# Hap and Leonard (2016)

> Two mismatched best friends in 1980s East Texas stumble through get-rich-quick schemes and violent scrapes while staying loyal to each other.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/57303

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 18
- Episode runtime: 43 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: crime, comedy, drama
- Created by: Nick Damici, Jim Mickle
- Network: SundanceTV
- Cast: James Purefoy, Michael Kenneth Williams, Christina Hendricks, Bill Sage, Tiffany Mack, Neil Sandilands, Jimmi Simpson, Pollyanna McIntosh
- TMDB rating: 7.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3729898/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: darkly comic, gritty, profane, warm, violent

## What critics say

Audiences widely praise the darkly comic buddy chemistry of Hap and Leonard and the atmospheric swamp noir setting, with the show improving steadily across its three seasons.

## Synopsis

Hap and Leonard (2016-2018) is a darkly comic American crime drama created by Nick Damici and Jim Mickle for SundanceTV, adapted from the novels by Joe R. Lansdale. James Purefoy plays Hap Collins, an East Texas good ol' boy with a weakness for Southern women, and Michael Kenneth Williams plays Leonard Pine, a gay Black Vietnam veteran with a volcanic temper. Their friendship is the heart of the show. Each season the two drift into get-rich-quick schemes, stolen money, and dangerous local feuds in the late 1980s, and the trouble grows as bad men and bad luck close in. The three seasons play as a continuing story built on a loose case structure, with violence that arrives suddenly and is undercut by sharp, profane humor. Christina Hendricks co-stars as Trudy Fawst, adding a wry edge to the mix. Set in the swamps and small towns of East Texas, the show carries a gritty, sweaty atmosphere, a heated Southern gothic mood, and a warm loyalty between its leads. Fans of Justified, Fargo, and Hell on Wheels will find resonance in its blend of rural crime, offbeat characters, and dark comedy.

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