Common Sense Media Review
Foul-mouthed gangster show hides sly, tender dark comedy.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
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Mr. Inbetween
What's the Story?
MR. INBETWEEN follows Ray Shoesmith (Scott Ryan), an enforcer for a loan shark in underworld of Melbourne, Australia. With his bald head, wispy goatee and no-nonsense manner, Ray presents himself as quite a menacing figure. But when he's not threatening or killing people who owe money, he's a loving father to his precocious 8-year-old daughter Britt and a caring sibling to his ill older brother. He even strikes up a new relationship with a pretty paramedic after they meet cute in a dog park. The show essentially follows Ray as he goes about his daily routine, bouncing back between the violent, foul-mouthed world of his job and more tender moments of normalcy (which he seems to long for) in his personal life.
Is It Any Good?
The latest entry in to the growing ranks of TV antiheroes, Mr. Inbetween treads some pretty familiar territory. And while it isn't groundbreaking, show creator and star Scott Ryan brings a certain charisma to the role of Ray that makes Mr. Inbetween worth the time. Not classically or even roguishly handsome, Ryan's bloke of a hitman feels like a cool supporting character who got a surprise promotion to leading man. He also is able to shift from believably menacing to tender to humorously bemused, sometimes in the same scene. It might be this unexpected dark comedic undertone that sets this show apart, and at the end of the day it might actually have more in common with fellow FX shows Atlanta and Better Things than it does with Breaking Bad or The Sopranos.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the duality of Ray's character in Mr. Inbetween. Is it believable that a someone who deals so easily in violence could also be such a caring father?
What is an antihero? Does Ray fit the definition? What are some other characters you've encountered that could be considered antiheroes?
TV Details
- Premiere date : September 25, 2018
- Cast : Damon Herriman , Brooke Satchwell , Scott Ryan
- Network : FX
- Genre : Drama
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 26, 2024
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