Netflix quietly adds crime drama ‘that blows Peaky Blinders out the water’

A series that was initially inspired by an infamous Australian criminal family tied up in drug trafficking, arms dealing and armed robberies is now streaming on Netflix in the UK.

In 2010 the ‘gritty’ film Animal Kingdom was released. It starred Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Guy Pearce, James Frecheville, Luke Ford, Jacki Weaver, and Sullivan Stapleton and was inspired by several crimes allegedly committed by the Pettingill family of Melbourne.

That included the infamous 1988 murders of two police officers, which brothers Trevor Pettingill and Victor Peirce were accused of committing.

After premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Jury Prize, the film earnt critical and commercial acclaim, with Weaver also being nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actress.

Holding a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the critics consensus’ reads: ‘With confident pacing, a smart script, and a top-notch cast, Animal Kingdom represents the best the Australian film industry has to offer.’

Six years after the film, a TV series of the same name was released – but this time set in the United States. Running for 75 episodes across six seasons, this version of Animal Kingdom starred Finn Cole as Joshua ‘J’ Cody, a teenager who moves in with estranged relatives following the death of his mother.

However, it turns out they run a criminal enterprise in California, with the family’s business dealings overseen by matriarch Janine ‘Smurf’ Cody (Ellen Barkin).

Like the movie before it, the TV series was received warmly, with Rotten Tomatoes calling it ‘a darkly intriguing, twisted family drama’.

‘As gritty, dysfunctional family, crime-fuelled dramas go, Animal Kingdom roars with dark promise,’ The Detroit News wrote in its review.

‘It’s freakin’ terrific – dark, funny, exciting, smartly written and beautifully acted,’ TV Line wrote.

‘This series adaptation of the 2010 movie Animal Kingdom is remarkably confident from the start. The story unfolds naturally, the hand-held camerawork is quite effective, and the acting is aces,’ The Boston Globe added.

Meanwhile, in a Reddit thread, many have raved about the ‘forgotten’ series, which was added to Netflix UK this week.

‘I always recommend it and a lot of people don’t even know about it. I didn’t until last year but once I started, I was absolutely hooked! That is hands down one of the best shows I’ve ever seen!’ user FineJellyfish4321 wrote.

‘Highly underrated show imo,’ jwC731 shared.

‘Animal Kingdom blows Peaky Blinders out of the water,’ slardybartfast8 boldly declared.

The comparisons to the BBC period crime drama also came due to the fact Cole starred in both – playing Michael Grey in the series from 2014 until 2022.

Ahead of the first season premiering, his co-star Scott Speedman (who played Baz) discussed the whether the cast were asked to tune into the film.

‘It wasn’t even a conversation. Like most actors I had seen the movie. We were all aware of it but when you’re doing a television show and you’re obviously not doing it in Australia – you’re taking it and putting it in Oceanside, California, which is this blue-collar kind of seedy little beach town, it just changes the whole dynamic,’ he told Entertainment Weekly at the time.

‘I thought that was a brilliant place to put it. It’s the perfect place to see the town juxtaposed with this beautiful surf culture.’

The Pettingill family was headed by matriarch Kath Pettingill, with the family involved in the infamous Melbourne gangland killings.

Members of the family, their associates and real-life exploits, have been depicted in multiple films and TV shows – including Underbelly, Killing Time and Drug Lords.

Animal Kingdom is streaming on Netflix.

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