Four years after the hit Netflix series wrapped its four-season run, Ozark creator Bill Dubuque is back with a new nine-episode crime thriller series at Peacock. The NBCUniversal streamer has already made a name for itself in the genre with a content catalog that includes shows like NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and its own original series Poker Face. This May just delivered another streaming option to that lineup.
Dubuque’s bloody revenge story M.I.A. drops on Peacock on May 7th, with all nine episodes releasing in a binge-watch debut. The series, the first since Ozark to have Dubuque attached as creator, stars Shannon Gisela as Etta Tiger Jonze, a young woman in the Florida Keys seeking revenge after her family’s drug-running business is destroyed and her family murdered. She embarks on a dangerous, revenge-driven journey through Miami’s neon-lit underworld to track down those responsible. In addition to all nine episodes releasing on Peacock, M.I.A.’s pilot episode is also scheduled to air on NBC on May 14th at 10 p.m. ET.
M.I.A. isn’t necessarily hitting the ground running. While the show doesn’t hold any critic or audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes just yet, early critic reviews have been mixed-to-positive and seem to suggest that M.I.A. has a solid foundation to find its stride and transform into something great with time. Collider’s Jessica Toomer even wrote, “M.I.A. is at its best when it stops trying to be Ozark and lets itself be Ozark‘s sweatier, more deranged cousin. From the nine episodes provided for review, it hasn’t fully accepted that fact yet, but maybe a Season 2 pickup will help it come to terms.”
The new series is being described as a mix of John Wick-style revenge and a nighttime soap, exploring the high cost of vengeance, though it does occasionally meander with excessive focus on subplot conversations. The series delivers a pretty entertaining premise that pulls you in quick, and there’s plenty of fast-paced action, including chases and gunfights, that keeps things moving. M.I.A. also does a pretty great job of capturing its gritty, neon-soaked Miami setting. Beyond the strong creative team, which also includes Dexter’s Karen Campbell as showrunner, Jonze is reason alone to watch, the actress earning high praise for her performance that turns what could be a standard revenge story into a “psychological and interesting” character study.
M.I.A. is solidly entertaining enough to warrant a watch, but unfortunately, there’s no guarantee of its future. Peacock hasn’t renewed or cancelled the series just yet, but the nine-episode first season does leave the door open for continuation should M.I.A. be picked up for Season 2.
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