THE STORY – When the owner of a New York City hotspot allows his turbulent brother back in his life, he opens the door to escalating dangers that threaten to bring down everything he’s built.
THE CAST – Jude Law, Jason Bateman, Cleopatra Coleman, Abbey Lee, Dagmara Dominczyk, Chris Coy, Sope Dirisu, Robin de Jeśus, Amaka Okafor, Forrest Webber & Troy Kotsur
THE TEAM – Zach Baylin & Kate Susman (Showrunners/Writers)
Crime dramas on television today are a dime a dozen, which makes it all the more special when one manages to stand apart, leaving a lasting impression on audiences willing to tune in for years. “Ozark” came closer than most to filling the void left in the post- “Breaking Bad” landscape, becoming a major hit for Netflix and series creator/star Jason Bateman. Yet despite consistently delivering strong seasons, the show has already slipped somewhat from cultural memory. Now, three years after its conclusion, Bateman reunites with Netflix alongside Academy Award nominee Zach Baylin and Kate Susman for a new crime drama that hopes to recapture that zeitgeist. Gone are the shady dealings in the Ozarks; this time, Bateman joins Jude Law in the world of bookies, debts, and betrayals set against the backdrop of New York City.
Law plays Jake Friedkin, an ambitious restaurateur and owner of the popular spot The Black Rabbit. After his music career failed to take off, he is determined to build a culinary empire. Law’s natural charisma makes Jake instantly compelling, a workaholic whose charm can get him out of almost anything, yet whose self-destructive tendencies constantly threaten to pull him under. His brother Vince, by contrast, has spiraled in the opposite direction. Bateman, sporting long hair and a scraggly beard, embodies a man consumed by addiction and indifferent to appearances. A hustler surviving one scheme at a time, Vince inevitably finds trouble, which sends him crashing back into Jake’s carefully constructed world. The estranged brothers are forced to reunite and confront not only Vince’s old debts but the fragile foundation of the Friedkin family itself.
The series opens strong. The first two episodes, written by Baylin and Susman and directed with Bateman’s steady hand, establish the stakes and the brothers’ volatile dynamic with clarity. Even the familiar device of beginning with a pivotal event, then working backward to build toward it, feels engaging enough to hook viewers. But soon the writing falls into a frustrating loop: Jake and Vince devise elaborate schemes to raise money, only to repeatedly stumble and reset, stretching the story thin. While the show attempts to deepen its characters, Vince, with his estranged daughter Anna (Anna Lee), and Jake, with his evolving bond with designer Estelle (Cleopatra Coleman), the momentum stalls. Despite an ensemble featuring Troy Kotsur, Robin de Jesús, Sope Dirisu, and Amaka Okafor, nearly every subplot feels secondary to the Friedkin brothers. And whenever the focus drifts away from them, it only underlines that “Black Rabbit” works best when Law and Bateman share the screen.
Ultimately, that dynamic is the show’s biggest draw. Law and Bateman capture the volatile push-pull of sibling rivalry, flashes of warmth buried beneath eruptions of resentment, with a lived-in authenticity. It is not career-best work for either, but their chemistry is strong enough to keep the series watchable even as the plot sputters like the Jaguar Jake drives. Additional directors, including Laura Linney and Ben Semanoff, bring little variation to the tone, and though Justin Kurzel’s final two episodes inject a jolt of energy, by then the show has already settled into generic territory. Somewhere within “Black Rabbit” lies a great series, powered by two excellent leads. Unfortunately, what is on screen too often feels like an uninspired attempt to recreate the magic of the classics it longs to emulate.
THE GOOD – Jude Law and Jason Bateman are a terrific pairing, engrossing audiences with their complicated dynamic, which gives the series the energy it desperately needs.
THE BAD – It starts strong before devolving into another generic crime thriller that ends on an underwhelming note.
THE EMMY PROSPECTS – Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series & Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
THE FINAL SCORE – 5/10
