Many fans were outraged with Frank Darabont was “let go” of his showrunning duties on AMC’s The Walking Dead, leaving a cloud of doubt on whether the show could retain its momentum after THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION director was gone. So far, so good on that front, but many have speculated what the show would’ve been like had Darabont stayed on. However, the filmmaker has moved on to another network, TNT, to shepard a new show onto the airwaves, called Mob City (formerly Lost Angels), bringing a former Walking Dead star Jon Bernthal along for the ride. Today, we have our first look at the trailer for the show, which looks like a powerful, gritty, blood-soaked drama that’s more than a little reminiscent of L.A. CONFIDENTIAL (and hopefully comes off as less GANGSTER SQUAD). The pilot is written and directed by Darabont, with the show being based on the critically acclaimed book L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America’s Most Seductive City, by John Buntin.
Take a look:
Here’s a lengthy synopsis:
Mob City opens in post-war Los Angeles, home to glamorous movie stars, powerful studio heads and returning war heroes. But it’s also a city caught between a powerful and corrupt police force and an even more dangerous criminal network determined to make L.A. its West Coast base. Los Angeles Police Chief William Parker (Neal McDonough — Captain America, Desperate Housewives)) has made it his mission to free the city of criminals like Ben “Bugsy” Siegel (Ed Burns — Entourage) and Mickey Cohen (Jeremy Luke — Don Jon), the ruthless king of the Los Angeles underworld. Parker also won’t hesitate to go after anyone from his own police force who sells out honor and duty for the sake of a big payout. To carry out his sweep of organized crime, Parker sets up a new mob task force within the LAPD. Headed by Det. Hal Morrison (Jeffrey DeMunn — The Walking Dead, The Shawshank Redemption), the task force includes Det. Joe Teague (Jon Bernthal — The Walking Dead), an ex-Marine who holds his cards close to his chest.
This looks much cooler than I thought it would and I’m happy to see both Darabont and Bernthal making good on their post Walking Dead success. It seems like a great match up and with a strong supporting cast this could easily take off as the “next big thing.” With Breaking Bad bowing out in a few months, the door is open for a new show addiction. Could Mob City be it?
Mob City premieres on TNT, Wednesday, December 4, 2013 at 10/9c