Animal Kingdom (2016–2022) User Reviews (410)

you do NOT cross the codys

[danieldwilkinson · 8/10 · 14 December 2023]

Wow this show was friggin INCREDIBLE, the casting, the acting, the dialogue i NEVER got bored. Shoot outs, heists, loyalty, betrayal, drugs, booze, action, car chases, twists and turns, pure adrenaline. This show has all of these combined I just always felt so excited to check out the next episode. In the first 2(maybe 3) seasons the show felt like it always lead up to one big heist as the season finale, but that formula seemed to change after that. It felt a little less about the "big score" and focused more of the characters and tinier scores here and there. Like a "score of the week" formula. Nothing wrong with that, but i did prefer the other way.

I dont think i had a favorite character simply cause all of the codys and a majority of the side characters were all just so bad a**. The cody brothers would constantly bust one anothers "family jewels" maybe even beat the sh** out of each other, but they would be settled and pretty much over it within 10 minutes and no matter what always had each others backs. The codys were a family no one should EVER cross. The only people i think would stand a chance is petes gang. Pete was a cool guy sometimes. I was so glad he took care of tupi and J took care of mia for what they did to the codys.

The cody family consists of...

smurf(janine): a cunning, manipulative, blunt, and callous mother/grand mother who didnt give a s*** what anyone thought and would put a bullet in you without a second thought if you lost her trust one time.(loved the backstory to her nickname)

Craig: the tallest of the brothers, but not the toughest. Could dish out a hit just as hard as he could take one.

Deran: the brother who's there to watch your six. Can go toe to toe on his one, but i dont feel as if hes the scariest of the codys. My favorite scene was when he took those bullets for craig when they went to rescue nick. That hit hard for me sense they were recently in a brawl a few scenes before this.

Pope(andrew): along with smurf i would say hes the scariest. Hes a brute who takes no crap from anyone. You look at him the wrong way and youll end up in the hospital.(was so glad to finally see where he got the nickname pope)

baz: i dont really remember too much about him

J: the least scariest of the codys. He really stepped up in the last few seasons and i was rooting for him......until the final or final 2 episodes. I was rooting for me to have a happy ending. I would have preferred it to be with that other lawyer chick sense she knew his lifestyle, but once he was shown as betraying the codys i wanted him dead. Like i get wanting revenge for what smurf did his mom which i felt was so awful and none of the brothers helping him and/or her, but i think that kind of revenge shouldnt have been the ending sense i loved the codys family so much.

The show was going so strong until the ending. Im so mad pope allowed J to get away. I get WHY he did it cause i to am like pope in the way that ill sometimes blame myself for something later on and no longer be mad at the person i was mad at, but they could have had deran escape, find J, kill him and then meet up with renn and see deran helping raise nick. I think the ending should have also involved vince and his gang somehow as another twist as vince was such a cool dude. That ending would have been so much better with all of them alive and possibly J dead.

Impressive modern Point Break

[KazCorporation · 9/10 · 12 October 2023]

I think this is one of the best show I ever watched.

After the final, I feel very nostalgic, and the pilot is even more powerfull if you see it again right now. Even the flashbacks, which may have been boring sometimes, make sense with the ending.

Very great writing, characters... the action scenes are sometimes not very realistic and a little easy but the story is so good and the actor playing so great that this is not relevant.

I really feels like watching another Point Break from 1991 but in a looong, very detailled version. And even darker but with the same adrenaline.

We really care about the Cody's family !

Glorious anarchy!!

[Guanche48 · 9/10 · 4 May 2023]

This review is based on the first 3 seasons.

Very good and exciting series!!

I adapted very quickly to this family as a big fan of crime series.

All the actors are just reeealllyy greeeeat but i have to single out Smurf, the actress Ellen Barkin...she was just born for this character, absolutely fantastic! The photography also stands out...especially in the exciting moments of action they are just perfect, like for example the scenes in parachute, motorbikes, surfing... etc. Just awesome!

The music is also very good!!!

The story of this wonderful family... hahaha... well, I like them... :)... it's very well told and edited, each episode is exciting and unexpected, it doesn't let you breathe at times nor does it let you press the stop button . Of course, and like every long series with many seasons, there are moments that are less good and somewhat repetitive. The sex scenes could be less for example, as well as the continuous use of drugs, especially at the beginning of the series. I must also emphasize the homosexual sex, something that is not usually seen in American series, Thumbs up!👍

I recommend it simply for the quality, the music, the photography, the tension, .., the strong emotions ...but if you don't like crime and rockandrolllll..strong emotions, choose something else.

