Common Sense Media Review
By Joyce Slaton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
No character is clean in this violent gangster drama.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
What's the Story?
Based on true stories on the lengthy battles between the Los Angeles Police Department and the ruthless gangsters who sought to control the town, MOB CITY centers on the exploits of Joe Teague (Jon Bernthal), a former war hero turned cop serving under Police Chief William Parker (Neal McDonough). Parker considers public enemy No. 1 to be Mickey Cohen (Jeremy Luke), but his cohorts are equally dangerous: Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel (Edward Burns) and lawyer/fixer/all-around dirty dealer Ned Stax (Milo Ventimiglia). These men inhabit a world of guns and schemes, power grabs, and sudden reversals, always trying to stay one step ahead of a corrupt yet canny police force. And it all takes place in a town where the movie business is its own force of nature, with godlike studio heads, glamorous movie stars, and its own grubby side.
Is It Any Good?
"This city," sighs one of the characters in Mob City's pilot, admiring a view of Los Angeles that prominently includes the vintage Hollywood sign. "It's so damned beautiful, like a sky full of stars, but only from a distance. Up close, it's all gutter." Thus he voices the overarching theme of the series: the city itself, and the people within it, look glamorous and successful -- but, under the surface, they're all grasping and scheming and climbing and, inevitably, falling.
The same style-hounds who revere the period clothing and settings of Mad Men will similarly appreciate Mob City: There are beaded curtains and hats with veils, complicated hairstyles, and hand-painted silk ties. Everyone and everything looks great, and both characters and story lines are suitably twisty and gritty. Series creator Frank Darabont (The Walking Dead) traffics a bit too heavily in mobster cliches, but Mob City distinguishes itself from other mob dramas with its LA setting. Swimming pools! Movie stars! And lots and lots of guns.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the history of gangsters in America. How did they come to power? What was the public reaction to their actions? What happened to most of the mobsters during the 1940s?
Does it look fun to be a mobster in the 1940s? Why, or why not? Do their lives look glamorous? What about the way in which they are presented in Mob City makes their lives look appealing?
Compare Mob City to other dramas about gangsters, such as The Sopranos or Boardwalk Empire. How are these shows and their characters and plots alike? How are they different?
TV Details
- Premiere date : December 4, 2013
- Cast : Alexa Davalos , Edward Burns , Jeremy Luke , Milo Ventimiglia
- Network : TNT
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : History
- TV rating :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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