''Mad Dogs'' is an American

comedy thriller Comedy thrillers are a hybrid genre that draw subject matter generally from comedy and thrillers. Criteria They often include a darker tone, relative to other genres, of humor. List of comedy thriller films * '' The Big Fix'' (1978) * ''Chara ...

television series produced by Amazon Prime Video. It is a partial remake of the British show, also named '' Mad Dogs'', that aired from 2011 to 2013.

Background

The show's first season consisted of 10 episodes, expanding on the British version's first season's four hours of content. It began airing on January 22, 2016 in the U.S., U.K., and Germany, with an early release of the show available in December 2015.

Premise

The plot is a "cocktail of testosterone and bad decision-making", focused on the angst of a group of 40-something underachieving American men who become caught in a "vacation from hell".

Casting

The actors have mostly episodic TV credits, including Billy Zane as a man wealthy from underworld connections who invites his friends for a stay in Belize,

Michael Imperioli Michael Imperioli (born March 26, 1966) is an American actor, writer, and musician. He is best known for his role as Christopher Moltisanti in the HBO crime drama ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2007), which earned him the Primetime Emmy Award for Ou ...

as an irresponsible but good-hearted former traveling musician,

Romany Malco Romany relates or may refer to: *The Romani people or Romany people, also known as Gypsies *Romani language or Romany language, the language of the Romani people *"Romany", the pseudonym of a broadcaster and writer of Romani descent, George Bramwel ...

as a family man, and

Ben Chaplin Ben Chaplin (born Benedict John Greenwood; 31 July 1969)''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com is a British actor. He is best known for his roles in films, including ''The Truth About Cats & Dogs' ...

(who starred in the Zane role in the UK version of the show) as an embittered teacher. The show's female cast, including

Allison Tolman Allison Cara Tolman is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Molly Solverson in the first season of the FX television series '' Fargo'', earning Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. Early life and education Tolman has two older ...

and

María Botto María Florencia Botto Rota (born 10 February 1974) is an Argentine-Spanish actress. In 1978, she moved to Spain with her mother Cristina Rota and her brother Juan Diego Botto, also actors. She made her feature film debut at age 10, with a perf ...

(reprising her role from the UK series), provide contrast to the male leads.

Cast

Main cast

as Joel *

as Lex *

as Gus *

Steve Zahn Steven James Zahn (; born November 13, 1967) is an American actor and comedian. His film roles include ''Reality Bites'' (1994), ''That Thing You Do!'' (1996), ''Stuart Little'' (1999), '' Shattered Glass'' (2003), ''Sahara'' (2005), '' Chicken Li ...

as Cobi * Phil Davis as Lawrence, a local crime boss

Recurring cast

Mark Povinelli Mark Povinelli (born August 9, 1971) is an American stage, television and movie actor who also does occasional stunt work. Povinelli is also a noted social activist advocating for the rights of others with dwarfism. In June 2017 Povinelli was el ...

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 *

as Rochelle, an employee at the Embassy of the United States in Belize * Billy Zane as Milo *

Ted Levine Frank Theodore Levine (born May 29, 1957) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the roles of Buffalo Bill in the film '' The Silence of the Lambs'' (1991) and Leland Stottlemeyer in the television series ''Monk'' (2002–2009). Le ...

as Conrad Tull, an FBI agent *

Sutton Foster Sutton Lenore Foster (born March 18, 1975) is an American actress, singer and dancer. She is known for her work on the Broadway stage, for which she has won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical twice, in 2002 for her role as Millie Di ...

as Gerda.

Production

Showrunner

Cris Cole Crispin "Cris" Cole is a British writer and producer. Career Born in Wallingford, England, Cole grew up in London and attended Elliott School in Roehampton. After leaving the Elliott School, he worked as a professional guitarist and bass player f ...

adapted the show from his own drama in the UK. It was originally under development at the

FX network FX is an American pay television channel owned by FX Networks, LLC, a subsidiary of the Disney General Entertainment Content unit of The Walt Disney Company. It is based at the Fox Studios lot in Century City, California. FX originally launch ...

. 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. Rights to air the show were sold by

Sony Pictures Television Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production and distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, it is a division of Sony Entertainment's unit Sony Pictures Entertainme ...

for more than 140 countries prior to the initial Amazon airing. In late-February 2016, Amazon announced that it had opted not to renew the series. 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. During filming of scenes of the pilot episode in

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

, actor

contracted dengue fever.

Reception

The show earned mostly positive reviews and anecdotal evidence pointed to solid early viewership. Critics have praised the cinematography of

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

in the "blue sky" show as "gorgeous." The first season holds a rating of 64 out of a 100 on metacritic. Critics note that the show wanders during its formulaic middle episodes of the season but is best as interpersonal conflicts are the focus. Amazon opted not to renew the series for a second season.

Episodes

References

External links

* * {{Amazon Video original series 2010s American drama television series 2015 American television series debuts 2016 American television series endings Amazon Prime Video original programming American television series based on British television series Television series by Amazon Studios Television series by Left Bank Pictures Television series by Sony Pictures Television Television shows set in Puerto Rico