Absolutely Awesome

[Supermanfan-13 · 10/10 · 3 January 2024]

It's hard to put into words just how much I love Animal Kingdom. It's such an incredibly underrated show. It's about J Cody (who's mother died of a heroin overdose) and has to move to Southern California to live with his Uncles who are 3 troubled brothers and their crazy mother who make a living doing armed robbery's and other criminal activities. Jay doesn't really like them because they never talked to or helped his mom (their sister) and he blames the family of her overdose. He gains their respect over time and become one of the leaders of the family. This show will have your heart pounding from all the excitement throughout the entire series. Once you start watching you're going to want to binge it as fast as you can.

Loved It

[Rob1331 · 10/10 · 3 January 2024]

I absolutely loved Animal Kingdom as it has quickly become one of my all-time favorite shows! It's not only one of the best shows currently on tv but it's also just flat out one of the best shows ever created! I'm just so impressed with how each season continues to be just as good as the others! If you haven't seen this incredible show yet and are looking for a show that will keep you on the edge of your seat every episode then stop what you're doing right now, do yourself a favor and go watch it...I promise you that you won't be disappointed! If you don't believe me all you have to do is look at the ratings or read through the reviews to see how loved this show really is.

Discussion of the END SPOILERS

[JaneYork8178 · 10/10 · 21 November 2023]

Was J justified? Was it worth it? I've read opinions that say "deran and Craig" didn't deserve it. J's real hatred was for Smurf and she "loved" Deran and Craig and his promise to destroy EVERYTHING she loves was played out.

Pope, Deran and Craig certainly treated him like an outsider. They all showed ZERO remorse for the treatment of Julia. They were all adults when Julia died - and not one of them ever took any interest in helping her. For all of their BS "family" talk - they never sought out their own nephew?

Baz was a total POS. He got what he deserved. I think Pope, Craig and Deran were all sympathetic in their own way, but J, at the end, was the only one who was really similar to Smurf. They both had the worst childhoods, and they were both smart enough to survive without support.

But was it worth it? No. In the end, J is alone and I think he regrets not holding on to his family.

Strangely compelling, but why?

[Hillius · 7/10 · 14 May 2021]

I am in only mid season 3 so far, but having seen this show thus far I felt it necessary to leave a review, especially after seeing the many inexplicable 10 ratings which mention Point Break and High Octane.

Animal Kingdom may be many things, but fast paces and high octane it is not. No, this is much more a rather slow burner of a drama with only tidbits of crime and action thrown in almost as if an afterthought. The show doesn't build around the crimes and jobs the Cody's commit and so far every single one of them has been pretty underwhelming. The viewer is show the highlights of the job, and there is very little victory or celebration to be felt even after the most successful heists because too much happens off screen. The action here is best filed under how to make robbery boring. The heists themselves are pretty ingenious, but the execution is just rather meh look we got more money. Give me the money. No we have to clean it first. Gets a little old.

Where Animal Kingdom gets it right, like other great crime-dramas of the past is that there are no heroes. Every character is shown, the good, bad, the ugly, warts and all. Character development and back story are pretty limited leaving the viewer at a loss most of the time. Even the family tree isn't fully painted to the point that there is no clear vision of who fits where or why. Even the relation between characters is not well defined. In a way, it adds more intrigue, but it can also make it hard to follow at first. The only real thing that can be said is that the Cody family are mostly made up of some pretty horrible people, all very deserving of whatever bad karma may be thrown at them next. It is difficult at times to find even a single person to root for here.

Still the show does have many positives. It is filmed in beautiful Oceanside, California and there are great scenes of the Strand, the Oceanside Pier and other locations throughout the city. As former resident, I loved how the characters talk about how real estate is ruining the beachfront because that is a war that has been raging since the mid 1980s. Some great surfing and other water sport scenes are peppered in as well, and the characters love traveling on a whim to Baja, either winding up in TJ or a bit further down south with mixed results.

At this point there have been some pretty good episodes, but also a lot of dull, slow episodes also. There is a hope that the show will reveal a little more each time, that I think is the main reason to keep watching here. Every time the Cody's do something dirty and you think you've seen their worst, you need to wait as they'll even do something more despicable later on. The reason to keep watching is the hope that this strange ride has a destination or a point somewhere.

