The original Australian film is loosely based on the Melbourne crime scene in the 1980s, and the Pettingill crime family.
An American version of the 2010 Australian movie of the same name that starred Jacki Weaver, Guy Pearce, Joel Edgerton and Ben Mendelsohn.
John Wells directed both the first and last episodes of the show.
In Season 2 Episode 5, "Pope" (Shawn Hatosy) is seen watching the credits of an undisclosed film (at 37min 40secs). The credits of the "film" list the actors "In Order of Appearance". However, all of the "actors" listed by name in the credits are not actually actors but film and TV industry crew (such as 1st & 2nd AD's, editors, lighting techs etc. etc.), some of whom have worked directly on Animal Kingdom and/or other well known productions in film and TV, in what is a nice little piece of "meta" humour buried within this particular fictional universe.
The series reunites several members of Ann Biderman's series SOUTHLAND.
Shawn Hatosy (Pope) and C.Thomas Howell (Paul) were both members of SOUTHLAND's ensemble cast, as was Regina King, whom directs one episode of series one of ANIMAL KINGDOM.