User reviews

Wow!!!! Just watch the first episode and you'll know if it's a show for you. Even if you aren't interested in MMA, which I am not at all, if you like really great acting you must see Jonathan Tucker in this show. Don't get me wrong the other actors, especially Matt Lauria do a great job, but Jonathan Tucker is in a class all his own. I plan to watch everything he has ever been in as soon as possible. I can't imagine how I've missed him until now. At one point he made me ugly cry so hard it hurt my face. I am not kidding. Tears flew about six feet across the room. I think even my cat cried a little bit. Dude is ridiculous... just ridiculous. He just gets better and better as the show goes on. I am truly and thoroughly mesmerized.

Review based on the pilot episode:

It's very easy with shows like this, to exaggerate certain aspects. Over-the-top characters being too positive, too negative, too macho or too weak. The scenery being too rich or too run down. The plot being too simple or too accidental. This show makes none of these mistakes.

From beginning to end it feels real. Imperfect characters, no clichés and realistic action create very enjoyable entertainment.

Casting seems spot on and acting is very good. Camera-work might seem shaky at times, but I did not feel like I missed anything because of it. The action sequences kept the pace up and were choreographed quite well. The strain, exhaustion and determination of the fighters is extremely well shown.

I look forward to the next episode. I gave it 8/10 because this show is focused around fighting and hence it might not be for everyone. If you enjoy boxing and mixed martial arts, it's a solid 9/10.

It was an amazing show.

I hated the ending though, I didn't see it coming. It was unexpected, shocking emotional and infuriating at the same time.

Jay, Nate, Alvey, Lisa, Ryan, Christina, Alicia, Ava, Keith, Gore, even Dom! Amazing characters and cast..

Great stories.

Excellent show.

It is a great show especially if you're a fan of MMA or boxing or any combat sport for that matter. The story is entertaining and it will keep you glued to the screen. However, there are a few times when the plot doesn't make sense. The script could have been a little better. All these things apart, this is an entertaining watch, and will definitely make you hit the gym.

Found this gem after an extensive amount of browsing. The character dynamics and the solid acting as displayed in the trailers caught my attention. The story follows a famous MMA veteran named Alvey Kulina, now a gym owner and renowned trainer, who's trying to keep up the good fight as best he can both literally and figuratively. Supposedly, the central notion here is the recognition that for every fighter, struggle is perpetual.

One way or another, everyone in the show is a fighter. We're presented with a set of captivating individuals: Kulina himself, a charismatic alpha with apparent flaws; his obnoxious, high, messed up, yet noble oldest son; his quiet, mild-mannered, hard-working youngest son, also a closeted gay; his young, blunt, cool, cliché-defying girlfriend; and his old friend, a young and talented former world champ currently on parole after years in prison.

Since the characters are the very heartbeats of the show, the acting is the aspect that I'm most drawn to. The cast is on point, although the show's good directing deserves some of the credits, too. They're as rough and raw as people get. Their chemistry as an ensemble is unbelievable. Frank Grillo is awesome as ever in a role reminiscent of his own Frank Campana in Gavin O'Connor's Warrior. Jonathan Tucker steals every scene with his ruthless brilliance. Think Brad Pitt in 12 Monkeys. But the breakout performer here has to be Nick Jonas, all-grown-up Disney heartthrob, who acts the hell out of the multifaceted youngest son. Through consistent, subtle mannerisms and intonations, he successfully portrays a guarded distrust, a fragile hostility, a repressed nervousness behind his character's exterior of youthful innocence. Looking at his latest performances in his quickly expanding filmography, you'll know it's no beginner's luck.

Anyway, the show is very dedicated to the realities of the MMA world. The choreography is fine, the self-isolating music choices have proved to be rather empowering. Otherwise, I'm always in for a good drama.

