# Mad Dogs (2015)

> Four underachieving friends on a Belize retirement getaway find their celebration unravelling into a web of secrets, deception and murder.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/55149

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 10
- Episode runtime: 56 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: comedy, crime, drama
- Created by: Cris Cole, Shawn Ryan
- Network: Prime Video
- Cast: Steve Zahn, María Botto, Romany Malco, Michael Imperioli, Ben Chaplin, Athena Karkanis, Juan Botta, Afemo Omilami
- TMDB rating: 7.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2805574/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: cynical, darkly comic, tense, absurd, sardonic

## What critics say

Audience reception is positive, with viewers rating the dark comedy's wild Belize-set escapades and male friendship dynamics favorably despite a small sample.

## Synopsis

Mad Dogs (2015-2016) is an American dark comedy crime series created by Cris Cole and Shawn Ryan for Prime Video. Its single ten-episode season follows a group of underachieving 40-something friends who gather in Belize to celebrate the early retirement of an old friend. Steve Zahn plays Cobi, Michael Imperioli plays Lex, Romany Malco plays Gus, Ben Chaplin plays Joel, and María Botto plays Sophia Moreno, with each man's midlife discontent pushing him toward reckless choices. The engine of the show is a simple premise that keeps widening: a celebratory getaway that becomes a tangle of hidden secrets, petty betrayals and a growing body count, with each episode peeling back another layer of the friends' history. The tropical resort setting gives the crime a sun-bleached, claustrophobic edge, while the humor stays sharp and mean. The tone is cynical, bleak at moments and frequently absurd, anchored by the warmth and rivalry of old friendship. Fans of Breaking Bad, Fargo and Shameless will find resonance in its morally compromised men and escalating criminal mess. The series ended after one season and its story was left unfinished.

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