Luck

A drama set in the world of horse racing focusing on lives of owners, jockeys, trainers and gamblers who are all tied to the same horse track.

Luck (2012) is an American HBO prestige drama created by David Milch. Dustin Hoffman stars as Chester Bernstein, a gambler whose fortunes are tied to the racetrack, alongside Dennis Farina as Gus Demitriou, John Ortiz as Turo Escalante, Richard Kind as Joey Rathburn and Nick Nolte as Walter Smith. The series follows owners, jockeys, trainers and gamblers whose lives all converge on one horse track, with each storyline built from wagers, horse trainers' gambles and the everyday hustle of people chasing a lucky break. Its engine is the tension between what characters want from a race and the forces working against them, from debts and rivals to bad breaks and risky bets. The show runs for a single nine-episode season, and its structure is an ensemble web rather than a case of the week. Set in the present-day American racing world, it carries a gritty, melancholic and darkly comic tone, with a rich texture of track life and gambling culture. Fans of Boardwalk Empire, Deadwood and Rounders will find resonance in its morally compromised characters, its underworld of wagering, and its portrait of people who live and die by chance.

Audiences rated the single season positively, praising its gambling world and cast while the show was cut short after one run.

• Boardwalk Empireprestige drama, ensemble cast of flawed characters, gambling world, premium cable tone
• Deadwoodprestige drama, serialized insular subculture, morally compromised ensemble, dark tone
• Roundersgambling world, ensemble of schemers, cable prestige drama, moral ambiguity

Created by

David Milch

Release Date

2012-01-29

Episode runtime

60 min

Rating

7.4 / 10 (74)

What is Luck about?

A cable drama set around a single racetrack where owners, jockeys, trainers and gamblers chase fortune on the same horse track.

What is Luck like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Luck as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.

Is Luck violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Luck as mild.

What did critics think of Luck?

Audiences rated the single season positively, praising its gambling world and cast while the show was cut short after one run.

Which shows are like Luck?

Shows with a similar feel include Boardwalk Empire, Deadwood, and Rounders.

How long is Luck?

Luck: 1 season, 9 episodes.

Is Luck still running?

No, Luck was canceled.

Where can I watch Luck?

In United States, Luck streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max.