Animal Kingdom (TV series)

Animal Kingdom is an American drama television series developed by Jonathan Lisco. It is based on the 2010 Australian film of the same name by David Michôd, who is executive producer for the series, alongside Liz Watts who also produced the movie. The series features a 17-year-old boy, who, after the death of his mother, moves in with his estranged relatives, the Codys, a criminal family clan governed by matriarch Smurf. Ellen Barkin portrayed the leading role of Janine "Smurf" Cody in the first four seasons, played by Jacki Weaver in the 2010 film.

Animal Kingdom
GenreCrime drama
Family drama
Serial drama
Based onAnimal Kingdom
by David Michôd
Developed byJonathan Lisco
Starring
Theme music composerAtticus Ross & Claudia Sarne
Composer(s)Alexis & Sam
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes49 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
Producer(s)
  • Jinny Howe
  • Andrew Stearn
  • Terri Murphy
  • Llewellyn Wells
Production location(s)Oceanside, California
Los Angeles, California
Cinematography
  • Danny Moder
  • Loren Yaconelli
Running time47-54 minutes
Production company(s)
  • John Wells Productions
  • Warner Horizon Television
DistributorWarner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original networkTNT
Picture format1080i (HDTV)
Original releaseJune 14, 2016 (2016-06-14) –
present
External links
Website

Animal Kingdom debuted on TNT on June 14, 2016, and was renewed for a second season in July 2016, of thirteen episodes that premiered on May 30, 2017.[1] In July 2017, TNT renewed the series for a third season that debuted on May 29, 2018.[2][3] In July 2018, TNT renewed the series for a fourth season that premiered on May 28, 2019.[4][5]

In July 2019, TNT renewed the series for a fifth season.[6]

Cast and characters
Main article: List of Animal Kingdom characters
  • Ellen Barkin as Janine "Smurf" Cody, the tough matriarch of the family and J's estranged grandmother. Smurf is protective of her family and presents a borderline-incestuous love towards them. She later comes down with terminal cancer and plans an elaborate heist to die on her own terms and take at least Pope with her. However, it fails and she is shot dead by J, who fulfilled her wish. (seasons 1–4)
  • Scott Speedman as Barry "Baz" Blackwell, Smurf's adopted son and leader in the Codys' robberies. He later ends up being shot to death by Mia for framing Smurf. (seasons 1–3)
  • Shawn Hatosy as Andrew "Pope" Cody, the oldest Cody son, who is mentally disturbed and considers suicide. He reappears after having served three years in Folsom State Prison and had an obsessive infatuation with Baz's girlfriend Catherine. He is attached to Catherine's daughter, Lena, and takes it upon himself to give her a good life, until he puts her into the foster care system to protect her from her family's criminal lifestyle.
  • Ben Robson as Craig Cody, the middle Cody son, who has a predilection for drugs and extremely risky activities.
  • Jake Weary as Deran Cody, the youngest Cody son, a former competitive surfer who is gay and owns and operates a bar as a legitimate side business.
  • Finn Cole as Joshua "J" Cody, Smurf's grandson who moves in with her and his uncles following the death of his mother, Julia, who was Pope's twin sister. J is the only one who will challenge Smurf and wants to take power over her and her life.
  • Daniella Alonso as Catherine Blackwell, Baz's girlfriend, and the mother of their daughter, Lena. She is smothered to death by Pope on Smurf's orders. (season 1)
  • Molly Gordon as Nicky Belmont, J's girlfriend who later hooks up with Craig. She leaves town and goes back to live with her parents. (seasons 1–3)
  • Carolina Guerra as Lucy, Baz's mistress from Mexico with whom he rekindles a romance after Catherine's disappearance. She is the head of a Mexican gang with her brother. She is later shot dead by Mia. (seasons 2–3, recurring season 1)
  • Sohvi Rodriguez as Mia Benitez, (season 4, recurring season 3) a tough young woman raised in a gang who is very rough around the edges. She later grows closer to the Cody family and becomes romantically involved with J and has a mysterious and dangerous night-life. She is later shot dead by J after she told him she killed Baz and robbed the family with her boyfriend Tupi.[7]
  • Rigo Sanchez as Manny (recurring season 4) in 1977, the leader of Young Smurf's ruthless career criminals.[8]

Episodes
Further information: List of Animal Kingdom episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
110June 14, 2016 (2016-06-14)August 9, 2016 (2016-08-09)
213May 30, 2017 (2017-05-30)August 29, 2017 (2017-08-29)
313May 29, 2018 (2018-05-29)August 21, 2018 (2018-08-21)
413May 28, 2019 (2019-05-28)August 20, 2019 (2019-08-20)

Production

TNT ordered the pilot of Animal Kingdom in May 2015;[9] Barkin and Speedman were the first to be cast in July 2015, as matriarch Smurf and her adopted son Baz, respectively.[10] In August, Cole and Weary were added as J and Deran,[11] with Hatosy and Robson soon cast as the remaining Cody brothers Pope and Craig.[12][13] Alonso was later announced as Baz's wife Catherine,[14] and Molly Gordon as J's girlfriend Nicky.[15]

The project was picked up to series with a 10-episode order in December 2015.[16] The show debuted on June 14, 2016,[17] and on July 6, 2016 TNT renewed it for a 13-episode second season.[18] On July 27 TNT announced it would be renewing Animal Kingdom for a third season, which premiered on May 29, 2018.[3] The season 3 premiere was aired after a game on TNT beginning 12:30/11:30 central the day before the premiere.[19] On July 2, 2018, TNT renewed the series for a fourth season.[4] Production on the fourth season began on January 10, 2019.[20] The fourth season premiered on May 28, 2019.[5] On July 24, 2019, TNT renewed the series for a fifth season.[6]

On March 16, 2020, production on the fifth season was suspended "until further notice" due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[21]

Reception

Critical response

The first season of Animal Kingdom has received positive reviews. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 76% based on 33 reviews. The consensus is: "Bolstered by Ellen Barkin's acting prowess, Animal Kingdom is a darkly intriguing, although occasionally predictable, twisted family drama."[22] On Metacritic, the series has a score of 65 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[23]

Ratings
Viewership and ratings per season of Animal Kingdom
SeasonTimeslot (ET) Episodes First aired Last airedAvg. viewers
(millions)		18–49
rank		Avg. 18–49
rating
Date Viewers
(millions)		 Date Viewers
(millions)
1 Tuesday 9:00 pm10 June 14, 2016 (2016-06-14) 1.31[24] August 9, 2016 (2016-08-09) 1.51[25]1.27[26]TBD0.43[26]
2 13 May 30, 2017 (2017-05-30) 1.19[27] August 29, 2017 (2017-08-29) 1.41[28]1.17[29]TBD0.38[29]
3 13 May 29, 2018 (2018-05-29) 1.61[30] August 21, 2018 (2018-08-21) 1.37[31]1.31[32]TBD0.39[32]
4 13 May 28, 2019 (2019-05-28) 1.35[33] August 20, 2019 (2019-08-20) 1.39[34]1.21[35]TBD0.33[35]

Accolades
Year Award Category Recipient(s) and nominee(s) Result Ref.
2018 Saturn Awards Best Action-Thriller Television Series Animal Kingdom Nominated [36]

International broadcast

In Australia, it is available on Netflix with new episodes added weekly.[37]

In Canada, the show is broadcast on Bravo (Canada),[38] and all four seasons are available on Netflix.[39] Beginning with its fourth season, the episodes were broadcast on Bravo at the same time and day as the original TNT broadcasts.[40]

Home media

The first season was released in DVD and Blu-ray formats on April 28, 2017. Each set contains behind-the-scenes featurettes and deleted scenes. The home media for the first two season's DVD releases were distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.[41] Going forward starting with Season 3, the Warner Archive Collection who also produce the Blu-ray format since Season 2, began releasing manufacture on demand DVD releases for the remaining seasons.