As many times as I've been tempted to shut it off, I plan to soldier on through season 4 and hopefully 5 with the rest of you out there. Though often unlikable there is something about these Cody's that is down right addictive. If I had to compare this to anything it would not be anywhere close to Point Break. No, this has much more in common with Shameless.

Best show yet! Wish there was a season 7 coming!

[sarahbrinson-71356 · 10/10 · 27 June 2023]

Best show yet! Wish there was a season 7 coming! Wonderful actor selection, wonderful plot! I love shoes with action, mystery, and something different from the rest! This show definitely has all of that! I stay on the edge of my seat. I love how it shows.flashbacks from how it all began and how it is now modern time! The directors and actors do a wonderful job portraying the roles and I've never seen a show so awesome and full of adventure! You never know what's going to happen next! I don't know why you have to leave such a long review now I feel like I'm doing an annotated media analysis for college lol! But yeah that sums it up! Awesome show all around please make more!

The Journey of revenge

[Nightmarelogic · 7/10 · 29 August 2022]

This has always been the journey of revenge. Don't think otherwise. J might not be the most dynamic character but he wasn't supposed to be. While not a perfect show and ranked somewhere (depending on your proclivities) between a 6 and a 8 I would say it was a fascinating one about family disfunction. Smurf is the perfect picture of a horrible mother who uses her children for her own selfish needs and when they don't react the way she wants he has no problem destroying them. I know alot of people didn't like the flashback seasons but they were necessary because up until that point Julia had been a blank slate. You didn't really care about her because all you knew was that she od during the pilot and left J a virtual orphan. It was during the flashbacks that her personality, her dreams and her ultimate downfall happened and ultimately the reason for J's journey of revenge became more dynamic. You also saw the relationship between Pope and Julia and how close they really were which became Pope's original sin in failing to save Julia.

Of course the show lost something when Ellen Barkin's Smurf got killed off but ultimately it was fascinating to watch the boys try and fail to recover from the loss of a mother they both loved and hated. Because through the early seasons she was the source of comfort and destruction in their lives. She was the Ma Barker to a clan of criminals and when she died it left them lost.

I can talk about all their seperate stories. Most notable Deran and his coming out story which was spectacular. An Alpha male living in an alpha male world hiding his homosexuality from his brothers only to find out they knew all along. And Craig the drug addicted party boy who finds love with one of his drug dealers. Of course their is also Baz who I never liked anyway who is the adopted son of the clan but also the man with the plan. But ultimately this is J''s story. But also Pope's story. And to an extent Julia's story.

And the story of a familiy's downfall.

Love it

[newtide · 19 May 2016]

OK so the movie was absolute class. Sheer genius in every sense. But the thing is it was never going to reach the mass market.

This show is both fun, dark and exiting. Yes the material is very similar to the original movie, but it's not trying to be something different. The masses won't watch the original movie because it's Australian and too heavy. Haters are gonna hate, but I would urge them to remember that very little material is original out there. Nowadays almost everything is an adaptation. This the perfect adaptation for the mass market who simply don't want to sit through one heavy, dark as hell feature, they want a recurring show, they want to get to know the characters. If this does its job properly it will have viewers turning to the feature film in between the first and second season...

As you can tell I loved this adaptation as much as i loved the original feature, almost more because it was fun. I want fun. I want well executed television and I felt that I was given just that.

I advise you try it out for yourself. You're either gonna switch off or turn back on so what's the worst that can happen!?

Time to move on

[alanms · 2/10 · 28 September 2021]

Started out as a strong series based on the movie. But it's gotten old now. Too much of relying on the flashbacks to Smurf's early days. She's gone...who cares? Stick to the story at hand. I only watch anymore because it's like the proverbial train wreck.. You don't want to look but have too. Relived it's the final season.

