Animal Kingdom Interview: Ben Robson and Jake Weary

After six successful seasons, Animal Kingdom will be coming to an end and its final season is set to kick off on June 19, 2022, on TNT. Based on the 2010 Australian neo-noir crime drama of the same name, the series has carved its own path as a piece of compelling television that has taken fans on one hell of a journey filled with twists, turns, and surprises.

The series follows a 17-year-old boy, Joshua “J” Cody (Finn Cole) who, after the death of his mother, moves in with his estranged relatives, the Codys, a criminal family enterprise governed by matriarch Janine “Smurf” Cody (Ellen Barkin). As we get into this sixth and final season, “the Cody boys discover that they can’t outrun their past. With their empire expanding, a cold case investigation sets off a series of events that puts the entire family in jeopardy. Revenge, betrayal, and reckoning with long-forgotten violence lead to an explosive conclusion six seasons in the making.”

I had the pleasure of speaking with Ben Robson and Jake Weary, who play brothers, Craig Cody, and Deran Cody, respectively. The first thing that feels instantly apparent is that these two have a bond that was shaped by playing brothers on this series, with their brothers being particularly close across the show’s run. We talked about how it feels a little strange going back to the show because they shot the final season some time ago so it feels a bit like reopening an old wound because they grieved the show ending already but they did say that the final season finally airing allows them to share the end of this incredible run with the fans. It was really like chatting with friends for eight minutes and Jake Weary even gives my mom a bit of shoutout at the end which will be delightful for her because she’s an even bigger fan of the series than I am.

The final season of Animal Kingdom premieres on June 19, 2022, at 9:00 PM EST/PST on TNT