The Black Donnellys

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Season 1
Metascore
45

Mixed or average reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 30
  3. Negative: 12 out of 30
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Critic Reviews

  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ken Tucker
    58
    Haggis equates the slow revealing of character and plot with classy writing; you'll probably experience it as stuff you can see coming a mile away.
  2. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Tim Goodman
    50
    [It] ultimately succumbs to being an inferior story on a broadcast network that can't even remotely match two far better cable series ["The Sopranos" and "Brotherhood"].
  3. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Linda Stasi
    50
    While "Studio 60" is/was an annoying, insidery and smug series about the inside doings of the annoyingly smug cast of a "Saturday Night Live-ish" show, "Donnellys" is the annoying, insidery and smug series about the doings of the Donnelly brothers, low-level thugs in Hell's Kitchen in New York City.
  5. Philadelphia Daily News
    Reviewed by: Ellen Gray
    50
    I just couldn't buy in.
  6. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Barry Garron
    40
    Maybe this show would be more compelling if the Donnellys were a little less black and a little more gray.
  7. Newark Star-Ledger
    Reviewed by: Alan Sepinwall
    40
    If "Donnellys" wants a shot at doing better than "Studio 60" in its timeslot, it needs at least a hint of a larger-than-life figure.
  8. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Matthew Gilbert
    40
    Ultimately "The Black Donnellys" pales in the light of its lofty influences.
  9. Slate
    Reviewed by: Troy Patterson
    40
    The next four episodes are nowhere near as patient and controlled as that cinematic pilot, but, man, are they Irish: the wakes, the neon shamrock, the epigraphs from W.B. Yeats and D.P. Moynihan. And the show keeps this magnificent blarney up even as it swipes half its ideas from the playbooks of Scorsese and The Godfather.

Awards & Rankings

74
#74 Best TV Season of 2007
6
#6 Most Discussed TV Season of 2007
40
#40 Most Shared TV Season of 2007

User Reviews

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User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 222 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 196 out of 222
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 222
  3. Negative: 23 out of 222
  1. Nemodogdad
    May 10, 2017
    10
    This just goes to show how flawed NBC programing decisions are, and how online whole season releases save great shows because of superiorThis just goes to show how flawed NBC programing decisions are, and how online whole season releases save great shows because of superior response abilities. This show was great. Had it run today, netflix would have bought it and put out at least two more seasons. Until I saw it this year, I never heard about this show. I found it compelling, and am crushed that I will not see any plot developement or narative resolved. Pity, it was great.....… Full Review »
  2. james0tucson
    Oct 27, 2015
    10
    It was an extremely well-conceived series. Unfortunately, it was produced in denial of the reality, that it wouldn't reach its audience untilIt was an extremely well-conceived series. Unfortunately, it was produced in denial of the reality, that it wouldn't reach its audience until it found its way to internet streaming, years after it was cancelled. Oh well. It's the last thing keeping my subscription to Netflix active. Once I'm done with Black Donnellys, there's nothing left on TV worth watching, IMHO.… Full Review »
  3. Tss5078
    Oct 18, 2015
    4
    NBC's answer to the Sopranos, was a show called The Black Donnellys, and it was a show about the Irish mob, starring Jonathan Tucker, who isNBC's answer to the Sopranos, was a show called The Black Donnellys, and it was a show about the Irish mob, starring Jonathan Tucker, who is as talented as he is good looking, so what went wrong? As it turns out, there were a lot of things wrong with this show that could have been easily corrected. We forget though that this is the era of on-demand, DVR, and Netflix, and in today's world, network shows that don't crack the top 50 in their first 13 episodes, don't stand a chance.

    The Donnelly brothers grew up in a tough Boston neighborhood, and their father, was heavily involved in the Irish mob. Wanting a better life, Mr. Donnelly's four sons inherited his bar and try to run a legitimate business. There is of course a problem, not all the Donnelly's are keeping their noses clean. Eventually, a pair of brothers run into problems with the Italians, and have to learn the lessons their father never wanted them to learn. The show has a very solid backstory and if it were presented in the correct way, I think it could have been a huge hit, but as it turns out, the show was like a bad joke, which only a handful of viewers seemed to get.

    For starters, the show is narrated by a wise-cracking family friend who is always telling the story in some comedic way to one law enforcement agency or another. The big joke is how does this guy know all these things when he's not there, and then, just like that, he's randomly there in the background, with everyone looking confused.

    The timing of the story is also problematic, because when you're doing a show like this, you need to draw viewers in before starting the story from the very beginning. Would anyone have watched the Sopranos if Tony Soprano was a twenty year old kid, just getting started? If this show had started a few years later, when the brothers were established gangsters, in some full on mafia war, and then gone back and showed how it all started, it would have been a lot more interesting. As I watched the episodes, I could see the show leading into something bigger and better, but it never go there. I suspect there were big plans for future seasons, but how can you start a show assuming there will be more seasons?

    As for the brothers, they are all former child stars, led by Jonathan Tucker. While he's not a huge star in Hollywood, he has made it a lot further than his co-stars, and his experience and talent are very evident, especially by comparison. Tucker has what it takes to take the lead in a show like this and draw in an audience, but that's impossible when the show is poorly written and just doesn't seem to go anywhere.

    The bottom line, I like the idea behind the show and there were a couple of really interesting characters. If this show had lasted, I have no doubt that it would have grown into something bigger and better, but as it stands, The Black Donnellys didn't make past it's first season, and with good cause. I kept waiting for things to happen that never did and eventually gave up on it too. Having an idea for a long running series usually means that show will be well written and highly intelligent, but in today's world, if you want to go beyond one season, then you really need to go all out, right from the beginning, if not, you'll be a forgotten show on Netflix, that some talented reviewer finally sees eight years after the fact.    … Full Review »
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