Mob City, the flashy new period drama from Walking Dead TV show creator Frank Darabont, packed its fair share of punches, but due to its smaller-sized first season and scheduling, it was over in a flash. Like so many rifle shots through a window. There's nothing inherently wrong with a six-episode freshman season, as Darabont did the same thing with The Walking Dead, but TNT scheduled Mob City to run quickly over three weeks - giving the series an "event/miniseries" feel. For better or worse.
One could say that TNT going a bit off-brand was a risk, and that a normal rollout for this show wouldn't have been wise. Others might argue that scheduling the show in a non-traditional manner only worked to point out what a risk it was for TNT. And even riskier still considering that it aired during a time of year that's usually considered a dead zone for appointment television, without enough time (and no replays later in the week) to capitalize on word of mouth. Which would have had to have been lighting quick.
Given all that, Mob City still had some unique and effective moments. A strong start and an even stronger finish. The middle was non-existent, though the second week still felt like it was giving us things that would have worked better in a lengthier season. The turf war between Cohen and Dragna was over before it began. As was Detective Joe Teague's actual alliance with Hal Morrison's mob squad, which featured him having to both work with a team while simultaneously hiding essential evidence and truths from them. These were both things that would have played out better over time. Maybe the whole "psycho Leslie stalking Jasmine" thing could have worked better too. Who knows? But that definitely was my least favorite part.
Mob+City+TNT
Truth, doubt, or lie?
The idea of a "Joe Teague" however - an anonymous noir hero at the heart of larger, historic "cops vs. mobsters" events - was a good way to bring us into 1940s Los Angeles. And having him, a traumatized former WWII solider, be the one to take out Bugsy Siegel in the end was a surprisingly clever way to use actual history to the show's advantage. And Jon Bernthal played Teague with the appropriate amount of suppressed rage. Mostly apathetic, Teague was smartly only given one thing to care about above all else - his ex, Jasmine (Alexa Davalos). They kept this obsession under wraps for two episodes, having his murder of blackmailing comedian Hecky Nash (Simon Pegg) be a secret for the entire first chapter. And then even keeping Teague's full motivations under wraps until the last installment. Making Teague a bit of a one-track empty vessel - but one perfect for a "miniseries." What Teague might actually do in a Season 2 though is beyond me.
And while Teague was a great device, him being a stoic, disillusioned punching bag of a man also wasn't anything new as it pertains to the genre. And since part of Mob City's entire point was to be a stylized throwback to an old genre, which creatively grew out of post-WWII depression and existentialism, it's going to contain a certain superficiality. A certain element of "dress up." Which means that it has to work doubly hard to give us a great story that'll distract us from the trimmings.
The show featured good performances and some nifty chatter, but none surpassed Robert Knepper's Sid Rothman. Perhaps as a testament to the fact that one might have a bit more freedom playing a character who doesn't come with his own Wiki page, Knepper's Rothman embodied the perfect balance of madness. Often calm and methodical, Rothman's presence stole away all attention no matter what scene he was in. Sure, Knepper mostly plays scoundrels, but I'm not going to dock points. He's just so damn good at it.
At first it was a fun "gotcha" gimmick that the show featured two Walking Dead alums, one being Bernthal and the other Jeffrey DeMunn. But DeMunn's Hal Morrison fast became a nothing character - outshined even by some of the other members of his patchwork squad. Most notably Jeremy Strong's Mike, John Pollono's Pat, and comedian Dana Gould's Tug - a bookworm-ish type who wound up being the lone survivor of a brutal mob hit and then offered the job of running a brand new agency called Internal Affairs. On the villains' side, Heroes' Milo Ventimiglia, as Ned Stax, got to dress sharp, talk smooth, and skirt danger. So much that he almost became a sort of narrator for the show, often offering up the clues we needed to Teague's backstory. Edward Burns, who I've never considered a strong actor (much less an intimidating presence), had just started to win me over as Bugsy when he was taken out by Teague.
I wouldn't say Mob City "went for broke," but it did contain a good share of violent set pieces - like the Merry-Go-Round gun battle, the mob hit on the safe house, Rothman in Teague's apartment, etc. I don't want to focus on the bloodshed, but some of those sequences were so well done that they sucked me into the story and made me forget about the flashing neon bells and whistles that accompany a 40s period piece. The perpetually wet streets. The smooth jazz in the background. It was the life or death moments that cut through all that.

Mob City was brief but bold. Not everything worked, and there's an inherent detachment within the genre itself, but these six episodes were bookended nicely. The middle was a bit soft, but I feel that having the main mystery be the main character was a smart move. Not sure what that means for the show moving forward, but it gave us a good start