Mad Dogs is an American comedy thriller television series produced by Amazon Prime Video.[1] It is a partial remake of the British show, also named Mad Dogs, that aired from 2011 to 2013.[2]
| Mad Dogs | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Cris Cole |
| Based on | Mad Dogs by Cris Cole |
| Written by | Cris Cole Michael C. Martin Zev Borow Brett C. Leonard Eileen Myers Kent Rotherham Shawn Ryan Jon Worley |
| Directed by | Charles McDougall Uta Briesewitz Clark Johnson John David Coles Randall Einhorn Guy Ferland Alex Graves Ted Griffin Mark Piznarski Craig Zisk |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Robert Duncan |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Suzanne Mackie Cris Cole Andy Harries Shawn Ryan Danielle Weinstock |
| Producers | Luillo Ruiz Jon Worley Ken Topolsky |
| Cinematography | Bernard Couture Raphy Molinary Nelson Cragg |
| Editors | Debbie Berman David Kaldor Robert Ivison C.J. Liao Scott Pellet Robert Komatsu Amy M. Fleming |
| Running time | 40 — 56 minutes |
| Production companies | MiddKid Productions Cris Cole Productions Left Bank Pictures Amazon Studios Sony Pictures Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | Amazon Prime Video |
| Release | January 15, 2015 – January 22, 2016 |
Background
editThe show's first season consisted of 10 episodes,[1] expanding on the British version's first season's four hours of content.[3] It began airing on January 22, 2016 in the U.S., U.K., and Germany,[4] with an early release of the show available in December 2015.[5]
Premise
editThe plot is a "cocktail of testosterone and bad decision-making",[2] focused on the angst of a group of 40-something underachieving American men who become caught in a "vacation from hell".[1][4][6]
Casting
editThe actors include Billy Zane as a man wealthy from underworld connections who invites his friends for a stay in Belize, Michael Imperioli as an irresponsible but good-hearted former traveling musician, Romany Malco as a family man, and Ben Chaplin (who starred in the Zane role in the UK version of the show) as an embittered teacher.[1][2][3] The show's female cast, including Allison Tolman and María Botto (reprising her role from the UK series), provide contrast to the male leads.[1][2][6]
Cast
editMain cast
edit- Ben Chaplin as Joel
- Michael Imperioli as Lex
- Romany Malco as Gus
- Steve Zahn as Cobi
- Phil Davis as Lawrence, a local crime boss
Recurring cast
edit- Mark Povinelli as The Cat, a hitman
- Rachael Holmes as Erica, a local pharmacy worker
- Maria Botto as Sophia Moreno, a local police woman
- Coby Bell as Aaron, a CIA agent
- Allison Tolman as Rochelle, an employee at the Embassy of the United States in Belize
- Billy Zane as Milo
- Ted Levine as Conrad Tull, an FBI agent
- Sutton Foster as Gerda.
Production
editShowrunner Cris Cole adapted the show from his own drama in the UK.[1] It was originally under development at the FX network.[7] Cole noted that because the American version is 10 hours to the British version's first season's four hours, the last six hours of the American version are "virgin territory" and have no comparative to the original.[3]
Rights to air the show were sold by Sony Pictures Television for more than 140 countries prior to the initial Amazon airing.[4]
In late-February 2016, Amazon announced that it had opted not to renew the series.[8] Although the original intention had been for the show to be a 10 episode limited series, Amazon and the show leadership had broached the idea of a potential second season.[8]
During filming of scenes of the pilot episode in Puerto Rico, actor Steve Zahn contracted dengue fever.[9]
Reception
editThe show earned mostly positive reviews and anecdotal evidence pointed to solid early viewership.[8] Critics have praised the cinematography of Belize in the "blue sky"[3] show as "gorgeous."[1][6] The first season holds a rating of 64 out of a 100 on metacritic.[10]
Critics note that the show wanders during its formulaic middle episodes of the season but is best as interpersonal conflicts are the focus.[1][6] Amazon opted not to renew the series for a second season.[11] About the cancellation, Co-showrunner Shawn Ryan said:
“Somebody at Amazon leaked the ratings to me and they indicated we should have been picked up for a second season. They had a regime in place then that isn’t there now. I was frustrated because the show was good and it was, at the time, their third-highest-rated show behind, Man in the High Castle and Bosch, and it was four or five times the viewership of Transparent, but there were people there who didn’t think the show was going to succeed and then were shocked when it got good reviews and it got the viewership and did but they already had made a business decision to move on.“[12]
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Charles McDougall | Cris Cole | January 15, 2015 |
| 2 | "Xtabai" | Alex Graves | Shawn Ryan | January 22, 2016 |
| 3 | "Well" | Randall Einhorn | Cris Cole | January 22, 2016 |
| 4 | "Flares" | Clark Johnson | Brett C. Leonard & Cris Cole | January 22, 2016 |
| 5 | "Hat" | Uta Briesewitz | Eileen Myers | January 22, 2016 |
| 6 | "Leslie" | Craig Zisk | Michael C. Martin | January 22, 2016 |
| 7 | "Ice Cream" | Guy Ferland | Zev Borow | January 22, 2016 |
| 8 | "Broodstock" | Mark Piznarksi | Jon Worley | January 22, 2016 |
| 9 | "Seahorse" | Ted Griffin | Kent Rotherham | January 22, 2016 |
| 10 | "Needles" | John David Coles | Cris Cole | January 22, 2016 |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h Poniewozik, James (January 20, 2016). "Review: On 'Mad Dogs,' an Amazon Series, Male Bellicosity Rules". New York Times.
- ^ a b c d Lloyd, Robert (January 21, 2016). "Amazon's 'Mad Dogs' is a repetitious story of unhappy middle-age men behaving badly". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b c d Bianco, Robert (January 11, 2016). "'Mad Dogs' and Amazon go into the Belize sun". USA Today.
- ^ a b c Barraclough, Leo (January 21, 2016). "Sony Pictures Television Sells U.S. Drama 'Mad Dogs' to More Than 140 Countries". Variety.
- ^ Lincoln, Ross A. (December 9, 2015). "Amazon Sets 'Mad Dogs' Premiere For January". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ a b c d Dornbush, Jonathan (January 22, 2016). "Mad Dogs". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ Stanhope, Kate (February 28, 2016). "Amazon's 'Mad Dogs' Canceled After One Season, EP Shawn Ryan Says". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ a b c Andreeva, Nellie (February 28, 2016). "'Mad Dogs' Ends Run On Amazon: No Season 2". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ Nededog, Jethro (January 12, 2016). "Steve Zahn caught a potentially deadly fever while shooting Amazon series 'Mad Dogs'". Business Insider.
- ^ "Mad Dogs (2016) : Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved 2017-12-08.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2016-02-28). "'Mad Dogs' Ends Run On Amazon: No Season 2". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2016-05-23.
- ^ "Shawn Ryan Opens up About WGA Negotiations, Netflix's 'Night Agent' and How 'Terriers' Was Ahead of its Time". The Hollywood Reporter. 24 March 2023.