trying to hard to be an alternate universe of Sons of Anarchy, with a white trash, purposeless group of crooks, who come across as about as far away from Family as one can get. It's not believable that any one of these characters would possess the basic social skills to interact as a close knit group, much less have any success at crime, especially something as discipline heavy as organized armed robbery or a long con. They drive around in new cars and spend money like water, which comes across as made up. bank robbery is a federal crime, and bank robbers don't last long once you're on the Feds radar. Set all of that aside, and still, it sucks. The writing is crap. I've seen Vampire diaries episode with more believable banter than what these Actors have to say. Whoever told Ellen Barkin, AKA "Smurf" (stupid, weird moniker) to walk up to 6 foot hoodlums and get in right in their face, has never interviewed a real criminal, much less been around any. Just poor acting in general. It's not totally bad, and I don't blame the actors, because there really isn't much going on besides an opportunity to have scene after scene of good looking actors mostly naked, doing drugs, having sex and partying. Unfortunately, Ellen looks pretty terrible, and it ruined my crush watching her trying to be sexy in this. It doesn't work. She's way to skinny in this show. The other long haired dudes are basically meatheads. Hopefully they are trying to act that way, for whatever reason. I get the feeling that someone told them to behave that way, and that they are trying their best, but it's not working. Scott Speedman is astute as ever, with perhaps the only decent timing of the group, but his hair looks like he just stepped out from under a 500.00 haircut stylists chair in every scene. That's not what I picture a rogue would look like. The short haired guy was in prison at Leavenworth but has almost zero tattoos. Really? No prison tats? Okay maybe. But he is cast wrong. Every thing about this show seems contrived and comes off boring and superficial, and just not believable. The women in this show besides Barkin look like they stepped out of Victorias Secret or Fast and Furious, but from the extras department, not the main characters. They come across as sterile and too perfect. I've met real criminals, and their women, and they don't look like that. Sons of Anarchy was much closer. There is a faded beauty, and perhaps a certain charisma, in a bad guy, and very few bad guys are as all bad as these guys are, especially to their families. If they are, they wind up in prison, or dead, and fast. The best ones are usually pretty lovable, until they break your neck and take all your stuff. The only one who embodies this in the least, is Speedman, but the haircut and the poor script kills it. Get a clue, TV Land. There would have been plenty of other ways to play, and tell, this story, and it certainly has potential, but that's about it.
    Too bad.    … Expand
  9. laskox
    Jun 19, 2016
    0
    This is what Sons of Anarchy would've been had Kurt Sutter been a no-talent hack writing his first television script. It is so vastly inferior to its Australian counterpart that they should be ashamed to even use the title. Other than J, there isn't one sympathetic character in the entire show and anyone with any sensibility is cringing at every action of every other character in thisThis is what Sons of Anarchy would've been had Kurt Sutter been a no-talent hack writing his first television script. It is so vastly inferior to its Australian counterpart that they should be ashamed to even use the title. Other than J, there isn't one sympathetic character in the entire show and anyone with any sensibility is cringing at every action of every other character in this thing.

