Animal Kingdom (TV series)

Did You Know?

• The first season has a 76% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 33 reviews.
• The first season was released on DVD and Blu-ray on April 28, 2017, with behind-the-scenes featurettes and deleted scenes.
• The Warner Archive Collection produced Blu-ray formats starting with Season 2 and manufacture on demand DVD releases for the remaining seasons.

Premise

The series centers on Joshua "J" Cody, who moves in with his estranged relatives, the Codys, after his mother's death when he was 17. The family runs a criminal enterprise in Oceanside, California, governed by matriarch Janine "Smurf" Cody. J's uncles—Barry "Baz" Blackwell, Andrew "Pope" Cody, Craig Cody, and Deran Cody—carry out heists and other criminal activities. Associates include Catherine Belen, Nicky Belmont, Lucy, and Mia Benitez. Flashbacks depict a younger Smurf in 1977, 1984, 1992, and 1999 as part of a crew of career criminals, alongside her on-again/off-again boyfriend Jake Dunmore, crew leader Manny, and her children Andrew, Baz, and Julia Cody.

Cast and characters

Ellen Barkin portrays Janine "Smurf" Cody, the tough matriarch of the Cody family and J's estranged grandmother, who runs a criminal enterprise in Oceanside, California, and is very protective of her family, presenting a borderline-incestuous love towards them. She appears in seasons 1–4. Smurf is also portrayed by Rimea Kasprzak during flashbacks in 1966 (guest season 1) and by Leila George during flashbacks in 1977, 1984, 1992, and 1999 (seasons 5–6; recurring season 4).

Scott Speedman plays Barry "Baz" Blackwell, Smurf's adopted son and leader of the family's heists, in seasons 1–3 (guest season 6); Baz is also portrayed by Reeve Baker in 1984 flashbacks (guest season 5) and by Darren Mann in 1992 and 1999 flashbacks (recurring season 6). Shawn Hatosy plays Andrew "Pope" Cody, the oldest Cody son with mental illness and OCD, who returns after three years in Folsom State Prison; Pope is also portrayed by Houston Towe in 1984 flashbacks (recurring season 5) and by Kevin Csolak in 1992 and 1999 flashbacks (recurring season 6).

Ben Robson plays Craig Cody, the middle son with a predilection for drugs and risky activities, in an on-again/off-again relationship with Renn Randall; Craig is also portrayed by Oz Kalvan in 1992 flashbacks (recurring season 6) and by Jack Michael Doke in 1999 flashbacks (guest season 6). Jake Weary plays Deran Cody, the youngest son and former competitive surfer, in a complicated relationship with Adrian Dolan; Deran is also portrayed by Cyrus Blomberg in 1992 flashbacks (recurring season 6) and by Dexter Hobert in 1999 flashbacks (guest season 6).

Finn Cole plays Joshua "J" Cody, Smurf's grandson who moves in after his mother Julia's death and is the only one who challenges Smurf.

Production

TNT ordered the pilot in May 2015; Ellen Barkin and Scott Speedman were the first cast in July 2015. Finn Cole and Jake Weary joined in August, with Shawn Hatosy and Ben Robson cast soon after. The project was picked up for a 10-episode first season in December 2015. The show debuted on June 14, 2016, and was renewed for a 13-episode second season on July 6, 2016. A third season was announced on July 27, 2016, premiering on May 29, 2018. The series was renewed for a fourth season on July 2, 2018, with production beginning on January 10, 2019. A fifth season was ordered on July 24, 2019; production was suspended on March 16, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, resumed on September 7, 2020, and wrapped on December 11, 2020. A sixth and final season was announced on January 14, 2021, with production starting on March 6, 2021, and wrapping on August 12, 2021.

International broadcast

Animal Kingdom streams on Netflix in Australia, India, Israel, the Netherlands, and the UK. Canadian viewers can catch it on CTV Drama Channel (previously Bravo), with all seasons also on Netflix and Crave; starting with season four, Bravo aired episodes simultaneously with TNT. A French-language version runs on Z. In France, Warner TV has broadcast the series since February 8, 2018. Brazil gets it on Netflix, while Belgium has it on Amazon Prime Video as of 2022.