by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
Oscar winning filmmaker Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby) created this drama about four Irish brothers–the Donnellys–Tommy, Jimmy, Kevin, and Sean–tough street kids who grew up on the wrong side of the law. Now young men, the brothers are on the brink of making a critical decision as to whether they become law-abiding citizens, or move up to serious crime.
The premise involves how the brothers manage to graduate from petty crime into a full-fledged organized crime family through a set of fortuitous events. Haggis’ prime directive for this scenario is based on the old adage, blood is thicker than water. In other words, the brothers protect each other, even if it means committing murder.
Like Haggis’ noteworthy films, this gritty drama is complex and well written, featuring a stellar cast of experienced young actors. In the Donnellys’ world, things escalate quickly as their impulsive acts backfire and they have to take a stand. The brothers’ youthful indiscretions and propensity for screwing up work against them, often putting them in jeopardy. In the Donnellys’ case, every decision they make affects their future. Unfortunately, they have a knack for making the wrong choices.
Tommy (Jonathan Tucker) is the eldest and the leader of the sibling gang. He has taken on the role of protector and fixer of his brothers’ messes. At first, he is the least likely to end up head of a crime family, but his brothers’ misdeeds have forced him to make life-changing decisions that solidify his position as his brothers’ keeper and boss.
As a child, the hothead, Jimmy (Tom Gury), was hit by an out-of-control car that crushed his leg, leaving him with a limp. As he grew up, he developed a serious drug habit. He won the Firecracker Lounge in a card game, but discovered it was heavily in debt with liens against it. The Lounge has become the Donnellys headquarters and he struggles on to pay its bills.
Sean (Michael Stall-David) is the baby of the family. His good looks attract the ladies, consequently, his brothers keep their girlfriends away from him. He’s always in trouble and Tommy has to bail him out to save him. In the pilot episode, Sean is beaten almost to death for kidnapping a rival gang member. This leads to big trouble for the gang.
Compulsive gambler, Kevin (Billy Lush), is always in someone’s debt for his gambling losses. Like all addicted gamblers, he believes that one big score will make him even, but he always loses. His position in the gang is between Tommy and Jimmy, but his loyalty is never in question. When push comes to shove, Kevin will do anything to help his brothers.
Jenny (Olivia Wilde) is a close friend of the Donnellys. She is in love with Tommy but she married a schoolteacher who went missing. Deep down, Jenny knows that her husband is not coming back, but she maintains hope. However, her love for Tommy keeps her close to the Donnellys’ daily crises and her hope that her husband will return is fading.
The show is narrated by Joey “Ice Cream”–a jailhouse snitch who is telling the cops about his lifetime relationship with the Donnellys. In this respect, the series is reminiscent of Goodfellas.
As kids, the Donnellys were protected by a sympathetic cop and a neighborhood gangster. But when Sean and Jimmy kidnapped one of the gangster’s soldiers for ransom, all hell broke loose. The gang beat up Sean and put him in the hospital, barely alive. When Kevin heard about the beating, he killed their hostage and they took his gun. Things escalated rapidly out of control. To save Kevin and Jimmy, Tommy ends up murdering their rival gang, including the patriarch. That act instantly put the Donnellys in another league of capital crime, and there was no going back. They are accessories in a multiple murder and now they have to stay out of jail and make their crime business pay the bills.
The pilot was riveting and setup the drama to come. Haggis is a master of this foreboding street-level action. His pilot script was masterfully written and directed, which hooked me right away. This could develop into another Sopranos-like series with infinite story possibilities.
The young actors are hip and portray their characters with a savvy understanding of their close family ties and their individual character’s motivations. As kids, the Donnellys survived the streets. Now they face an uncertain future as full blown gangsters. The Black Donnellys runs Monday nights at 10:00 pm ET on NBC. It replaces Studio 60 on The Sunset Strip, which is temporarily off the air shooting new shows.
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