... and just like with that one, is it entertaining for all the wrong reasons at first. Starting with the most ripped cast I've seen on TV since Spartakus, and just like with that one I came for the eyecandy and stayed for the drama. For a great cast, for good storytelling, high technical marks and a credible - I couldn't tell if it's authentic- look inside a world, a culture, a mindset that I never came in contact with. I'm especially fond of the audio and how subtle noise is used to keep you from settling down even when everything seems peaceful, and if you respond even a little bit to that kind of acoustic irradiation, you will start to become just as restless and hunted as the folks on screen. It may be one of the reasons why I called it quits after season 2, it gets exhausting - that's how good it is.

Of course, unlike Spartacus, the fighters here are free- but are they really? Of course nobody dies, or do they? It certainly doesn't sugarcode the reality outside of the big stadiums, down at the bottom, the abuse, the coercion, the health risks, all for a career that, at the very best, will last them for 10 years, and after that you either made it, or you are burned out in any way that a human being can burn out. There is one character with a fully blown heroine addiction, but if I had to put out a prognosis she might actually have a better chance at getting her life straight than almost every one of the "stars".

It became actually enjoyable to watch someone just play a video game since they use everything like drugs, especially sex, and it's never to enjoy themselves. It's to come down or to feel something, anything in a life where everything, from your food to your sleep cycle is dictated by the "sport". The single-mindedness of everyone, and how they keep each other on track,denying themselves and each other to break out, emotions, pleasure, silence, even privacy becomes another thing that will get exhausting.

And I don't think that's a coincidence.

At one point a character gets compared to a mouse in a lab experiment, but they all are like that, and there is no cheese. There's just the labyrinth. At another point one of the big "stars" who also used to be a "best friend" has his ashes literally thrown in the garbage. And the more you watch this, the more it starts to feel like that's what you are actually watching, mice scurrying through a labyrinth on their way to the burner, and nobody ever reflects, nobody ever get better. It's exciting. It's excruciating. It's some of the best TV I've watched in ages. But it's probably not really bingewatching material, so don't make that mistake.

The acting is amazing with the exception of Nick Jonas. Stick to music, dude. Frank Grillo is so fun to watch. And Jonathan Tucker is hilarious. I do wish there was a little bit more action in the show. I highly recommend for anyone looking something entertaining to watch... this is it!

Season 1 & 2 were really engaging from very first episode. Just episode 3 was a little incomplete or I feel unnecessary content , other wise I would rate 9 for season 1 & 2.

The show really makes you feel like you are in the world of mma. You feel for all the characters as well. The acting is as good as it gets. I only came across it because of Netflix. Like a lot of people have said, you don't actually have to like mma to like the show. The characters all have their own stories that are well presented. I think they could have done another season. There were definitely enough subplots to explore further. That would be my only criticism. I need to know what happens to them all. I need closure!!!

As an MMA fan I really enjoyed watching the show. It started amazing, great fighting scenes, good story and cast. Especially Frank Grillo and Jonathan Tucker dis a really good job. To the middle of season 2 the quality stagnated drastically. As fun as Jay was at first, the stupid heroin junkie plot became really bad to watch. Also the character of Alicia became more stupid throughout the episodes. "Kingdom" had the potential to become a masterpiece. But the sometimes stupid changes in the character's personalities left a bad taste at the end.

Good storylines, good acting, fast-paced. Excellent work all-around. I had never heard of this series despite having a number of friends who would be interested. It popped up on my Netflix recommendations and I took a quick look with minimal expectations. Immediately hooked into a binge-watching period.

I generally avoid anything that smells of being a vehicle for Timberlake, Bieber, etc, but Nick Jonas' character is not the lead, and he does a good job with his part. Only criticism is the over-done sex element. If needed to target high school boys, then fine. In this case, the other elements were plenty good enough to keep the audience engaged - no need for that.

Phenomenal acting. Absolute fun to watch as you'll get totally immersed in the action-packed and dramatic world of MMA and the Navy St. family. The acting is beyond fantastic -- as a viewer I felt I was truly a fly on the wall observing the characters' lives. As others have mentioned, Jonathan Tucker's portrayal of Jay was perfection and easily my favorite character throughout the series. I'm hoping there will be more seasons to come because of the newfound love for this show, fingers crossed!