Osm movie

[varsharaj-15499 · 10/10 · 5 December 2023]

Osam movie, really liked the movie and the acting of bobe deol and ranveer kapoor... Wow movie. After long time watch such good movie and some scenes are too cool, you can see good content in this movie, movie, I have watched many movie son by ranveer kapoor but this one is great and bobe deol roll. Is always fabulous his acting is very good wathe you see his old movies or series aay things you'll be not gonna be bore after watching his acting and the personality of both characters is too good. I must say director did very wise choice by selecting these to character for this movie. All scenes are good you'll be not bore while watching this movie🍿🎥

Phenomenal show, honestly. 10/10

[rmbfxtxs · 10/10 · 15 May 2023]

If you're looking for an action packed show with dozens of ups and downs in one family, this is the show for you. Me and my partner loved each and every episode from season 1 all the way to season 6. It has a mix of crude humor, things no family should do (but this show gets away with), and each episode slowly leads up to a bizarre end that no one sees coming. This show truly is a 10/10, and you'll find yourself following each character through this crazy family mob story. Don't snooze, 10/10! You won't find yourself getting bored, only wondering how it will all end up and seeking Justice for even the smallest characters in this family mob drama.

Amazing show- One of the best I've EVER seen

[jaclynp-94464 · 10/10 · 2 May 2023]

One of the best shows I've ever seen. I loved Ozark, Breaking Bad, Better call Saul, Nurse Jackie, Stranger Things, OiTNB but Animal Kingdom is Phenomenal!!!!! All 6 seasons- the show gets better and better as the seasons go on and the cast is fantastic!!!!!! I binged watched all 6 seasons and I am so sad that I can't watch anymore!!! It was THAT good. I mean you have to watch the whole series to feel it. If you haven't seen it- you don't know what you're missing. It is absolutely a masterpiece- it keeps you wanting to watch more and more and keeps you on the edge of your seat. 5 stars. No wonder it has 6 successful seasons!

I loved it when it first aired then Covid happened..

[pcappiellola · 9/10 · 3 July 2023]

I watched the first 3 seasons in 2019 so I was able to binge and that's the best way. So Covid happens and many shows were delayed and some even cancelled. During Covid, Blacklist(the best show ever written from beginning to end imo) became my fix as well as Bosch and Longmire. Then I move to Thailand to retire and needed something to pass the long hot days and I see Animals Kingdom has 3 more seasons. Yippeee! I decide to pick up with the last few episodes of Season 3 to remind me of the characters and storyline. It didn't take long to see why i was hooked on this from Season 1 episode 1 ! Having spent the last 30 years living in Los Angeles, I was well familiar with the lifestyle and the terrain of this show! It felt like home in some ways! Now that I am into Season 5 now, it feels a little played out. There are too many weak points in the various stories that just don't seem realistic enough to be believable. For instance, Josh's girlfriend discovers who he is, knows he is dangerous and yet still rats on him. Not until she is threatened by Josh, does she back down. Real life, it never happens. The big gunfight at the Cody's with the gang they stole the gold from. So the neighbors are so used to parties and what not, they don't know the sound of a semi-automatic weapon? Just didnt seem plausible. Lots of moements like this. Ok, I heard Season 5 is the weakest, maybe they were struggling for ideas? But heard S6 is the one! I also like the parallel storyline of a young Smurf(even though they never say how she got that nickname) running congruent with the present, giving us insight into how Smurf and her family of misfits evolved into thier present day form. That was a great idea and the younger Smurf and Pope's dad were magnetic on camera. Hated what happened. So, I may come back and revise the review after completion but I really like the show, even if I did have to watch a little too much of 2 men kissing!

Careful: It's Addicting

[Mazzy0774 · 9/10 · 17 May 2023]

I saw a TikTok about this show a few months ago and I'm a huge Scott Speedman fan, so I thought I'd check it out. Well, I kind of didn't stop watching. I couldn't stop! The storylines are written so well, every single actor is incredible and it has a really good ending. Everyone I know are watching other shows and I've been telling everybody to watch THIS show b/c it will not disappoint. I'll probably re-watch the whole thing again because otherwise I can't get my Cody family shenanigans fix. Ha! J ended up being my favorite though. I loved the changes through everyone's characters though, too.

Almost perfect

[danielcereto · 8/10 · 30 September 2022]

The show itself starts strong during the first 4 seasons. Unpredictable, raw, risky and includes great main characters. But who really steals the show are Smurf and Pope. Amazing from the beginning till the end.

My third favorite is J, who shows a great transformation during all the seasons. I'm not going to spoil anything but probably is the great acting surprise here.

On the other hand, the show is not perfect because of season 5. The worst one. Boring, slow and with no tension. You can skip and go from 4th to 6th.

