Running for six seasons,Animal Kingdomis one of the most underrated shows of the past decade. Based on the 2010 Australian film of the same name,Animal Kingdompremiered on TNT in 2016, ending its incredible run in 2022. Following Joshua “J” Cody, a 17-year-old who moves in with his estranged criminal enterprise family after the death of his mother,Animal Kingdomis a gripping crime dramathat features a variety of twists and turns throughout its six seasons.
One of the best aspects ofAnimal Kingdomis the lengths characters will go to amass power and influence, andthe hierarchy of power betweenAnimal Kingdom’s charactersvaries during the show, often turning to violence to achieve their goals. Alongside the strong narrative, the cast ofAnimal Kingdomis also amazing, with Ellen Barking as Janine “Smurf” Cody, the matriarch of the family, being an obvious standout, alongside Shawn Hatosy’s Andrew “Pope” Cody, and Finn Cole as “J.” ThoughAnimal Kingdomis an incredible series, it wasn’t perfect, and some seasons fared better than others.
6Season 5
Released in 2021
With nearly every series, there always seems to be at least one season that fails to live up to the rest of them, and forAnimal Kingdom,that is season 5. That isn’t to say that the fifth season is bad by any means, but following a strong season 4 finale, it felt like a bit of a let-down comparatively.The modern-day storyline struggles to recover from the death of Smurf,and the flashbacks they use to keep her character around aren’t all that exciting compared to season 4’s liberal use of them.
The rest of the characters continue to shine in season 5, though, especially when it comes to J, Pope, and Craig Cody, played by Ben Robson. Though the loss of Smurf is felt in the quality of the season, the writers do a great job at stranding the Cody family without a matriarch, and how they attempt to move forward from her death. Of course, all the violence and vying for power among the family continues to ramp up throughout, and it does a solid job of setting up for season 6 as the series finale.
5Season 6
Released in 2022
The sixth and final season of Animal Kingdom was given the task of ending the series in a satisfying way that respected what came before. For the most part, it does a great job of finishing the show strong, and some of thecharacters that die inAnimal Kingdomseason 6can come as a shock. The show still struggles when it utilizes flashbacks to continue to tell the story of the Cody family from decades ago, but most of the modern-day stuff is tremendous.
Pope was always one of the most fascinating characters in all ofAnimal Kingdom, andhe really shines in the final season, with Shawn Hatosy doing some of the best work of his entire career.
While the members of the Cody family spent the first five seasons running from their respective pasts, they really start to catch up to them in season 6 as a cold case is once again investigated and pushes them further apart. Pope was always one of the most fascinating characters in all ofAnimal Kingdom,and he shines in the final season, with Shawn Hatosy doing some of the best work of his career.Animal Kingdom’s violence and betrayal really come to a head in season 6.
4Season 4
Released in 2019
There is a lot to love inAnimal Kingdomseason 4, and it isthe season that kills off Smurf, arguably the most important character in the entire show up to that point. It’s a shocking moment that comes in the penultimate episode, making more sense of the structure of the season up to that point. Seeing the continued evolution of J throughout the series, and how he decides to kill Smurf for vengeance as well as a power play, is one of the show’s best arcs.
The biggest problem with season 4 is that the flashbacks the show utilized for the rest of the series really became prominent.Animal Kingdomhad flashbacks prior to season 4, but the show decided to explore Smurf’s life when she was younger, showing her rise and power and the way she is able to manipulate those around her for her own gain. While it sounds exciting, the abundance of flashbacks can sometimes halt the pacing of the modern-day story, though there is a lot to like about seeing Smurf’s past unfold.
3Season 3
Released in 2018
While the final three seasons ofAnimal Kingdomare still great stories and make great television, the first three seasons stand out as the strongest of the bunch. Season 3 sits right ahead of season 4 in terms of quality and stakes. The show really found its footing in season 2, which allowed season 3 to be a fantastic thrill ride from start to finish, especially with Smurf in jail and J in charge of the family business while she is there.
Season 3 is where J starts to come into his own within the family, and outside of it, which eventually coalesces into him taking out Smurf towards the end of season 4.His descent into villainy is something special and one of the best aspects of the entirety ofAnimal Kingdom,and that plays out in season 3. The family has changed him from the first season, something that happens to basically everybody around them.
2Season 1
Released in 2016
The season that started it all is still one ofAnimal Kingdom’s best. Season 1 had a lot to establish in terms of relationships between the characters and to get viewers invested in a crime family that, on the surface, is hard to root for in any capacity. Of course, the characters show different sides of themselves throughout season 1 (and the entire show), makingthe initial entry inAnimal Kingdomcompletely satisfying from the very beginning.
The 2010 Australian film thatAnimal Kingdomis based on has an amazing cast, including Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, and Guy Pearce.
After the pilot episode, the first season took its time to build out the world as well as set the stakes for what was about to come for the next six seasons. Once it got past the initial hurdle,Animal Kingdomtook off, cranking up the violence and intensity in the process. It’s a joy to see how the series started and to realize just how strong that initial season actually was. Seeing J’s introduction to the Cody family and what they are all about is still great nearly a decade later.
1Season 2
Released in 2017
Season 2 ofAnimal Kingdomtook everything that made the first season so great and amplified itin ways that only the best follow-ups are able to do. Everything is larger the second time around, including the stakes, the betrayal, and the character’s attempts at grasping for any sliver of power that they can get within the family. The Cody family starts to fracture in ways that didn’t happen in season 1, which sometimes feels like the beginning of a slow end as everything begins to crumble.
Even outside ofAnimal Kingdom, season 2 is simply one of the best seasons of a crime drama in a very long time, reaching some of the heights that shows like Breaking Bad or Sons of Anarchy were able to achieve during their respective runs. One of season 2’s biggest highlights is how much more complexity Smurf is given as the leader of the Cody family, and when she starts to falter, then the rest of the family does too. It’s incredible, and never lets up on the gas, making season 2 the best season ofAnimal Kingdom.
Animal Kingdom
Cast
Animal Kingdom follows 17-year-old Joshua “J” Cody as he joins his criminal relatives in a Southern California beach town after his mother’s death. Led by matriarch Janine “Smurf” Cody, the family’s intense dynamics unfold with members Baz, Pope, Craig, and Deran navigating their illegal enterprises.