References
  1. "Breaking News: TNT's Animal Kingdom Returns for Season 2 Tuesday, May 30". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 2017-06-30.
  2. Porter, Rick (July 27, 2017). "'Animal Kingdom' and 'Angie Tribeca' renewed at TNT and TBS". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  3. "Animal Kingdom renewed for season 3". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  4. Otterson, Joe (July 2, 2018). "Claws, Animal Kingdom Renewed at TNT". Variety. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  5. Pedersen, Erik (March 27, 2019). "'Animal Kingdom' Season 4 Trailer & Premiere Date: It's A Crime-Family Affair". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
  6. Mason, Charlie (July 24, 2019). "Animal Kingdom Renewed for Season 5". TVLine. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  7. "animal-kingdom-sohvi-rodriguez-promoted-series-regular-season-4". Deadline Hollywood.
  8. https://deadline.com/2020/02/animal-kingdom-rigo-sanchez-promoted-series-regular-season-5-1202858692/
  9. Turner press release (May 13, 2015). "Kevin Reilly Unveils Bold Vision for TNT & TBS At Turner Broadcasting's 2015 Upfront". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  10. Andreeva, Nellie (July 29, 2015). "Ellen Barkin & Scott Speedman To Star In John Wells' TNT Pilot Animal Kingdom". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  11. Petski, Denise (August 4, 2015). "Finn Cole & Jake Weary Join TNT Drama Pilot Animal Kingdom". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  12. Petski, Denise (August 14, 2015). "Shawn Hatosy Joins TNT Drama Pilot Animal Kingdom". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  13. Pedersen, Erik (August 20, 2015). "Ben Robson Leads Life Of Crime In TNT Pilot Animal Kingdom". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  14. Petski, Denise (August 24, 2015). "Daniella Alonso Joins Animal Kingdom Pilot; Emma Greenwell In The Way". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  15. Petski, Denise (August 25, 2015). "Molly Gordon Rounds Out Animal Kingdom Cast; Orange Is The New Black Adds 3 Recurring". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  16. "TNT Greenlights Original Drama Series Good Behavior and Animal Kingdom". The Futon Critic. December 10, 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  17. Slezak, Michael (March 24, 2016). "Animal Kingdom — TNT Drama Premiere Date and Trailer". TVLine. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  18. Prudom, Laura (July 6, 2016). "TNT's Animal Kingdom, TBS Comedies Angie Tribeca and Wrecked Renewed". Variety. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  19. "TV Listings- Find Local TV Listings and Watch Full Episodes - Zap2it.com". tvlistings.zap2it.com.
  20. Ben Robson. "Season 4, #AnimalKingdom Lets go!! #BadIsBred". Instagram.
  21. Pedersen, Erik (March 16, 2020). "Coronavirus: TV Shows That Have Halted Or Delayed Production Amid Outbreak". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  22. "Animal Kingdom: Season 1 (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  23. "Animal Kingdom: Season 1". Metacritic. CBS. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  24. Metcalf, Mitch (June 15, 2016). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 6.14.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  25. Metcalf, Mitch (August 10, 2016). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.9.2016". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  26. "Animal Kingdom: Season One Ratings". TV Series Finale. August 10, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  27. Metcalf, Mitch (June 1, 2017). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.30.2017". ShowBuzz Daily. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  28. Metcalf, Mitch (August 30, 2017). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.29.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  29. "Animal Kingdom: Season Two Ratings". TV Series Finale. August 30, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  30. Metcalf, Mitch (May 30, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.28.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  31. Metcalf, Mitch (August 22, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.21.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  32. "Animal Kingdom: Season Three Ratings". TV Series Finale. August 22, 2018. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  33. Metcalf, Mitch (May 30, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.28.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  34. Metcalf, Mitch (August 21, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.20.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  35. "Animal Kingdom: Season Four Ratings". TV Series Finale. August 21, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  36. McNary, Dave (March 15, 2018). "'Black Panther,' 'Walking Dead' Rule Saturn Awards Nominations". Variety. Archived from the original on March 15, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  37. "Is Season 1-4 of Animal Kingdom on Netflix?". What's on Netflix. May 31, 2019.
  38. "bravo.ca - All Shows". www.bravo.ca.
  39. "Netflix Canada".
  40. "Canadian Air Schedule for Animal Kingdom". Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  41. Lambert, David (January 26, 2017). "Animal Kingdom - Official Warner Press Release for 'The Complete 1st Season' on DVD, Blu-ray". TV Shows on DVD. Archived from the original on January 28, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
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