Season 6, is an amazing trip to conclusion. It shows how Game of Thrones, Dexter new Blood should learn from here how to give viewers a real conclusion.

So, overall one of my favorite shows ever. A must.

Great until series 5

[outbackphantom · 7/10 · 11 October 2021]

Great show, kept pace with it all the way. Loved the story line and the total mix of characters. Good plots as well as family ties. But, we get to season 5 and it all goes downhill. Back in time then present, back in time and then present. So much that it became so annoying that I just FF through the rewind history stuff. Nearly half the of series 5 was flashbacks.

If there is a series 6, I can only hope it does not resort to flashback's again, it totally spoiled S5. The base it there to continue the series, I be waiting to see what happens, if anything, as S5 may have done too much damage to repair viewer interest.

Just watch the first 3 and you'll be glad you did... and hooked

[nanchogan · 10/10 · 13 August 2016]

I give a ten to any show where I wish there was another episode right after the one I just watched...... or when I can't wait for the next episode...... I did not think I was going to like it while watching the first show, second show I warmed up a little and by the 3rd show, I was totally hooked.... Having a show centered around "the bad guys" is interesting... and this family is amazingly good at being really, really bad.... yet believable as they do all the normal things any family does (i.e. cooking, cleaning, rules in the house etc.) The characters are so believable.... I think that I have known someone like each of them, but putting them all together makes for a dangerous group... The flashbacks that explain how each of these people became what they are is so insightful. The casting is perfection......

It's over and I might kinda miss the Cody's

[elishawin2005 · 7/10 · 22 December 2022]

Per usual, I was late to the party of "Animal Kingdom" but it didn't take me very long to binge all six seasons. When I started season four I wanted to come here to read the reviews but decided not to because I didn't want any other influence on my opinion of what was taking place with the Cody's. Now that it's over I was able to see my opinion was very similar to most. I was afraid things would start declining with each new series because that happens often. There were some things that they could have done without adding but it's not a deal breaker for me personally. Smurf's facial expression's and flaws were almost too much or weird in more ways than one but I just tried to overlook that part of it. I like a series that has character's I end up caring about or rooting for in some way or another and that happened here. The way it ended makes me think that there could be another season or even a spin off to see "now what are you going to do" but supposedly the 6th season was the final. I guess it's left to our imagination. If someone asked me for a good bingable scripted series recommendation I would definitely include Animal Kingdom, if they haven't already seen it because like I said, I was late starting it to begin with. It kept me entertained, intrigued and looking forward to each episode to see what was going on with all of the main character's.

So fake

[acekrd-235-433724 · 1/10 · 17 September 2021]

Although it may be entertaining. You can't picture any of it being real. It's the fakest show I have ever seen. You telling me the police are so Incompetent that they can't figure out who's robbing all these places over like 10 years. Also the way they rob these places barely any thing goes wrong. Not even close to a real life situation. At least try to make the show realistic. I can't watch any further.

Simply brillaint

[mklarsen-51895 · 9/10 · 3 September 2021]

I remember watching Fin Cole since his days on Peaky Blinders and while he physically looks the same, he certainly shows his skills throughout this show. It's hard to work out what he actually feels about his family but the hatred at times shines through, especially knowing they lived a mile away and didn't do anything to save his Mum. Smurf cast her out of the family and J has never forgotten that. As the show moves through the seasons and you become more involved in the show and characters, I found myself liking Pope more and more. At first he seemed really creepy, especially standing over J's girlfriend in the bedroom but the more you learn about Pope, the more you feel for him.

I REALLY like this show :)

Sons Of Anarchy meets Point Break

[jeffreydonaldson · 10/10 · 29 May 2019]

Thoroughly enjoyable. I even see a little young Michael Corleone in Joshua "J" Cody (Finn Cole). I don't know if they'll be able to last more than 5 seasons or so.. but the first 3 have been entertaining and full of adrenaline. I do feel like Season 1 is a bar that the show will never again reach.

Enough with the Flashbacks Already!

[skip-98756 · 8/10 · 4 October 2021]

Great storylines being ruined by trips down memory lane every few minutes..Give it a break, put it to rest and get on with the current storyline which is where the real interest is with viewers..These flashbacks served a purpose when smurf was in the story to flesh it out...At this point however, its absolutely ridiculous to keep forcing them down viewers throats... just stop.