You Can Binge Jon Bernthal’s Criminally Underrated Mob Crime Drama In Under 6 Hours
Jon Bernthal's popularity has exploded in recent years, but one hidden gem from earlier in his career is seriously underrated. Today, Jon Bernthal is widely known for his roles in the Marvel Universe as Frank Castle, aka the Punisher, his time on The Bear as Carmy's late brother, Michael, and The Walking Dead, where he played Rick's former best friend, Shane. In several roles, he has proven his extraordinary ability to play an action lead and veer into playing someone who is less than squeaky clean. Which is why he makes the perfect lead for a dark and gritty crime drama. But despite this, one of his very best projects has been largely ignored.
After The Walking Dead, Jon Bernthal Starred In Mob City
Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Shane (Jon Bernthal) in police uniforms in The Walking Dead
For many, The Walking Dead is considered Bernthal's breakout role. Under the careful direction of three-time Oscar nominee Frank Darabont, Shane became a compelling anti-hero who audiences loved to hate, thanks to Bernthal's nuanced performance, making this character so complex and challenging. However, Shane was ultimately killed off early in the series run, which meant Bernthal had to seek out other opportunities. Evidently, Darabont was impressed with him because he cast him as the leading man in his TNT series, Mob City. A gritty neo-noir crime drama about a cop pulled between two opposing worlds.
Why Mob City Was Canceled After One Season
Jon Bernthal as Joe Teague in Mob City
Initially, Mob City was announced as a three-week television event, but despite what appeared to be a solid effort to promote the series, it ultimately fell through the cracks and received a lower than expected viewership. This led to the cancellation of the series, but fortunately, Darabont created the story in a way that felt complete across its six episodes.
It wasn't intended as a miniseries, but because of the structure and ending, it felt resolved, and Bernthal's performance is absolutely breathtaking. However, Darabont's remarkable reputation gave him considerably more social credit to pull in some big names and make this series into something spectacular despite it being unproven in season 1.
Mob City's Cast Proves Why The Show Is Still Worth Watching
The cast of Mob City
In addition to Bernthal playing the leading man, he is joined by a wide array of extremely talented actors from across the industry. Jeffrey DeMunn, who appeared in TWD alongside Bernthal, plays a prominent role in Mob City. Milo Ventimiglia, Robert Knepper, Neal McDonough, and several more incredible actors appear throughout, with many more taking on smaller roles in the show.
Together with the incredible vision and creativity of Darabont, this series stands out as a shining example that is a credit to everyone who worked on it. Still, it ends up being criminally underappreciated. Hopefully, with Jon Bernthal's star continuing to rise with every subsequent role, Mob City can get a little more of the attention it deserved the first time around.
Release Date
2013 - 2013-00-00
Network
TNT
Directors
Frank Darabont
Writers
David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, David J. Schow