You don't see many portrayals of the white working class of L.A. anymore. Because there isn't much of it in real life. But here you have assorted convicts, brawlers, and addicts doing their thing in the L.A. beach communities, while struggling to make ends meet.

Low-life types anywhere on the globe spend their time drinking, smoking, fighting, and fornicating. But at least these ones show some range of integrity. They're willing to help others.

But we have definitely seen the basic scenario a million times. Alpha males with tattoos who think they're the center of the universe, and get into trouble. I guess you're supposed to admire them.

The dialogue is outstanding, pacing excellent, and the performances top notch. But it gets depressing after a few episodes. How much degradation do you want to take in? We get it. They're tough guys with some heart and times are hard.

There's just the right amount of sex and violence to keep someone seeking those things satisfied, while hanging on to a story.

Back story on our main protagonist comes slowly in bits. Use of psychology sessions like the Sopranos is quite effective, as are multiple supporting characters that bring out different sides of our main people.

One of the key conflicts is the need for every male in the world to feel like they are something special. Meanwhile, if they really were special at some point, and that time has faded, it's a bear to deal with.

In our main guy's case, he's really struggling, but he's bright enough and self-aware enough to realize it, as he brilliantly articulates to an acquaintance.

Perhaps my favorite character is the girlfriend of our lead. She's not necessarily a fight fan per say. She just got sucked in when she dated a fighter as a youngster, and she's made lemonade out of lemons to the extent possible. A strong, admirable woman whom everyone relies on, and who still maintains basic femininity in a brutal environment. But she never slams you over the head with a feminist club.

Overall very solid show. The acting and character development throughout has its pros and cons. I just can't get over Nick Jonas trying to act tough looking the way he does. Also, the story line has gaps with people disappearing and things happening without much explanation

How is this show, not talked about more often. Good acting, great characters and some gritty fight scenes. Tragedy that it only lasted for 3 seasons. Even though it wasn't supposed to end on that last episode. It was still a fitting episode to finish on.

So someone on here wrote that they've watched this show 3 times over because its so incredible. I have to laugh because its a pretty standard drama that follows very similar plot lines and cliches as others.

That is not to say it is not a good show, it certainly entertaining but not god level status.

I don't know why I've never heard of this show, but it's good, definitely worth a watch

Didn't expect much from this show. Well it was a treat. Sad, funny, brutal and well written. Jay's character was, a true portrayal of a man with demons. Alvey the has been drunk. Christina the junky brass. All outstanding. Shame it got cancelled with all the (woke) rubbish about at the moment. As a mma fan I'd never even heard of this show. Such ashame, it was never marketed. I knock Netflix, but I'd like to say thanks for airing this gem. Bravo to the cast. A special shout out to Kiele Sanchez, for sticking with the show after her personal tragedy.

This show is based around a retired MMA fighter who now owns a gym.

Lots of drama throughout, with his two sons who are also fighters and the freshly released from prison fighter who joins them at the gym.

Jon Tucker is a star in this, he's the typical Connor McGregor type. This show is a good pace and shows aspects of the fight game with some drama sprinkled over the top for excitement.

I thoroughly enjoyed this show from start to finish. Ryan the Destroyer is an interesting character amongst all the others.

Show seems often overlooked or unknown however I recommend people give it a chance.

A show that doesn't seem to have gotten much of any publicity when it ran from 2014-2017, it is stellar. all the actors are excellent and the writing, while a touch depressing, will capture your attention like it did mine. i started watching it because i was seeing jonathan tucker in something else and wanted to find out where he had come from. he is amazing as jay, as is frank grillo as his father alvey. i was not aware of how the world of MMA worked, so it was eye-opening. if i could list one con for the series it's the damn depressing whiny slow songs that play EVERY time something sad happens or at the end of every episode. they drone on forever it seems. someone liked the emo music, i guess. and they save the ultimate sad tragedy for the next to last episode, as they should have. anyway, highly recommended.