    The acting is adequate but whoever wrote this thing should be banned from ever writing anything, ever again. It's easy to understand why ShowTime passed on this piece of worthless trash    … Expand
  10. ROBOVJR
    Aug 3, 2016
    6
    I like the show and the premise set in southern California. But.......no way pint size Ellen Barkin controls and rules these guys the way she does. Like she's some mastermind of crime, and the brothers need her. These guys are smart and are already pulling off jobs behind her back Her hold on them is absolutely ridiculous!! With a little over 1 M viewers an episode this series is summerI like the show and the premise set in southern California. But.......no way pint size Ellen Barkin controls and rules these guys the way she does. Like she's some mastermind of crime, and the brothers need her. These guys are smart and are already pulling off jobs behind her back Her hold on them is absolutely ridiculous!! With a little over 1 M viewers an episode this series is summer fun, a one season stand alone at best.… Expand
  11. LamontRaymond
    Jul 17, 2016
    6
    The movie on which this series is based is one of my all-time favorite films, so it had a lot to live up to. But it's not doing a terrible job. The new "Jay" is the most compelling actor of the bunch, and I think Scott Speedman is doing a serviceable job. Where this show gets crushed vis a vis the movie is the Pope character. That actor doesn't have the chops to get within strikingThe movie on which this series is based is one of my all-time favorite films, so it had a lot to live up to. But it's not doing a terrible job. The new "Jay" is the most compelling actor of the bunch, and I think Scott Speedman is doing a serviceable job. Where this show gets crushed vis a vis the movie is the Pope character. That actor doesn't have the chops to get within striking distance of the performance Ben Mendelhsohn delivered in the movie. Also, Jackie Weaver was brilliance - Ellen Barkin is fine, but she's simply outclassed. So I'm definitely going to finish the season, but it's not what I was hoping for. Keep up the storylines! (Esp the C. Thomas Howell stuff - fun!)… Expand
  12. mmh35
    Aug 3, 2017
    7
    When I first checked this show out it was because of Scott Speedman, who I knew from Felicity and the Underworld movies. Throughout watching season 1 and now season 2 I have come to like this cast a lot. Ellen Barkin is awesome as Smurf. Shawn Hatosy is creepy good as Pope; and Speedman is charismatic as Baz. The actors who play Deran and Craig, I hadn't seen before this show. They bothWhen I first checked this show out it was because of Scott Speedman, who I knew from Felicity and the Underworld movies. Throughout watching season 1 and now season 2 I have come to like this cast a lot. Ellen Barkin is awesome as Smurf. Shawn Hatosy is creepy good as Pope; and Speedman is charismatic as Baz. The actors who play Deran and Craig, I hadn't seen before this show. They both make excellent impressions. The kid who plays J is the heart of the show. I think anyone who watched Sons of Anarchy could get into this show. Sons had Charlie Hunnam to swoon over. Kingdom has Speedman and Ben Robson for that. This show is both badass and fun. Animal Kingdom is a show that's worth watching.… Expand
  13. SkyfighterDK
    Jul 6, 2018
    7
    Mindless entertainment with a good summer vibe... nothing stellar to shout about, but delivers fine solid goods for fans of action/drama shows, who don't mind a lighter note. Season 3 is moving really well right now. Show is shot in Ocean Side, California, which I think is a location that works well here too. Cheers
  14. anotheruser2018
    Apr 28, 2018
    0
    I just saw an add for Animal Kingdom. It is truly disturbing what is currently allowed to be televised. The ad just taught a new bullying/name calling word to the youth of America. No wonder our country is in the moral decline it is today. A suggestion is whoever is responsible for ads shown should be cognizant that an underage viewer, or an adult with any morals, may be offended. LetI just saw an add for Animal Kingdom. It is truly disturbing what is currently allowed to be televised. The ad just taught a new bullying/name calling word to the youth of America. No wonder our country is in the moral decline it is today. A suggestion is whoever is responsible for ads shown should be cognizant that an underage viewer, or an adult with any morals, may be offended. Let the individuals that decide to actually watch a program be subjected to the content, at least it’s their decision to watch it then.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

97
#97 Best TV Season of 2016
88
#88 Most Discussed TV Season of 2016
45
#45 Most Shared TV Season of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
65

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. TV Guide Magazine
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    Jun 16, 2016
    50
    This crowded house becomes a power keg of divided loyalties and jealousies, often playing out in reckless games of chicken that soon grow tiresome. [20-26 Jun 2016, p.16]
  2. Time
    Reviewed by: Daniel D'Addario
    Jun 14, 2016
    60
    There’s just enough cliché here to make Animal Kingdom as comfortable as air-conditioning. But Ellen Barkin’s reinvention of the Smurf role, finding new provocations in the already provocatively written role of a grandma crime boss, is a pleasant jolt.
    Read full review
  3. Uncle Barky
    Reviewed by: Ed Bark
    Jun 14, 2016
    58
    Animal Kingdom is nowhere near in the same league as The Americans or Fargo or the recently ended Justified. And if it’s trying to be Sons of Anarchy ... well, I think most viewers finally had enough of that, too.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »