Mad Dogs

Mad Dogs is a British black comedy and psychological thriller television series created by Cris Cole that began airing on Sky1 on 10 February 2011. It is produced by Left Bank Pictures, and co-produced by Palma Pictures. The series stars John Simm, Marc Warren, Max Beesley, and Philip Glenister as four long-time and middle-aged friends getting together in a villa in Majorca to celebrate the early retirement of their friend Alvo. However, after Alvo is murdered, the group find themselves caught up in the world of crime and police corruption.

Mad Dogs (2011-2013) is a British black comedy and psychological thriller series created by Cris Cole for Sky One. Four long-time friends, played by John Simm as Baxter, Max Beesley as Woody, Philip Glenister as Quinn and Marc Warren as Rick, gather at a villa in Majorca to celebrate the early retirement of their friend Alvo, played by Ben Chaplin. The holiday curdles when Alvo is murdered, and the men find themselves tangled in a world of crime and police corruption they never meant to enter. Their engine is the scramble to cover up, bargain and survive, with each episode pushing them further from the lives they left behind. The series runs four seasons across a short run of fourteen hour-long episodes, following one continuing story rather than standalone cases. Set in the sunlit but rough-edged expat world of Spain, it blends sharp, bleak humour with tension and betrayal. Its tone is wry and bruised, with moments of genuine menace. Fans of Shameless, Fargo and In Bruges will find resonance in its mix of gallows humour, morally compromised friendships and escalating criminal mess.

Audience reception is positive overall, with the series praised for its dark comedic tone and strong ensemble cast, though its uneven season quality draws criticism.

• Shameless (US)dark comedy crime tone, male friendship under criminal pressure
• Fargoblack comedy thriller with escalating criminal entanglements
• In Brugesbleak comic crime escalation among ordinary men

Created by

Cris Cole

Release Date

2011-02-10

Episode runtime

60 min

Rating

7.5 / 10 (71)

What is Mad Dogs about?

Four middle-aged friends on a Majorcan retirement holiday are dragged into murder and police corruption after one of them is killed.

What is Mad Dogs like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Mad Dogs as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is Mad Dogs violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Mad Dogs as moderate.

What did critics think of Mad Dogs?

Audience reception is positive overall, with the series praised for its dark comedic tone and strong ensemble cast, though its uneven season quality draws criticism.

Which shows are like Mad Dogs?

Shows with a similar feel include Shameless (US), Fargo, and In Bruges.

How long is Mad Dogs?

Mad Dogs: 4 seasons, 14 episodes.

Is Mad Dogs still running?

No, Mad Dogs has ended.

Where can I watch Mad Dogs?

In United States, Mad Dogs streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.