With Black Rabbit, nobody can ruin your life like family.
Black Rabbit starts exactly the way we like it: a sexy New York restaurant, a movie-star cast, a bevy of 90s alt-rock needle drops — then a couple of maniacs bust in to rob the place. For a minute, it plays less like a Netflix series and more like a lost Scorsese pilot somebody just dug up.
Jude Law plays Jake, the brother who built Black Rabbit into one of New York's hottest restaurants. Jason Bateman plays Vince, the brother who walks back into town with a talent for turning everything into a calamity. He's back to reconnect with family, but the debt collectors sniff him out the second he crosses the Manhattan Bridge.
Black Rabbit works best when it's just letting Law and Bateman cook. Jake is faux control. Vince is pure chaos. One brother is trying to stay afloat and build a future. The other keeps dragging the past through the front door. Watching them bounce between old grudges and reluctant teamwork becomes the show's real pleasure. One minute they're tearing open family wounds. Next they're committing fraud. Then they're sprinting shoulder to shoulder down Bowery St. to stay ahead of the people Vince owes money to.
Watching Black Rabbit feels like getting talked into "one quick drink" that somehow ends at 6AM. Every time you think the brothers find solid ground, somebody uncovers a secret or shows up looking to collect. It's a rabbit hole of barely-controlled panic where every solution creates bigger problems. Somewhere in the middle, the show goes down a few too many rabbit holes of its own.
Did Black Rabbit blow our hair back as much as we'd hoped? No. But anyone who says this show's bad is a wet blanket. Law and Bateman are terrific. It's gritty, fast-moving, and never short on trouble. Just don't expect it to linger the way it could.
The Rundown
Performances
Jude Law and Jason Bateman are having a blast. Whether they're screaming at each other or covering for each other, they make every scene better. Troy Kotsur is fantastic as gang boss Joe Mancuso, proving the quietest guy in the room can still be the scariest.
What You Come Here For
Big stars, gritty thrills, New York nightlife, gangsters, violence, and two brothers who can't decide whether they want to kill each other or save each other.
Best Episode
S1E7 — "Attaf*ckinboy" — the episode where all the various rabbit holes collide in the same room.
Weak Spots
The opening promises a great crime saga. The middle occasionally settles for a pretty good one. Not every rabbit hole is worth following, especially when it comes to Jake's undercooked affair.
Pair With
Ozark, Billions, The Bear.
Included In
What Our
Ratings Mean
Learn More →Your Mileage May Vary: There's a good chance you'll enjoy these, especially if they land in your wheelhouse. But there's a lot of range in the 7s — handy time-fillers, comfort watches, or easy crowd-pleasers.
