Mad Dogs (U.S. TV series)

Mad Dogs is a dark-comic thriller television series available for viewing on Amazon's Amazon Prime subscription service in the U.S and on Shomi in Canada.[1] It is a partial remake of the British show, also named Mad Dogs, that aired from 2011 to 2013.[2]

The 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]

The 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]

The cast consists of a number of B+ list television actors,[7] including 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 few women actors, including Allison Tolman and María Botto (reprising her role from the UK series), provide contrast to the male leads.[1][2][6]

Showrunner Chris Cole adapted the show from his own drama in the UK.[1] It was originally under development at the FX network.[8] 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]

The show earned mostly positive reviews and anecdotal evidence pointed to solid early viewership.[9] Critics have praised the cinematography of Belize in the "blue sky"[3] show as "gorgeous"[1][6]

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]

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.[9] 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.[9]

During filming of scenes of the pilot episode in Puerto Rico, actor Steve Zahn contracted dengue fever.[10]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 James Poniewozik, Review: On ‘Mad Dogs,’ an Amazon Series, Male Bellicosity Rules, New York Times, January 20, 2016
  2. 1 2 3 4 Robert Lloyd, Amazon's 'Mad Dogs' is a repetitious story of unhappy middle-age men behaving badly, Los Angeles Times, January 21, 2016
  3. 1 2 3 4 Robert Bianco, 'Mad Dogs' and Amazon go into the Belize sun, USA Today, January 11, 2016
  4. 1 2 3 Leo Barraclough, Sony Pictures Television Sells U.S. Drama ‘Mad Dogs’ to More Than 140 Countries, Variety, January 21, 2016
  5. ↑ Ross A. Lincoln, Amazon Sets ‘Mad Dogs’ Premiere For January, Deadline.com, December 9, 2015
  6. 1 2 3 4 Jonathan Dornbush, Mad Dogs, Entertainment Weekly, January 22, 2016
  7. ↑ Nick Venable, The 3 Best New Amazon Pilots, And Why You Should Be Watching, CinemaBlend, January 18, 2016
  8. ↑ Kate Stanhope, Amazon's 'Mad Dogs' Canceled After One Season, EP Shawn Ryan Says, The Hollywood Reporter, February 28, 2016
  9. 1 2 3 Nellie Andreeva, ‘Mad Dogs’ Ends Run On Amazon: No Season 2, Deadline.com, February 28, 2016
  10. ↑ Jethro Nededog, Steve Zahn caught a potentially deadly fever while shooting Amazon series 'Mad Dogs' , Business Insider, January 12, 2016
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