Do You Know Animal Kingdom TV Series (2016– ) Is Based on the 2010 Australian Film of the Same Name ? (Spoiler Alert)

The hit TV show Animal Kingdom, which tells a teen boy contacts his grandmother, who hoes by “Smurf” after his mother is overdosed and gets himself into a dangerous crime family, is not original but based on an Australian movie released in 2010, which was inspired by the Pettingill criminal family of Melbourne and received numerous awards.

Unlike the protagonist, Joshua in the TV show gets joy from the danger of committing crimes, in the original movie he is forced to commit crimes by his uncle who has mental and trust issues, which lead him to kill Josh’s girlfriend and even wants to kill his own nephew. However, his uncle is not the only one has mental issues but also Josh’s grandmother, who wants to kill Josh as well to save her son after he asks for the police’s protection.

James Frecheville                                              Finn Cole

Although the movie is more focusing on the crime and trust issue telling the family apart (never stick together though) while the Cody family has more love to each other in the TV show, but the sick love and intense between the family remains the same, which have made both the movie and TV show so good. Other than the storyline, who portrayed the odd grandmother is also the key to success. In the movie, the great, excellent and talented Australian actress Jacki Weaver totally nailed it, no wonder she got an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for this character; in the TV show, the incredible American actress Ellen Barkin, who has received Golden Globe, Emmy, and Tony awards, had shown a different but still a cold-blood, scary, and kinky grandmother who leads a crime family in South California.

Jacki Weaver                                             Ellen Barkin

After the death of Smurf by the end of 4th season, can the show still amaze us? Guess we will find out next year.