Claws

Claws is densely packed with fascinating characters and vibrant dialogue--and the cast grabs that dialogue and sprints off with it.

Claws does occasionally lean a bit hard on the wackiness; it has a tendency to overindulge when it comes to extended montages and slo-mo. But, honestly, who cares? On a hot day when a TV viewer is looking for a fun kick, it’s an appealing summer offering: a sweet mojito with extra pulp.

Sparkly nail salon culture, the low-life Floridian crime world and the close camaraderie of female friends is a winning combination for Claws, a series that favors true situation comedy and stylistic flair above trashy girl and bling clichés.

What you bask in while watching Claws is the world that’s been created, and the women who populate it. It’s a world maybe you don’t quite understand but is so meticulously crafted that it doesn’t become hick tourism, but instead a heightened version of an already colorful reality.

The characters in Claws initially seem like clichés, including Desna, who is very much the familiar big-busted broad in high heels and hot pants. Before the first hour is over, though, we see them differently.

Claws walks a tightrope throughout. Its outlandish Spring Breakers--esque story, nourished by the heat of its setting, is bolstered by real and committed performances. It's a step forward for an increasingly ambitious network previously known for procedurals. Nash, overdue for a role that will vaunt her onto TV's A-list, brings humanity to a story that too easily could have been featherlight.

Nash, Preston, and Reyes play their roles with such gusto that your profound, debilitating shame at enjoying Claws will fade quickly.

There’s a lot to like about TNT’s dark comedy/​crime drama Claws, including a terrific cast of women playing some unusual-for-TV characters. But the show would be stronger if it had a more unique story engine to drive its plots.

Like “Animal Kingdom,” it will never be confused with quality TV, nor will it take you somewhere you’ve never been before. But as a bit of flamboyant drama, where subtlety is a lot less important than the bright Florida hues and the ladies’ flashy costumes, it will do.

There’s a twist at the end of the third episode, the last one made available to critics, that, along with the fine performances and the welcome focus on female solidarity, will keep me coming back to this series, at least for a few more episodes. The polish on Claws has some noticeable chips in it. But I don’t want to remove it, not just yet.

Like “Orange Is the New Black,” Claws is impressive primarily for how genuinely it engages with a disenfranchised underclass (without making it feel as boring or academic as that sounds). ... And though Claws admirably avoids judging this world, it still struggles with tone. The drama can’t quite decide how funny, smart, or pathetic it wants to be, and that can make for a jarring viewing experience.

I want the Mad Men version of this show, not the Breaking Bad version. Claws gives you sharp, jagged women to care about. I wish I cared more about the show itself.

I liked Claws’s sun-baked Florida setting, and the way the cameras capture the difference between the inside warmth of the nail salon versus the harsh ugliness of store-front life outside. And Nash is really excellent, rendering Desna in all her tough, vulnerable, shrewd complexity. The writing of the show needs to become as complex as that character.

Claws never lacks for energy, and its premise and cast composition are somewhat novel. But what it too often lacks is dexterity and texture.

Bad things happen, and in a wise choice by the producers, they happen before the end of the first episode. The show gets more interesting at that point, but it’s still caught somewhere on the road from feminist buddy comedy to bloody drama--and it’s not quite credible as either.

The parade of outlandish characters zipping in and out of their lives is distracting enough to confuse the atmosphere. As such, Claws isn’t fully realized as either a drama or a comedy, and its attempts at incorporating some version of the latter appears to be unintentional.

It's like two shows were grafted together and it remains to be seen how long it will take for the tone dosages to adjust.

Good idea and better cast squandered on a slapdash premise, weak writing and South Florida cliches.

With its crowded field of producers (including Rashida Jones), Claws has a difficult time with coherence, feeling like a half-hour show that learned way too late that it was going to be a one-hour show. ... As Uncle Daddy, Norris is unfortunately more clownsome than fearsome, and, bereft of better writing, Nash leans too heavily on stereotype as a way to give her character a little more life.